How to make my home less attractive to bats in Rhode Island | Bat

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How to make my home less attractive to bats

Making your home less attractive to bats can encourage existing bats to leave as well as discourage new bats from moving in. 

Making interior spaces less attractive to bats:

  • Bats prefer darkness.
    • Use 150-watt floodlights or a string of lights with 100-watt bulbs to illuminate your attic.
    • Add windows to your attic to brighten the space and make it less desirable.
  • Bats like warm, still places.
    • Create a breeze by opening a door or window.
    • Use fans to encourage air movement.
    • Add wall or roof vents to lower temperatures in an unheated attic.

Keeping bats from roosting behind shutters:

  • You can discourage this behavior by simply removing the shutters.
  • If you would like to keep your shutters, remove them from the wall, place a small wooden block under each corner and reattach them to the house. This keeps your shutter a few inches from the siding, allowing light to penetrate and making the area less attractive to bats.

State specific info - Rhode Island - Bat

If you have or suspect that you have been bitten by  a bat or any other wild mammal wash the wound with soap and water, seek medical attention immediately and contact the Rhode Island Department of Health at (401) 222-2577.

Any bat that enters a living space where there are people or domestic animals present is a potential candidate for rabies testing. If you cannot conclusively determine that no person or pet has had contact with the bat, the bat should not be released and an attempt should be made to capture the bat for rabies testing. Bats are not aggressive but will bite to defend themselves. Use heavy leather work gloves to capture the bat. Secure the bat preferably in a plastic container with a lid that can be securly sealed. Live bats, in secure containers, are acceptable for testing. Contact the R.I. Department of Health for guidance. It is important that the specimen be in good condition, particularly the head, for accurate results. Carcasses should not be frozen prior to submission.If you are unable or unwilling to attempt to capture the bat yourself contact the local animal control officer, a R.I. licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Specialist (NWCS): www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/wildlifehuntered/wildlifemanageme… the DEM's Division of Law Enforcement (401) 222-3070. 

Laws and regulations to be aware of

While we attempt to provide guidance about state and federal regulations pertaining to specific species and control techniques, we do not provide information about local jurisdictions (city, town, county, etc.) where regulations may be more restrictive, especially as it applies to discharge of firearms, transport of animals or use of trapping equipment. Contact your local city or county government to inquire further. No guarantee is made that information (or lack of information) associated with a species or control technique is completely accurate or current. You should become familiar with federal, state and local laws before beginning any wildlife control activities.

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