Bat Removal Pueblo, CO

Rabid bats in Pueblo County, 2026

On September 18, 2026, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) confirmed that two bats had tested positive for rabies in Pueblo County. They were found in different places, and the cases were unrelated. Program Manager Scott Cowan reminded residents never to touch or handle a bat or wild animal and to keep pet rabies vaccines current. PDPHE says a bat should be tested if it came into contact with a person or pet, or if one is found at your home. Bat teeth are small, and a bite may not be visible.

Pueblo County's rabies page notes that in Colorado, bats and skunks make up most of the infected wildlife population. It also lists bats on the ground that cannot fly as a warning sign.

Who to call in Pueblo

• Bat collection: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), (719) 355-9629 (Pueblo County's rabies page also lists (719) 569-1906). Report the bat and where it is.
• Report a bite or exposure: PDPHE, (719) 583-4307, or 719-583-4300 (option 8).
• Bitten? Wash the wound well with soap and water, then call your physician and PDPHE.

The stakes for pets are high. PDPHE says an unvaccinated animal exposed to a rabid animal must be euthanized or undergo a 180-day quarantine, with 90 of those days in a facility.

Pueblo's housing is some of the oldest on the Front Range

About 72% of Pueblo's 50,089 housing units were built before 1980, and the median home dates to 1965. Only 6% were built in 2010 or later. Most (72%) are single-family detached houses. Older frame houses with shrunken or loose boards, open gable vents and worn mortar give bats plenty of entry points. The Colorado Bat Working Group's rule of thumb is to seal any opening a thumb can fit into.

CPW lists Pueblo County among the counties where the white-nose fungus has been detected, though not yet the disease itself. Any exclusion here should let bats leave unharmed.

When bat exclusion can happen in Pueblo

Colorado Parks and Wildlife asks property owners to avoid sealing bats out of buildings during pupping season, June through August. The Colorado Bat Working Group gives a slightly longer window (June to mid-August) and asks a simple question first: can the work wait until the maternity colony disperses in autumn? Pueblo is warmer than the northern Front Range (its average July high is about 93°F), so bats stay active into September.

In Pueblo, NOAA normals for the Pueblo Mem Ap station put the average low at 50°F or warmer in Jun–Sep, the stretch when insects, and therefore bats, are most active. That lines up with the state window. We use those months for inspection and night exit counts. One-way doors go up after the pups can fly, and stay up for the 5–10 nights the Working Group recommends before the last gaps are sealed.

Pueblo at a glance

• Housing units: 50,089 (median year built 1965)
• Built before 1980: 72%; built 2010 or later: 6%
• Single-family detached: 72%; buildings with 10+ units: 12%
• Renter-occupied homes: 36%
• Average January low: 15°F; average July high: 93°F
• Months with an average low of 50°F or warmer: Jun–Sep

Housing figures: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003) via Census Reporter. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Pueblo Mem Ap station.

Common questions

Nearby city guides

• Pueblo West
• Cañon City
• Colorado Springs
• Fountain

Sources

1. KRDO: Two bats test positive for rabies in Pueblo County (Sept. 18, 2026)
2. Pueblo County: Rabies
3. Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Living with Bats
4. Colorado Bat Working Group (CNHP, CSU): excluding bats from buildings
5. Census Reporter: Pueblo profile (ACS 2024 1-year)
6. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals (Pueblo Mem Ap)