What should I do if I find a bat in my house?

Try to close the door to the room and keep the bat contained without touching the bat and contact our office. We may need to send the bat to the lab to test for rabies. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommends that we consider this an exposure to rabies unless you saw the bat fly through the door and back out. For example if a bat was in your house at night while you and others in the house slept, we cannot rule out that the bat did not expose someone in the home, especially a small child. Contact Whatcom County Health and Community Services at 360-778-6000 or evening or weekends at 360-715-2588 to report the incident. One of our staff will interview you and help to determine what to do next.

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1. What should I do if I am bitten by a dog, a cat or a pet ferret?
2. What should I do if a bat bites or scratches me or if I see one of my children handling a bat?
3. What should I do if I find a bat in my house?
4. Can I bring a bat or other animal to your office and have you test it?