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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteLeave a moving, apparently healthy bat outdoors alone, but keep people and pets away from it. A bat on the ground, unable to fly, unusually approachable, active during the day, or apparently sick or injured needs advice from local animal control, public health, or a qualified wildlife rehabilitator. These behaviors call for caution; they do not prove the bat has rabies. Never touch or try to rescue it yourself.
If a person or pet may have had direct contact with the bat, contact local public health or animal control promptly for guidance. For a known human bite or scratch, wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical advice. If the bat was inside a home, do not release it before speaking with a public-health expert.
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First, keep your distance
Whether the bat looks healthy or not, do not touch, feed, move, or try to rehabilitate it. Keep children and pets away, and give the bat room to leave if it is outdoors. A bat that is frightened, injured, or ill can still bite or scratch when someone tries to pick it up. You cannot reliably judge safety by looking at its size, movement, or apparent calmness.
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If it is inside a home, keep people and pets away from the bat and contact animal control or the health department. The CDC’s guidance on preventing rabies from bats is to avoid touching bats and seek medical advice if you may have had contact with one. Do not improvise a capture with household items, and do not buy handling equipment as a reason to approach the animal. Safe capture and any testing should be handled through the appropriate local authorities.
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A bat behaving unusually may need professional attention, but appearance alone cannot establish whether it has rabies. Do not try to inspect it closely or handle it to find out. The safest first decision is a distance decision: keep everyone back while you determine which local office should advise you.
Three questions that determine the next step
When you see a bat, sort the situation by where it is, how it is behaving, and whether contact may have occurred. These distinctions are more useful than trying to identify the species or make a diagnosis.
- Location: Is the bat outdoors, or inside a home?
- Condition: Is it moving and apparently healthy, or is it grounded, unable to fly, sick-looking, injured, unusually approachable, or active during the day?
- Possible contact: Has a person or pet touched it, been bitten or scratched, or been in a situation where contact could have gone unnoticed?
A moving bat outdoors with no known contact can generally be left undisturbed. A bat that is grounded or behaving unusually merits a call for instructions. A bat inside a home, or any possible human or pet contact, moves the issue into public-health and animal-control territory. If possible contact is involved, public-health guidance takes priority over general wildlife advice.
What to do in each situation
A moving bat outdoors that appears healthy
Leave it alone and keep people and pets back. Los Angeles County Public Health advises leaving a moving bat that appears healthy outdoors alone. That is local guidance, not a rule for every jurisdiction; if you are unsure, or the bat’s condition changes, contact your local animal-control or public-health office for instructions.
Do not pick it up to move it, even if you think it is in an inconvenient place. A bat flying, climbing, or otherwise moving normally may simply be using an outdoor area temporarily. The helpful action is to prevent people and pets from disturbing it, then allow local guidance to determine whether anything else is needed.
Do not treat “outdoors” as an automatic all-clear. If the bat becomes grounded, cannot fly, appears ill or injured, or approaches people unusually, stop treating it as an ordinary outdoor sighting and call for advice. Local authorities may use different procedures, so start with animal control or public health if you cannot identify the right wildlife service.
A bat on the ground or unable to fly
Stay back and call local animal control or public health. The CDC lists being found on the ground, being unable to fly, and appearing unusually approachable among behaviors that merit caution. A grounded bat could be injured or otherwise in need of help, but that sign alone does not diagnose rabies.
Do not move it to a tree, place it in a box, offer food or water, or attempt treatment. Handling can create a bite or scratch risk and can interfere with whatever assessment a qualified responder may need to make. If animal care is needed, local authorities can advise whether a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic is the right contact in your area.
If the bat is in a place where people or pets might approach it, increase the distance between them rather than trying to relocate the bat yourself. Keep monitoring from a safe distance only as needed to answer a responder’s questions. If you are uncertain whether it can fly, describe what you observed instead of testing it by approaching.
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A bat active during the day or unusually approachable
Do not approach it. Daytime activity, an unusual location, or a lack of fear around people can be reasons to call for guidance, but none proves the bat is sick or rabid. Bats are not diagnosed by one behavior, and a bystander should never use daytime activity as a reason to catch or kill one.
Keep pets away and contact animal control or public health rather than trying to catch it. Tell the responder that it was active during the day or unusually approachable, where it was, and whether anyone or any animal may have touched it. Those facts help the appropriate office decide whether wildlife assistance, public-health evaluation, or both are needed.
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A bat that looks injured or sick
Keep clear and contact animal control, public health, or a qualified wildlife rehabilitator. Signs that concern observers may include little movement, inability to fly, or an appearance suggesting injury. Such signs indicate a need for professional advice; they do not confirm rabies.
Do not transport the bat or attempt treatment. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic may be the appropriate animal-care contact, but availability and rules vary by location. Call first and explain the circumstances. Animal control or public health can tell you whether a rehabilitator, clinic, or another local service should respond.
