Frequent Batty Questions.

There is a bat in my house, what should I do?
Start by not panicking. If a bat is in your home or building it is probably because they got lost. Try opening a window or door and letting them fly out. Here is some additional information http://www.austinbathospital.com/gotbats.html and an excellent video presentation, http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=51&idSubPage=147

Do all bats drink blood?
No, there are only three species of vampire bats and they live in South and Central America. They are timid creatures preferring to sneak up on sleeping animals for meals. Interestingly they are of value to medical science. Their saliva contains a substance called draculin which prevents blood from clotting. The remaining 1000 or so species of bats eat bugs, fruit, nectar, fish, frogs etc...

Won't bats attack you if you get too close?
Generally no, bats are not aggressive by nature and unless you are threatening them they won't act aggressively toward you. Most bats are quite timid and prefer to avoid people. However, having worked directly with bats they are not like rodents, they have very distinct personalities and to me act more like puppies. That said NEVER PICKUP OR TRY TO HANDLE WILD BATS. Wild bats are just that, wild. They are not domestic and have no desire to be handled by humans.