In reply to Ken.

Hello Ken. While a small proportion of bats do carry rabies, and rabies is a significant disease that should be considered seriously, if one does not handle bats or put their hands into the bat box, the actual risk of getting rabies from a rabid bat from a bat box is very small. The benefits of having bats around your yard (insect control) greatly outweigh the risks if these simple precautions are followed. Rabid bats may show odd behaviour that can result in them being out in daylight hours and/or ending up on the ground, and grounded bats (any bats actually) should never be picked up with bare hands. It is also important to keep domestic animals away from grounded bats to minimize the risk of contact between the bat and the domestic animal. It is well documented that dogs, cats, horses and livestock can get rabies from bats which can lead to secondary exposure of their owners. It is important that grounded bats are collected by the local wildlife division and submitted to a CWHC lab (1.800.567.2033) so that it can be tested for rabies and assessed for other health problems. If rabies is confirmed in a captured bat that was behaving abnormally, post exposure rabies treatment may be required for the pet and/or any human deemed to have had significant contact with the rabid bat. Always contact your local medical health officer or physician if you have concerns about human or domestic animal contact with a bat in your home or on your property.