So what do you guys do with bats in the winter when they become active in a house or cabin that has been dormant for most of the winter but is currently occupied and has warmed up causing the bats to become active and inside the living quarters? I'm new to this and I know relocating bats in the winter is certain death. I am open to PM's if you would prefer explaining it that way.
Bryan

Since it is most likely in the living space euthanize it and have it submitted to the health department for rabies testing. This is the best approach since in Ohio we can't "hold" or "rehabilitate" bats without a Category II rehabber license and the maximum number of days we can hold a nuisance animal is 4.

If it is a group of bats, try talking the homeowner into having the interior of the structure sealed with the outside of the structure being addressed during regular bat proofing timeframes.

Thank you for the answer. I know it doesn't happen often. It was just a scenario I felt like having answered before I had to deal with it.

WCT is from Ohio and knows what he is talking about. Laws in other states do not apply to you.
I do have one question for WCT. You will probably want to answer by pm. How do you euthanize bats?

I was told by the animal control to keep the bat alive, because they only have 72 hours to test once the animal is dead.

Jim,

The answer is to follow your state guidelines. Certain states must follow AMVA guidelines, others must follow state guidelines, and yet others don't have any special rules they must follow.

How I personally do it is with ether as this is what my health department uses. My formal process is to use a small jar that has a cardboard lid (the old glass Miracle Whip jars were the best). I then put ether liquid on the lid so it can revert back to a gaseous state and place the lid on the container. With this method I've seen the bats stop moving in as short of a time as 15 seconds but leave the lid on for at least 15 minutes just to be certain.

When using this method make sure you are in a well ventilated area with no sparking materials or fire around. Don't soak cotton balls in ether and put them in the jar as there will now be too much liquid in the container and the bat will end up getting it on its fur. Finally, make sure to take the bat out of the contain and put into a plastic bag when submitting it so you aren't creating a hazard for whoever is taking it out.

Chloroform is probably better because it can't be ignited. It's probably a lot more expensive too.

I use a paintball co2 tank with a hose connected to the lid of a peanut butter container. works great and is inexpensive.

Eric, as if I don't have enough unanswered questions already. If someone came up to me and asked how long I can legally hold a nuisance animal, my answer would be a very intelligent "Huh"? ( But don't think I won't ask the same thing at our state meeting )