Anyone Have Experience with Bat Bites?

Hi A.,

Rabies is very serious, so I understand your concern. However, I don't think most bats will bite a person unless scared or provoked. Almost 10 years ago, a bat got into the duplex we were living in and "hung out" for a couple of days. We managed to shoo it outside once it woke up, and no one was bitten, and we were all fine. Also, when my husband was in Grad. School, his T.A. office was on the first floor, near an exit, and he had a bat in his office for at least a week, before him and his office mate figured out that it wasn't a "toy" that the other one brought in lol, and they were both fine. Just to be safe, you might want to talk to your Doc about what kind of marks to look for, or if you should all go in for exams. I hope that I have helped to ease your mind a little.
S.

I don't have any advice on bats, but when my son was about 3, he was bit by a stray cat. The cat ran away immediately so we couldn't have it tested for rabies but our doctor suggested we go through with the rabies shots anyhow. I just wanted to ease your mind a little bit on the shots. My son did just fine with them and he never complained about them being any more painful than regular immunizations. I was terrified though beforehand because of all the stories I had heard! In the end though, it's better to be safe than sorry...

We lived in a rental townhome when my 5yr old daughter was born. I woke up to a bat flying through my room and didn't know if it had been in my daughter's room. (It was the first night I had put her in her crib in her bedroom, at 6 weeks old). We had a bat guy come and was told the same, that bat bites are not easy to spot. I called my peditrician and they wanted us ALL to go for the rabies shots. So my 6 week old daughter, husband & I all had to go through the vaccine series. It was NOT fun, however, better safe than sorry. I've also done research and often when rabies symptoms appear it's too late. The other important thing to mention here is once you see one in your house, the likelihood of others following is good. Make sure the bat guy does an inspection on your house to figure out how that one got in and seal those areas. (They will put up bat traps so if any more are in the house they can get out but can't get back in.)
One way to catch them or at least knock them out of the air is a tennis racket or a towel). Good luck!

Theoretically your child(ren) don't have to be "bitten" by a bat to get rabies. Your child(ren) can get rabies if a bat crawls on them and scratches them, if they come into contact with the rabid bats saliva and even the bats urine (potentially). Now, your child(ren) would have to have an open wound that this entered thru or enter thru a mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth, etc) but the potential is still there. If your child(ren) does come down with symptoms of rabies, it's done. Only 1 or 2 people have survived after showing symptoms of rabies (in recorded history) and they have "problems" associated with the treatment of the rabies. So is the $3,000.00 worth it? If you think they were at risk, I would contact your doctor. If not, you can take the chance. Don't mean to scare you.
N.

What constitutes an emergency if that doesn't? We had the same thing happen last summer and our entire family (2 adults and 4 kids) had to get rabies shots. Our insurance covered it all. Don't take any chances. If you can't find the bat to have it tested for rabies (because if it tests negative then all of this is moot), please go ahead and get the rabies shots. While the chance that either of your children came in contact with the bat is remote, rabies is fatal. Symptoms may not show up for months or more. Why have this hanging over your heads. As for the shots, they really aren't that bad. I think the thought of getting them is far worse than the actual shots.

Best of luck to you. I know what you're going through all too well.

A.,
Something there has you wondering. Perhaps your family Doc could examine the kids and tell you. It seems like (no experience here with bats here) that they would complain about the bite or show it to you if they had one. When my children were younger I knew about every single mosquito bite because they were quick to show me, but ? I really don't know anything about bat bites, ONLY THAT THEY ARE VERY SERIOUS. But right now YOU need peace of mind. And that could mean taking them in to be checked out by a doctor,,,,,,,,just to be sure they are fine! Let us know how things turn out.

Get ahold of your doctor immediately. Unfortunatly the wild population has been coming down with rabies...And yes in Macomb and Oakland counties. This has been almost unheard of for a very long time and now it seems is back on the rise. A friends wife got bit by a rabid Coyote in Sterling Heights about 3 months ago. It has been showing up in the bats unfortunately. You may want to be safe than sorry.

Hi A.,
I feel for you I had 2 bats in my basement where my stepdaughter sleeps. With the weather being nicer now your bat has probably gone back outside, but just in case what we did really worked. My husband hung up a wall of fly strips in the path of flight. It took a couple weeks but we caught one. The reason it took so long was because they only come out when it is warmer. The second one got got in a sticky mouse trap that the bat guy (who we paid $100.00 )had stuck a couple to the wall where he thought the bat was hiding. I have not seen any more. You need to check the outside of your house to try to find where it might have gotten in and close it off. I thought my husband was crazy when he hung fly strips but several people told him that this would work and it did. Removing the bat after it is stuck is a different story as my husband is like a little girl and I had to have one of the neighbors help him, it was kind of funny. Maybe check with your doctor about the biting thing and see what they say but I wouldn't get too worked up about it. Good luck!

I saw a story on it a few months ago. I would suggest you go to the doctor and possibly get the shots just to make sure. Not just the kids but adults too. I guess if the bats bite you at night you won't even know. Sometimes the symptoms don't show up until rabies stage is late it might take a few months. When you finally find out a few months later it might be too late. This is a very serious matter and I wish you the best with whatever your decision ends up.

can you search there bodies for bite marks, and go from there? yours too.

Bats can be scary. Your children are old enough to tell you if the bat was near them, aren't they? Bats are all around us everyday, and bites are not common. Go to your doctor, and if you are not satisfied with their knowledge of bat exposure, you might want to try one of the naturalists at one of the suburban cities or state parks/nature centers. Cranbrook also has a big learning center on bats, perhaps you could call there. Knowledge is way better than paranoia. I have also had a bat in my house and found it freaky, but just because it was in my house is not a good enough reason to treat. Also, look for bat droppings and make sure you have cleaned and disinfected the area if you find any. I hope having a plan of action has eased your worries.

Check with your doctor because once you start experiencing the symptoms of rabies it is too late to treat and it can be fatal. I don't mean to scare you but it is serious. Bats are a large carrier of rabies. Good luck.

have not had this experience but one of my daycare mom's did. They found a dead bat in their son room. They were told that a bat can bite someone and you may not even feel and it could be so small that you may not be able to see. They did have they bat tested and it was negative for rabies and so it ended there.
I would call your ped. that is what they did and they gave them good advice.

Don't mess around with this. Call a "critter control" company immediately! Not only are they possibly deadly, their dung could be in your attic. Breathing dung air is dangerous too.

I've never been through this, but it is critical that the treatment begin before the onset of symptoms. See your doctor as soon as possible.