If a person or pet may have touched the bat while it appeared injured, say so explicitly. The animal’s condition does not determine whether an exposure occurred, and wildlife-care advice does not replace medical or veterinary guidance after possible contact.
A bat still present the next morning
If a bat has not left by the next morning, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic for advice. Tufts Wildlife Clinic recommends calling a licensed rehabilitator or the clinic in that situation.
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A bat inside your home
Keep people and pets away, then contact animal control or your health department. The CDC advises that a bat found in a home should not be released before you consult a public-health expert, because it may need safe capture and testing to assess possible exposure. Releasing it immediately can remove the opportunity for authorities to determine whether testing is appropriate.
Do not try to catch the bat with gloves, a towel, a container, or other household equipment. Consumer gear can encourage an untrained person to approach an animal that should be handled by qualified responders. Follow the instructions of animal control or public health about safe capture, testing, and what to do while help is arranged.
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Tell the health department or a healthcare professional if someone may have touched the bat, was asleep in the room, or is a child or otherwise unable to reliably report contact. A bite can be tiny and go unnoticed. Do not decide on your own that no exposure occurred just because you cannot see a bite or because the bat did not seem aggressive.
A pet’s presence matters too. If a dog, cat, or other pet could have reached the bat, keep the pet away and call local animal control or public health for instructions. Do not let the pet investigate again, and do not handle the bat to look for evidence of contact.
How to respond to a possible bite, scratch, or contact
- For a known human bite or scratch, wash the wound immediately with soap and water. Washing is a first-aid step; it does not replace professional assessment.
- Contact a healthcare professional or local health department promptly if a person may have had direct contact or you are unsure whether contact occurred. Explain what happened, when it happened, where the bat was, and whether anyone was asleep or unable to report contact.
- For possible contact involving a pet, keep the pet away from the bat and contact local animal control or public health for instructions. Do not handle the bat to investigate what happened, and do not rely on the pet’s apparent behavior to rule out contact.
- For a bat inside a home, do not release it before speaking with public health. A public-health expert may determine that safe capture and testing are needed.
- Follow the advice of public-health professionals. They can assess whether bat testing or post-exposure treatment is needed. Do not use the bat’s behavior, the absence of a visible wound, or your own estimate of risk to decide whether medical follow-up is necessary.
The CDC’s bat guidance emphasizes prompt medical advice after possible contact. Its plain-language instruction is: “Avoid touching bats and see a medical professional if you may have had contact with one.” The relevant public-health authorities—not a visual check by a bystander—determine what follow-up is appropriate.
Contact can be uncertain. Someone asleep in a room, a young child, or a person who cannot reliably describe what happened may not know that a brief touch, bite, or scratch occurred. That uncertainty is itself a reason to call. You do not need to prove that a bite happened before asking a health professional to assess the situation.
Which number should you call?
- Possible human contact, or a bat inside a home: Call your local health department or animal control. For a possible human bite, scratch, or other direct contact, contact a healthcare professional promptly as well.
- An injured, grounded, or persistently present bat with no known contact: Call animal control, public health, or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for local instructions.
- A pet may have touched the bat: Keep the pet away and contact local animal control or public health for guidance on what to do next.
- A moving, apparently healthy bat outdoors: Leave it undisturbed. If you are uncertain about its condition or local rules, ask animal control or public health rather than approaching it.
Local rules, responder availability, and procedures differ. One community may route wildlife calls through animal control, another through a health department, and another through a licensed rehabilitator or wildlife clinic. If you are not sure which office handles bats where you live, start with local animal control or the health department and ask where to call next.
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Why caution matters—and what the numbers do not tell you
Rabies is serious, and possible contact with a bat deserves prompt attention even when no bite is obvious. The CDC’s rabies overview, updated January 27, 2026, says at least 7 out of 10 people who die of rabies in the United States were infected by bats. It also reports that around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against rabies following a potential exposure each year.
These are U.S. figures about rabies deaths and responses to possible exposure—not estimates of the chance that a particular bat is rabid. They cannot tell you that a daytime bat, a grounded bat, or any other individual animal is infected. Nor can they tell you that an apparently healthy bat is safe to touch. The correct response still depends on distance, location, behavior, and possible contact.
The available general guidance does not establish a current, broadly applicable percentage of bats that carry rabies. Do not substitute an old, local, or species-specific statistic for an assessment of a specific encounter. If contact may have occurred, ask public-health professionals what to do rather than trying to calculate the risk yourself.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not pick up a bat to move it. Even a bat that seems calm or weak should be handled only by qualified responders.
- Do not assume a daytime bat has rabies—or that it is safe. Unusual behavior is a reason to keep away and seek advice, not a diagnosis.
- Do not release a bat found inside a home before speaking with public health. A professional may need to assess whether safe capture and testing are appropriate.
- Do not dismiss possible contact because no bite is visible. A bat bite may be small and unnoticed; explain the circumstances to a healthcare or public-health professional.
