Found a bat – what to do?
What to do now
- Put on thick gloves or take a cloth and carefully place the animal in a box with small air holes.
- Put in a piece of fabric to crawl into and a screw cap with a little water.
- Close the box well – bats squeeze through gaps a finger wide – and keep it cool and quiet.
- Call a bat helpline, a wildlife rescue centre or a veterinary practice.
- If the animal seems uninjured: at nightfall, put the open box somewhere raised, for example on a wall. If it does not fly off, it needs care.
Please do not
- Do not touch it with bare hands. After a bite or scratch, wash the spot thoroughly with soap and water and get medical advice the same day.
- Do not throw it into the air “so that it flies off”. Bats take off from a height, not from the ground.
- Do not feed it or give it anything to drink.
- Do not seal off or clear out roosts on your house: all native bats are strictly protected, and so are their roosts.
Who helps
Bat helplines of nature conservation associations, wildlife rescue centres, the nature conservation authority of the district – or report the animal to us with its location.
Report an emergency Animal rescue near you
Frequent questions
A bat has strayed into my room.
Open the window wide, switch off the light, close the room door and leave. It usually finds its way out by itself at dusk. If several come on consecutive nights in late summer, they are young bats looking for a roost – keep windows closed in the evening.
In winter a bat is hanging in the cellar or a woodpile.
It is hibernating. Do not wake it and do not move it – every awakening costs fat reserves it needs until spring. If you have to clear the place, ask a bat helpline first.
Related
This page gives general advice. It replaces neither a vet nor legal advice.
More guides
- Wild animal foundFound a wild animal – who helps?
- Finding an emergency vetEmergency vet – how to find one at night and at the weekend
- Hedgehog foundFound a hedgehog – what to do?
- Bird foundFound a young or injured bird – what to do?
- Dog foundFound a stray dog – what to do?
- Cat turned upA cat has turned up or been found – what to do?
- Pet run awayDog or cat has run away – what to do?
- Collision with wildlifeCollision with wildlife: deer or wild boar hit – what to do?
- Dog in a hot carDog in a hot car – what to do?
- Report animal crueltyReporting animal cruelty or neglect – how does it work?
- Poison bait foundFound poison bait – and what if the dog has already eaten some?
- Injured pigeonFound an injured pigeon – what to do?
- Fawn foundFound a fawn or young wild animal – what to do?
- Squirrel foundFound a squirrel – what to do?
- Young hare foundFound a young hare or wild rabbit – what to do?
- Injured swan or duckFound an injured swan, duck or goose – what to do?
- Cat hit by a carCat hit by a car or found at the roadside – what to do?
- Abandoned animal foundFound an abandoned animal – what to do?
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