BATS

Please see the services we offer below.

We especially suggest that you read the "Important Information about BATS and RABIES" section below.

For many years Davidson Wildlife Services has been a primary resource for those needing help with bats in our area.  However, we are now having to make some decisions regarding services we are having to discontinue.


Bat work usually requires ladder work to high places plus the hauling of the ladders in sometimes difficult to maneuver places (like around home interiors and furniture). 

Since bat work often requires getting up there and Trapper is also getting up there (the upper side of his 60s with a life of horse accidents, etc. years ago), we decided to take a pre-emptive approach to the situation and still be able to help folks with bats without dealing with ladders.  Because we don't like telling anyone we cannot help with a service for which there is so much need in our area plus to be able to put to use all of the years of expertise on bats we have accumulated, we have the following services to offer regarding bats.

Professional Bat Services We Offer

Site Inspections    

When we enter a structure we can often immediately tell whether activity is bat or rodent after our evaluation of:

     *Odor – they and their excrement have distinctly different aromas

     *Droppings – location, appearance, consistency

     *Access points – current as well as potential  –  Interior & Exterior

     *Best course of action


Bats can flatten out and squirm through as small as a 1/8" crack (we've watched them do that).  So some of the places we can identify as potential access points may not be obvious to the untrained eye.  


Our Site Inspection invoice will advise you of:

     *our findings

     *our professional recommendations

Consultations

Although we will most likely not be doing the work ourselves, we will meet with the appropriate person designated by the property owner to advise:

     *what work needs to be done to exclude bats

     *WHEN bat exclusion work can be done

     *advisability of occupancy during bat activity

     *supplies needed (we can provide)

     *how to use the recommended supplies

     *advisability & use use of various devices to repel bats

     *necessity of having the guano cleaned out


We have spent many years learning about, determining the best ones and using the products and equipment needed for Exclusion and Repelling of bats in our area.  We know which products hold up to our cold winters, what temperature is necessary for effective product application and more.  For example, bats (and rodents) consider a spray foam product called "Great Stuff" to be great stuff they like to eat it.  Plus our special repellent foam will not adhere to where Great Stuff has been applied and so time and effort must go into removing the Great Stuff before our product can be applied.  

Retail Sales

We maintain an inventory or can order in the supplies we recommend including:

     *Bat Exclusion products

     *Bat Exclusion tools

     *Electronic Repelling Devices

     *Non-Electronic Repelling Devices

     *Odor Killing Disinfectant to spray over bat                  guano both before and after cleaning it out

Interior Bat Location

Finding a bat that is inside but hiding is a tough but important job.  Success is difficult and cannot be promised.  But we're willing to try, have the equipment to help us in the endeavor and know of less obvious places to look for them.  We will quote an hourly rate for this search in advance and arrange with you how long you want us to look before giving up if we haven't found any bats.  After all, they sometimes get out before such a search and at some point the search must be concluded.  This hourly rate includes our constant vigilance regarding the possibility of us being scratched or bitten by a live bat and our potential for having to pay for and endure rabies vaccinations or boosters as a result.

Delivery of Bats to the

Health Department

We have an ongoing relationship with the Gunnison County Department of Public Health in Gunnison whereby we deliver bats for rabies testing.  In fact, they call us "The Bat People" there and refer us to potential customers.  They know that we know their protocol and trust us to qualify the viability of the need to test each bat before we bring them in.  This testing can bring peace of mind and avoid expensive rabies vaccination regimens for you, your family, friends, tenants, vacation rental guests, cleaners, property managers, realtors showing your property, prospective property buyers or anyone else who visits a structure where bats are active.

Other Helpful Bat Information

Bat Migration

Bats generally migrate into our area in late May or early June and leave sometime in October.  This schedule varies from year to year.  Occasionally some will stay all year but that is extremely rare.


INTERIOR EXCLUSION 

Can be done almost any time depending on the circumstances.


EXTERIOR EXCLUSION

Should not be done while bats are in the area but there are some devices we can discuss that could make that possible.

