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The Brown bat and the Red bat are almost indistinguishable from each other. They are 100% insect eaters, and are definitely beneficial animals. They probably eat more insects, every night, than any other animal. Yet they can nest in home and be quite a problem.
Mexican free-tailed bats live in caves in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, central Chile and Argentina. Their colonies are the largest congregations of mammals in the world! The largest colony is found at Bracken Cave, north of San Antonio, Texas, with nearly 20 million bats.
Brown bats, gentle and intelligent animals, ordinarily have but one pup per year. Bats suckle their young, just like other mammals. It is possible for bats to enter your home and nest in a dark corner, crawl space, or attic. Even though bats are not harmful to humans there is a possibility that they can carry rabies.
Bats don't normally bite people. But affected animals that demonstrate the symptoms of rabies often do things they ordinarily wouldn't. This includes aggressive behavior, often attacking even inanimate objects without apparent reason. Always remember that any warm-blooded animal can carry, and be affected by this disease.
Bats, nesting somewhere in your house, will be largely invisible to you, until the population is heavy. If you have a heavy population, there is also a multi-disease danger from a large accumulation of their droppings. The danger is actually small, but however small, there is always a danger, and as with any wild animal, you don't want them living close to your house.
Bats usually enter through small holes in your home. Only a hired professional should remove these animals safely and securely. Inspection of the home is also necessary to find the possible entrance and seal it shut. |
