What do bat droppings look like?

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I have a small hole leading from the exterior of my house into the attic. The hole was opened when I removed an old and unused electrical wire. The hole measures less than one inch in diameter and is at least eight feet off the ground.

I am finding small animal droppings on my porch every day after sweeping. The droppings look like they might be from a mouse (or mice), but I never hear any type of scurrying mice sounds coming from the walls or attic.

I am concerned that the varmits leaving the mess are bats. If it is from bats, they must be living rent free in my attic. How do I rid the attic of bats, or mice, and how would I know when to fill the hole with caulk?

Thank you for your help!!!!!

-- clove (clovis97@Yahoo.com), July 24, 2001

Answers

Bat guano looks like little rough brown pellets, rough I guess because of undigestible insect shells and wings. I have heard the best way to rid the house of bats is first watch for an evening or two the entrance/exit hole at dusk and count how many fly out. When you arrive at a population count, be ready the next evening and after all have flown out, plug the hole and any others, barring re-entry. Incidentally, I have had a colony of bats living behind my chimney for some 16 years now. Once a season I sweep up the guano that piles up at the base ( it's odorless) and dump it in the garden. We aren't bothered by many mosquitoes here! Other than some squeaking noises in the afternoon and the guano, you'd never know they were there. They aren't bothering us so we don't bother them. I don't think I'd be so accomodating if they were in my attic though.

-- Walt K. (kraterkrew@lcsys.net), July 24, 2001.

There's a good chance it is bats. Haven't ever heard of mice being considerate enough to leave their droppings outside. Bat droppings look a lot like rodent droppings - small and dark and usually accumulate in small piles. Bat droppings are excellent fertilizer!

If it's bats, they will come out about dusk. Watch the hole then. If it is bats, count your blessings, and get a bat house up - QUICK. Search the net for bat houses and you can find several sites with plans for building your own. Use old wood for building it because they don't seem to like new wood at all. Put it up right by the hole and watch the house at dusk to see if they accept alternate living quarters. If so, seal the hole into your house after they have left for the night. May take a month or more for them to move into the bat house. Be patient and give them the time. Depending on where you live, they might be raising babies right now.

If you live where winters are cold and bats migrate, seal the hole after they leave. And hope they will return and use the bat box next year.

Bats are the subject of much misinformation and semi-hysteria. Because of this, bat numbers are dropping like rocks. But they are great animals and very good to have around. Please do a net search and find out about them before you decide to permanently evict them with no replacement home. No, I don't want them in my attic either, so I would put up several bat houses for them and give them a chance to move on their own.

Bat safety is simple - don't touch a grounded bat. If it can't fly and it's an adult, catch the grounded bat in a can and get it to a wildlife rehabber who works with these critters. A call to your state wildlife agency will get you the names of rehabbers closest to you. If you find a dead bat on the ground, don't touch it, and bury it.

Bats don't live rent free! They are nature's own bug eating machine and they do a wonderful job on flying bugs. Really seem to greatly enjoy mosquitos so they are great to have around.

-- Carol Mora - in Virginia (carollm@rockbridge.net), July 24, 2001.


If it is a bat and you dont want it send it my way. Ill take as many as I can get to keep down the bug population.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), July 24, 2001.

Wow Carol!! Great complete post.....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), July 24, 2001.

Thank you so much for your informative responses!!!!

My main concerning leaving the bats alone in the attic is that they will multiply in numbers and then I would have a real problem! A bat or two living in the attic doesn't bother me a bit, but several hundred bats could change my lifestyle for a while.

Another concern is that the entrance hole for the bats is near a door way that I use often, and I dont care to have the bats in my house. I have had the unfortunate experience of having a bat in the house, and while quite comical to look back on now, it was a pretty frightening and nerve racking time for me.

What happens if I fill the hole and accidently leave one of the critters up there?

How do I find out if the bats in my area actually migrate during the winter?

Thanks again!

-- clove (clovis97@Yahoo.com), July 25, 2001.



Clove, if you only have a few bats, I don't think they have very many babies that you would be overrun. Don't rush into anything. Get some bat houses put up, count how many bats are leaving the hole, and then if you do decide to close your bat hotel, do it after everyone has left. If you kick them out and move elsewhere, your next post might be "How to get rid of mosquitos" ! Good luck.

-- Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania (kirklbb@penn.com), July 29, 2001.

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