- Do not let pets approach or investigate the bat. Keep them away and seek local guidance if contact may have happened.
- Do not attempt home rehabilitation. Feeding, watering, treating, transporting, or confining a bat can expose you to a bite or scratch and may conflict with local wildlife rules.
- Do not treat one local rule as universal. Guidance from Los Angeles County or a particular wildlife clinic is an example; your own health department, animal-control office, and wildlife authorities may use different procedures.
- Do not wait for a dramatic symptom before calling. A grounded, unusually approachable, daytime, or indoor bat is enough reason to obtain instructions, especially when contact cannot be ruled out.
Frequently asked questions
Should I leave a bat alone?
Usually, yes, if it is outdoors, moving, and appears healthy. Keep people and pets away and do not touch or move it. If it is grounded, unable to fly, unusually approachable, active during the day, sick-looking, injured, or still present the next morning, call for local advice.
Is a bat out during the day automatically sick?
No. Daytime activity is a behavior that merits caution and professional advice, not proof of rabies or another illness. Stay back and contact animal control or public health rather than trying to catch it.
I found a bat on the ground. What should I do?
Keep everyone away, prevent pets from approaching, and call animal control or public health. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic may be the appropriate animal-care contact. Do not pick up, feed, or transport the bat unless a qualified responder instructs you.
Who do I call for an injured bat?
Start with local animal control or public health. They can tell you whether a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic serves your area and what to do while waiting. Procedures and availability differ by location.
What if a bat was in my room while I was sleeping?
Contact your health department or a healthcare professional promptly and explain that someone was asleep in the room. Because a bite can be tiny and unnoticed, do not decide that there was no exposure simply because no mark is visible. Do not release the bat before consulting public health.
What if my child or pet may have touched the bat?
Keep the child or pet away from the bat and contact local public health or animal control. Tell the responder that the person may not be able to report contact reliably, or that the pet may have reached the bat. Do not handle the bat to investigate.
Does a calm bat have rabies?
You cannot determine that from calmness or any other single behavior. A bat may need help without having rabies, and a bat that looks normal should still not be touched. Use distance and professional advice, not visual diagnosis.
Should I buy gloves or a container to catch it?
No product is a substitute for trained local response. Handling equipment may encourage you to approach the bat, while authoritative guidance prioritizes distance and qualified capture. Call animal control, public health, or a licensed wildlife service for instructions.
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Can I release a bat found indoors?
Not before consulting a public-health expert. The CDC advises contacting animal control or the health department so the bat can be safely captured and evaluated for possible testing, particularly when a person may have been exposed.
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How quickly should I seek medical advice after a bite or scratch?
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Bottom line
Give every bat distance. Leave a moving, apparently healthy bat outdoors alone, but call local animal control, public health, or a qualified wildlife rehabilitator for a grounded, unable-to-fly, unusually approachable, daytime, injured, sick-looking, or persistent bat. If it is inside a home, do not release it before speaking with public health. Any possible person or pet contact deserves prompt professional guidance, even when no bite is visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I leave a bat alone?
Usually, yes, if it is outdoors, moving, and appears healthy. Keep people and pets away and do not touch or move it. Call for advice if it is grounded, unable to fly, unusually approachable, active during the day, sick-looking, injured, or still present the next morning.
Is a bat flying during the day automatically sick?
No. Daytime activity is a reason for caution and professional advice, not proof of rabies. Stay back and contact animal control or public health rather than trying to catch it.
What should I do if I find a bat on the ground?
Keep everyone and pets away and call animal control or public health. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic may help. Do not pick up, feed, or transport the bat unless a qualified responder instructs you.
What if a bat was in a room while someone was sleeping?
Contact your health department or a healthcare professional promptly. A bite may be tiny and unnoticed, so do not assume there was no exposure. Do not release the bat before consulting public health.
Can I release a bat found inside my home?
Not before speaking with a public-health expert. Animal control or the health department may need to arrange safe capture and determine whether testing is appropriate.
What if my pet touched a bat?
Keep the pet away from the bat and contact local animal control or public health for instructions. Do not handle the bat or rely on the pet’s behavior to rule out contact.
Who handles an injured bat?
Start with local animal control or public health. They can direct you to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife clinic and explain local procedures.
Can I tell whether a bat has rabies by looking at it?
No. Grounding, daytime activity, unusual approachability, or a sick appearance call for caution but do not diagnose rabies. Only qualified public-health professionals can advise on exposure follow-up.
The Bottom Line
Keep your distance. Leave a moving, apparently healthy outdoor bat alone, but call local animal control, public health, or a qualified wildlife rehabilitator for a grounded, unable-to-fly, unusually approachable, daytime, injured, sick-looking, or persistent bat. Never release a bat found indoors before consulting public health. After any possible person or pet contact, obtain prompt professional guidance—even if no bite is visible.
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