Sealing bats inside walls should never be done because:
     *could force the bats inside the structure

     *could kill the bats inside the structure leading to insect infestation (see the section on Bat bugs)



Bat Bugs

Each bat carries what is called a "Bat Bug".


When a bat dies inside an enclosed area (such as an attic), the Bat Bug falls off and can potentially begin reproducing with other bat bugs there.  The result can be the appearance of a Bat Bug Infestation in 2-3 years when a quantity of these bugs start spilling out into the living area.


Bat Bugs looked almost exactly like Bed Bugs - have only microscopic differences in appearance.


A professional insect exterminator may need to be called in (we deal with animals - not insects).  Sometimes a bug bomb spray can be effective.

Cleaning Bat Guano

We have offered the service of guano cleaning in the past but now have decided to discontinue this service.


However, cleaning out of an accumulation of bat guano (which look a lot like mouse droppings) is important for two reasons:

    *disease potential after it turns to dust over time

    *odor

    *helpful in eliminating Bat Bug infestations

Good News About Bats

Each bat can consumes about 6,000 (yes - 6,000!) mosquitoes PER NIGHT while out hunting.  They head out around dusk (appx. 8:30 pm in the Summer) and hunt all night.

Killing of Bats

Killing of bats is generally prohibited.  However, some allowances are made when health and human safety are involved.  For example, we cannot take live bats into the Health Department but know the condition in which they want to receive them there.

Important Information about BATS and RABIES

     Bats are the Number One carrier of RABIES in Colorado.

     Although there have not been many rabid bats identified in the Crested Butte/Gunnison Valley area, it has happened in recent years and the potential is ever present.

     We do not ever want to terrorize people about bats but we do feel we need to advise of potential bat issues.

     Rabies and the potential for Bat Bugs are the main issues.

Why Rabies Is So Serious

      DO NOT EVER allow someone to sleep in a room where there is bat activity.

      A bat bite received while sleeping is almost imperceptible because it is like a pin prick and a scratch could be just as unnoticeable.

      If a person has been exposed to unmonitored bat activity and if that bat happens to be carrying rabies, you MUST do one or both of the following:

           *capture the ACTUAL offending bat for testing – if possible (or call us to attempt that)    

           *go to a hospital to begin the Rabies Vaccination regimen

     The above actions could help you avoid Rabies Vaccinations and even SAVE YOUR LIFE! (This really is THAT SERIOUS.)

     Initial Symptoms include:  fever, tiredness, weakness, wound site pain or tingling or burning

     Additional Symptoms include:  insomnia, anxiety, confusion, partial paralysis, hyperactivity, agitation, hallucinations, extra salivation, difficulty swallowing  

      Rabies has a TWO WEEK INCUBATION PERIOD – but a person CANNOT WAIT UNTIL SYMPTOMS EXHIBIT – is FATAL and nothing can be done at that point.

      We are notbeing alarmists here – simply telling you what you need to know.


Rabies Vaccination Info

     Administered in our area in the EMERGENCY ROOM at the Gunnison Valley Hospital – 711 North Taylor in Gunnison (behind City Market) – (970) 641-1456.

     Is a series of 5 vaccinations over a period of 2 weeks.

     Rabies vaccinations are now administered in the hip (used to be in the stomach years ago).

     Cost ranges from $_____ - $_____ per person (as of September 2023) (varies based on age and weight); 

          So, the potential for Rabies Vaccination expense is a major consideration when dealing with bats!

     Insurance – some insurance companies cover rabies vaccinations and some do not; property owner and travel insurance policies are the ones to check    

     If you are exposed to rabies while visiting somewhere, check with your physician at home regarding whether you should wait to begin the vaccination regimen when you get               home (but you must be mindful of the TWO WEEK INCUBATION PERIOD mentioned above)


Your dog or cat

     Provided that your furry friend's rabies vaccinations are current, they are more protected from the bats than we people are!