Bats out of hibernation too early. Here’s what you need to do if you find one.

Bats eat mosquitoes. Bats are good. Rescue the bats.

The unseasonably warm weather is causing animals to come out of hibernation. 

Bats might seem scary but they are fairly harmless and play an important role in summer, eating mosquitoes and other bugs. 

If you run across a bat in your house, the Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has some advice:

“We love the warm weather but bats? Not so much. It tends to wake them early from hibernation, especially extended periods of warm weather.

The bad thing is they’ve burned through most of their fat stores by now so they may not survive going back into hibernation. Plus, they have amazing metabolism (what we wouldn’t give for a bat’s metabolism, right?) and every day they’re awake without food is hard on them.

If you find a bat in your house, please bring it to us as soon as possible. Do not handle the bat to capture it. We recommend using a tall, quart size tupperware container (like a cottage cheese container).

Punch air slits in the lid w/a sharp knife, crumple a piece of paper towel and place it in the bottom of the container then grab a magazine and head over to the bat.

Using the magazine, gently but quickly slide the bat into the container, slowing turning the container upright if you’ve had to tilt it. The bat should drop onto the paper towel and you can quickly close the lid on the tupperware (be careful not to catch its toes if it’s climbed up to the top)

They’ll chitter, open their mouths, expand their wings – in general let you know they’re unhappy with you – but just move quickly and quietly and you’ll be able to safely contain it.

Call us if you have any questions. We’re here to help: 651-486-9453. You might want to share this with friends and family just in case they find a bat flitting around…

Thank you for helping these beautiful creatures.”

In the La Crosse area, if you have questions, contact Kathy Kasakaitas, the lead humane officer with La Crosse animal control at 608-781-4014.

Otherwise, the local vet or animal shelter in your area should be able to help.