No, they do not. Bats in generally do not produce venom that is hazardous or threatening in any way to humans.

The closest thing to any form of ‘poison’ or harm is the saliva from a vampire bat, which has an anticoagulant effect and prolongs bleeding so the bat can continue to drink blood.

Do note that a very small percentage of bats (less than 1%) may carry rabies which may be spread to humans through scratches and bites.

Very few bats will actually come in contact with humans. In fact, bats are shy creatures that prefer habitats away from direct contact with humans. Interactions may occasionally occur when and if one of these winged creatures enters a living space and is found nesting in an attic, porch, wall, garage, etc.

It is not uncommon for bats to find their way into your home as a means to avoid certain environmental elements and steer clear of predators. They might enter structures through roof edges, vents, improperly flashed roof valleys, gable ends, chimneys, and/or siding and can sometimes be found nesting with their recently born young. Contrary to what many believe, bats cannot chew through walls or wood as rodents do. It is however, very easy for a bat to fit through small spaces.

These creatures of the night have been known for causing damage to structures and being a pest with their loud chirping noises. While they typically prefer to roost in caves, attics, or wall structures, some bat colonies have even been found in sewers, mausoleums, sheds, trees and water wells. Contrary to popular belief, bats do not swoop down from the night sky and attack humans or get tangled in hair. If you have ever seen a bat fly nearby, chances are it was only chasing after a mosquito or a moth to make into its dinner. Bats also do not drink human blood. This myth most likely came from horror movies like Dracula, and were most likely based off of the vampire bat, which also unlike the movies does not consume human blood, these creatures only drink the blood of small mammals.

Another common misconception is that all bats have rabies. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, less than 1% of bats carry rabies and most who contract the deadly virus will die soon after. It should be noted that although your chances of coming across a rabid bat are very rare, most people who contract rabies from bats got it because they tried handling the creature. If you find a bat that seems to be ill, injured, or out during the day or somewhere where you would not normally find a bat, do not try handling the bat, especially not barehanded. Contact a wildlife professional to have the creature safely and properly removed from the area.

In addition to rabies, bats like all other living creatures, do deposit droppings and urine. Bat droppings are referred to as guano. Guano is used as fertilizer in some parts of the world and plays a very important role to the environment. While it may be great for helping plants and crops grow, what many people do not realize is that the waste may act as a growth medium for microbes, including those that can cause disease such as histoplasmosis. For this reason, individuals should practice extreme caution around bat waste. If possible try to keep your animals away from guano as well, as it can make them very sick if consumed.

While it is possible for bats to bite humans the actual chances of this happening are very slim. There are many popular misconceptions when it comes to bats. The first is that bats will fly down from the sky and attack humans or get tangled in long hair. This could not be further from the truth. If you have ever had a bat fly down in front of you chances are it was chasing after a bug to eat, not trying to kill you. Bats live off of insects, fruit, small animals, and the blood from mammals, they do not view or use humans as a source of food or have any reason to randomly attack you.

Another common myth is that all bats carry rabies. Less than 1% of these winged creatures contract the virus, and most bats that do contract the virus die shortly after. In fact, these creatures catch rabies a lot less often than other animals do. Another common misconception is that hundreds of people die each year from rabies contracted by bats in the US. This is false. There are actually only one to two deaths per year in the United States caused from bats. Furthermore, a person living in the US is more likely to catch polio or leprosy than to contract rabies from a bat.

Theoretically if a bat were to bite you, you would definitely know it. The saying that a person can be bitten by a bat and not even know or feel it is totally bogus. Bat bites feel like sharp needle jabs so you would definitely know if a bat bites you or not. Bats do have small teeth though which means that a bite wound might not be very visible. In any case, you should seek medical attention immediately if you or a loved one are ever bitten by a bat.

Rabies from bats is almost always transmitted through a bite when it does happen. Although very rare, exposures can also occur from contact between infected saliva or nervous tissues and open wounds or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. The main source of rabies exposure from bats is a result of careless handling. It is for this reason that individuals should be reminded to never handle a bat, especially barehanded. If you happen to stumble across a bat that is grounded or seems ill or injured you should call your local wildlife operator to have the creature safely and properly removed from the area.

