Blog
Dead Bat in Your House or Yard: What to Do
I've written about how to recognize possible rabies and noted that bats are Washington's only confirmed rabies reservoir. That fact makes a dead bat encounter genuinely different from finding any other dead animal, and it's worth its own explanation — including one scenario that's important enough I want to lead with it.
The Single Most Important Thing to Know
If someone wakes up to find a bat in the room they were sleeping in, or a bat is found with an unattended young child, an intoxicated or mentally impaired person, or a pet, real CDC-aligned guidance treats this as a situation that may call for rabies evaluation and possible treatment — even if nobody saw or felt a bite. Bat teeth are small enough that a bite can go completely unnoticed and leave no visible mark, especially if someone was asleep. Washington's own health department cites a real 1995 case where a child died of rabies, and the only clue afterward was that a bat had been found in the child's bedroom. If this describes your situation, contact your healthcare provider and local health department — this is a medical decision, not something to assess yourself.
Why Bats Specifically
Washington's Department of Health is direct about the real numbers: somewhere between 3 and 10 percent of bats actually submitted for testing turn out to be rabid, compared to less than 1 percent of bats in the wild overall. That gap makes sense once you realize submitted bats tend to be ones that already acted strangely or had contact with a person or pet — they're not a random sample. It's also the real reason bats get treated differently than other wildlife in this state: they're the one species Washington has actually confirmed as a rabies source.
If There Was No Contact at All
A bat found dead with no known or possible contact with a person or pet doesn't need testing — normal, careful disposal is fine. The distinction that actually matters is contact, not just proximity: a bat that was never touched, never in a room with a sleeping or unattended person, and never near a pet is a much simpler situation than the scenario above.
How to Handle One Safely
- Never handle a bat with bare hands — thick gloves, like real leather work gloves, actually matter here since bat teeth can get through thin material
- Use a shovel or dustpan to move it rather than picking it up by hand
- If testing might be needed, place it in a sealed container and refrigerate it — never freeze it, since freezing damages the brain tissue testing requires
- If testing isn't needed, normal careful disposal is fine
How Testing Actually Gets Arranged
Contact your local health department first — they pre-approve testing before a bat gets sent anywhere. Approved bats are tested, at no cost, at Washington's Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, the same lab used for rabies testing statewide.
A Real Legal Note
Bats are protected wildlife in Washington — they can't be hunted, trapped, or killed generally. There's a specific, real exception for bats in or immediately next to an occupied building, which covers most situations homeowners actually deal with, but it's worth knowing that broadly killing bats outside that context isn't simply allowed.
Keeping Bats From Getting In Next Time
The real, standard method is exclusion, not sealing entry points outright — one-way devices that let bats leave but not return, left in place for about a week. Timing matters here more than people expect: the right windows are mid-August through mid-October, or before May, and exclusion should specifically be avoided from May through mid-August, when flightless young could get trapped and orphaned inside if you seal an entry too soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to worry if I find a bat in my house with no contact? If there's genuinely no contact with a person or pet, no testing is needed — safe removal and disposal is fine.
What if I woke up with a bat in my room? This is treated as a real possible exposure even without a visible bite, since bat bites can go unnoticed during sleep — contact a healthcare provider and your local health department.
How common is rabies in Washington bats? Roughly 3-10% of bats actually submitted for testing are positive, though less than 1% of the overall wild bat population carries it.
When should I seal up a bat entry point in my house? Mid-August through mid-October, or before May — never May through mid-August, when flightless young could be trapped inside.
Found a dead bat and not sure what the situation calls for? Call or text (253) 905-2220 or request a quote — I'll help you handle it carefully.
Sources: CDC, Washington State Department of Health, King County Public Health, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.