Is bat feces dangerous to touch or breathe?

Most people have a very negative impression of bats. Maybe it started with the Dracula movies or is just a matter of the fact that these are really ugly animals, but there is a general fear of these flying rats that makes most do all they can to avoid them as much as they can.



However, there are much better reasons to stay away from the bat than just because of how ugly they are or some myth created for horror movies. Bats are dangerous animals to you in ways that you may not imagine, and so you need to be really careful to protect yourself.

The Bat Is a Dangerous Animal

What makes a bat so dangerous starts with the fact that these are animals that carry a large number of parasites and diseases with them. One of the most dangerous of these is rabies, which can be contracted by a bat biting you, something that they are known to do.

Like any other animal, bats will do a lot to protect themselves and their home, and so biting a potential predator is one way to ensure that they eliminate any other animal that pose a risk to the flying mammal. They will also bite other animals that could be potential food for them. While these bites are not usually fatal to most animals, especially larger sized ones, they will inject their blood into the animal when they bite, and this can mean that diseases like rabies can get into your blood. This disease is quite dangerous and is fatal to anyone that does not get treated right away.

The Bat Feces Poses a Major Hazard

If this was not enough reason to want a bat to be as far away from you as possible, there is another reason why you should be quite concerned. The bat feces is something that poses a huge risk to you.

What happens is that when a bat releases its waste, viruses, bacteria, and parasites go along with the feces as well. If you step in it then you take the major risk of these pathogens getting into your body. In fact, this is how many parasites get into human beings and other animals. They step on the feces or touch it in some other way, the parasites attach to the skin, burrow their way in, and start their own reproductive process. This can be quite dangerous to the host, and can cause digestive illnesses, respiratory problems, and heart issues, and can eventually lead to death. They are very dangerous.

It Gets Worse Than That

If this was not enough reason to stay away from bats then here is one more to be concerned about. When bat feces dries, it easily becomes airborne. When this happens, the parasites go along with the dried particles and become airborne as well. This means that if you breathe in the particles then you are also inhaling the parasite, which can be quite dangerous particle.

The same issues that a person faces when the parasite attaches to the skin and burrows into the body is the same issue that awaits for those who inhale the parasite. This poses a huge danger to you, and is even more hazardous because you may not even know that you are close to where a bat dropped its waste. This poses an especially challenging situation and is why you need to take as many precautions as possible if you are in an area where bats are known to live. Protect your respiratory system and wear clothes and gloves if at all possible to keep them from harming you. NEED LOCAL HELP? We have wildlife removal professionals servicing 95% of the USA. Click here to hire a local bat removal expert in your home town. Updated 2018. It's best to be educated on the subject, so browse this site and especially read the bats in the attic home page, or email me if you have any more questions about Is bat feces dangerous to touch or breathe?



Wildlife Education - Information and Advice for the Safe Removal of Bats from Attics