Education and common sense are your best tools when it comes to preventing bat rabies and bat bites. Keep domestic pets vaccinated against rabies and do not leave them outside unsupervised if bats are present. Teach children to never handle bats and never attempt to rescue a bat barehanded. Following all of these precautions should minimize you and your families risk of getting bitten or contracting the rabies virus from bats, but remember both of these are very rare anyways.

Sounds like you’ve been watching one too many horror movies. Bats do not eat humans. In fact, your chances of even ever being attacked by a bat are practically slim to nothing. These furry winged creatures are often persecuted due to the fact that most people have very little to no understanding of bat ecology or the important roles that they play in controlling night flying insects. Contrary to popular misconceptions, these winged creatures of the night are not blind, do not drink human blood, and will not just suddenly swoop down from the night sky and attack you or get tangled in your hair.

Many people also often assume that bats have rabies, however the truth of the matter is that only 1% of bats actually ever contract the disease, and most bats that do contract the virus will die shortly after. It is also very unlikely for a bat to contact a person, though a sick bat might not fear humans the way a healthy bat or another wild animal would, so it is for this reason that these animals are better off avoided and should never be handled. In fact, most people who have gotten bitten by a bat or contracted rabies from the animal were a result of picking up a sick or injured bat. If you find a bat on the ground, or somewhere else leave it there and contact your local wildlife control operator to have it removed.

Now that we’ve gotten all of the myths out of the way you might still be wondering what bats do eat if they aren’t swooping down and making meals out of us humans. The answer is insects! Lots and lots of insects. Bats can eat up to half of their body weight in night flying insects such as mosquitoes and moths. Other species of bats eat fruits, smaller animals like frogs, fish, and rodents, and vampire bats drink the blood of small mammals.

It is true that bats are good for gardens. These winged creatures can eat up to half of their weight in insects, making them a great organic pest control method for your garden. Their waste also makes great fertilizer. Did you know that just a single bat on its own can eat more than 600 mosquitos per hour? By creating a bat friendly yard you will not only protect your garden from nasty pests, you will also be doing greater good for bats as their populations are declining due to pesticide and habitat loss.

If you are trying to attract bats to help your garden you might want to create a shelter that they will like. Bats can often be found hanging out in old trees and/or large shrubs, so if you have these in your yard it will help. Bats also nest in abandoned buildings, hollow trees, in loose tree bark and in bat houses. Bats are also attracted to water features so you might want to invest in a pond or fountain. Planting night blooming flowers will also help attract these furry little guys to your garden. Just a few flowers that you might want to try include datura, moonflower, yucca, evening primrose, night blooming water lily, night blooming jasamine, cleome, and nicotiana.

Bats are wild animals and should therefore not be kept as pets. The act of keeping one of these winged creatures as a pet will cause it to experience fear, inappropriate and damaging nutrition, loneliness. Furthermore, wild bats are capable of living over 25 years but unfortunately bats that are kept as bats rarely survive for more than a year.

Bats are also protected by laws at many levels. Regulations govern the taking of bats from captivity, as well as any exchange between individuals or organizations. The transfer of bats is also carefully regulated by the CDC. USDA permits from the Animal Health Inspection Service are required and special permitting regulations also now apply at the state level. There are also interstate laws that prohibit transport of these animals without special authority.

In order to keep a bat as a pet one must acquire the necessary state and local permits for native wildlife. Bats are not to be transported within the United States without a CDC permit. Even when individuals have this type of permit bats can only be transferred to an institution that is bona fide sanctuary, zoological or scientific organization or a registered establishment that has approved facilities and/or certified education programs.

Although only about 1% of bats actually carry the rabies virus, bats and other wild animals are still considered to be a rabies vector species. Special administrative codes under the Department of Health and Zoonosis Control address this issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for biohazard regulations that pertain to bats can be accessed online and provide valuable information regarding the issue.

As you can see, bats are difficult to keep as pets and illegal to keep as pets in most cases. It is also not fair to them, and they have a much greater chance of living a long and healthy life when left alone in the wild where they belong.

Most bats feast upon night flying insects, fruit, lizards, small rodents, or in the case of the vampire bat by drinking the blood from smaller mammals, etc. It is not common for bats to eat birds. However it was recently discovered that one species in particular might be doing just that. Giant noctules or Nyctalis lasiopterus are among the largest bats in Europe and can often be found flying thousands of feet in the air using their sonar to locate prey beneath them.

Every spring, billions of migratory songbirds in Europe fly north to their breeding grounds. Most of these birds can be found flying at night when there are fewer predators around. However, researchers have recently discovered that the giant European bats mentioned above have been plucking the migrating birds out of the night sky and making them their dinner.

This discovery took place in 2007 when the group of bat researchers spent a night recording the sounds of a marshy Spanish forest. When they played the recordings back at full speed the only thing they could hear were the croaking of frogs. However when they played the recordings back at one-tenth the normal speed, they noticed audible shrieks (the sonar call of the giant noctule bat.)

This giant bat is hairy and brown and has a wingspan slightly bigger than a blue jay’s. It spends most of its time hiding out in the tops of tall trees. It is one of Europe’s largest bats and has a very large mouth full of scary looking teeth. This bat is also one of the least known bats in all of Europe.

It has been well known for a long time that these specific bats feed on flying insects but the discovery of them eating songbirds came as quite a surprise to researchers. In fact, they might be the only bat that eats birds.

It is thought that the giant European bat starts its hunt thousands of feet in the night sky where it can use its sonar calls to lock in on the migrating birds beneath it. Once the giant winged creature locates the bird it swoops in for the kill and wraps the bird between its wings and tail membrane, trapping the bird in a sort of death cage. The bats eat only the profitable parts of the bird such as the breast where the birds accumulate the most fat and muscle.

Once these bats get close to the ground they can be found opening their giant wings and dropping the mangled carcasses below. Although their have not yet been any sightings of this bat eating birds, researchers have confirmed the theory as they have been pulling feathers out of the bat’s feces (guano) for years. Blood and tissue tests also confirm that the birds are a major food source for the giant noctule bats.

Even more interesting were the tests that were performed by researchers. The team compared the different chemical fingerprints that both insects and birds leave in the bats that have eaten them. (Eww). Surprisingly enough, researchers found that in the summer, the bats are only eating insects, but during the spring and fall migrations, they are eating a lot of birds.

While these gigantic bats are far too rare to pose a major threat to the migratory songbird, the bat’s choice of food is still attracting plenty of attention and many scientists find the bat’s diet fascinating. Researchers are continuing their studies and are working with electronic radars in the hopes of catching one of the bats as it hones in on a flying songbird.

Bats do not and cannot chew through screen, wood, walls, or other building materials. However, it is quite common for people to make this misconception. Ironically enough, screen and/or mesh are often recommended for deterring bats from buildings and/or homes and can be put up anytime other than a bat’s maternity season to keep bats away.

A bat’s maternity season is June through August. These months should be avoided for blocking off bats as baby bats are born unable to fly and if trapped inside could starve to death.

Rodents are more likely to chew through building materials and bats are often blamed for a mouse chewing through screens or building materials if the two are residing in the same area at the same time. Bats are more likely to sneak into a person’s walls or attic by squeezing through a tiny crack or crevice.

It is possible for bats to carry bed bugs. Some species of bed bugs are parasites of bats and birds and may bite people if the wild hosts are no longer available or if a bat or bird is roosting or nesting nearby.

Although similar in overall appearance, the species of bed bugs that normally feed on bats, swallows, chimney swifts, pigeons, and other wild hosts can be differentiated from those that prefer humans. If bat or bird bed bugs are present, roosting and nesting sites should be the primary focus and these creatures should be removed from the building.

Despite what you may have heard, bats do not chew through wood, walls, or other building materials like mice or other rodents do. However, they have been known to squeeze in through tiny cracks or crevices or kick out some insulation as they enter and exit walls or attics.

If you are worried about a bat getting in through your walls there are many types of building materials that you can purchase to try and keep them out. Mesh, caulking, screening, etc. work great for this. However, it is very important that individuals not close off openings during a bat’s mating season (June-August) as baby bats are not born able to fly and you could trap them inside to die or starve to death if they are unable to get out or their mother is unable to get back in. Some baby bats take weeks to learn how to fly. It is best to wait and bat proof your home after maternity season.