Another bat in bedroom
Woke up to another bat behind a picture right above my bed this morning. Have no idea where they are coming in, is anyone else having this issue this time of year, it's not even bat season. Can someone please reccomended a GOOD local exterminator?
Colem11 
Patty 
cd Figuring that your windows are all buttoned up well for winter, it may be that you have bat(s) getting into the attic and they get into your house through a poorly sealing attic stairway. since it doesn't take much of a hole or crack for them to squeeze through. Of course that is if you have one of the fold down attic stairways. If you don't, then of course that idea's a bust, but it would be my best guess since I've heard of that happening before (more than once).
If you have fold down attic stairs and have a light near it in the attic, turn the attic light on, close the door and turn out the lights nearby (of course do this at night) so the area around the door is dark. Look for any light leakage around the door and that will likely be where the bat(s) are getting in. Of course you could also do this with an FLIR camera/viewer setup, but they are quite expensive and most homes won't have one available. I'm not sure if you could rent one however, but they're used for energy monitoring to find heat leakage as well as by "Ghosthunters". The light idea is a cheaper way to check attic stairs, but to find other holes or cracks into the attic (or cellar - another possibility, but less likely) where a bat may get through would be best served by using a FLIR.
Best of luck! I hope the info helps.
Phil D. 
Agree with Phil D. They are living in your attic. While you might just be seeing a few, there is likely a family living up there. Same holds true for mice. If you don't set mice traps in your attic then the mice are having a party up there. I suggest building an attic stairs box if you have attic stairs. It will not only prevent the critters from coming into the living space it will also save a boat load on the energy bills. This attic box is made of 2x4 and 2x2, some foam board insulation, some metal tape, some fiberglass insulation, and a few hinges and handles. Cost is less then $100 and the ROI is quick. The box looks like and H. Your only seeing the bottom side. The top of the H is filled with fiberglass.
Now once you've prevented the critters from getting into the living space, you need to find their entrance point and get that sealed up. Preferably while they aren't "home".
I wish you luck. I had my attic infested once. It was an awful few months while I eradicated the problem.
sackBetter than bats in your belfry. :-)
I would also recommend calling your doctor to see if he/she thinks rabies shots are appropriate. Rabies is nothing to take lightly.
Rebecka Thank you all for your advice. We already had the rabies vaccination series of shots when a bat was found in our bedroom the middle of December. Just finished up last shot the end of December, so I think we are covered in that department but have call into doctor to see if we need to do anything else.
The attic is a walk up attic (third floor). I had exterminator come out today, and yes there are droppings up in attic, not horrific amount, but definatly some. Was told that there is some things they can do to seal up attic better. Work can't be done however till snow is gone, and estimate was $1100 which includes one year contract. Have no idea if this is a realistic price. This has been third bat sighting in house since12/15/14. so this home is currently a rental and landlord does not seem interested in paying the money to correctly solve the issue. I have a small child and really feel the issue needs to be taken care of by a professional.
sack - excellent idea, especially since it saves energy by sealing one of the largest energy leaks you and most may have in their home!
Rebecka is completely correct too. While a bat doesn't have to bite you for you to get rabies, it is transmitted by saliva and it's difficult to know if you've touched something that has their saliva on it, then rubbed your eyes, etc. It is a much less likely path of contagion, but IS possible. According to CDC.gov:
"All species of mammals are susceptible to rabies virus infection, but only a few species are important as reservoirs for the disease. In the United States, distinct strains of rabies virus have been identified in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes. Several species of insectivorous bats are also reservoirs for strains of the rabies virus.
Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal. The most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host. Though transmission has been rarely documented via other routes such as contamination of mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth), aerosol transmission, and corneal and organ transplantations.
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/index.html
The doctor may just want to monitor you for early signs of rabies, or of course the easiest way is to test the bat itself after capturing it, though that can't rule out the possibility that another one is in your house that does have it. It's too bad, because bats are invaluable to us and the environment. Perhaps a bat house nearby may make it a better home for them than your own home too.
According to this source, if rabies contact is suspected, treatment should begin immediately since once the virus reaches the nervous system it is considered incurable:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/181980.php
I don't want to be an alarmist, but it definitely would pay to keep them out and get checked by a doctor!
John C Purchase moth balls and a lasagna pan. Put moth balls in pan and leave in attic. Bats hate moth balls smell. Just remember that moth balls are a neurotoxin and need to be handled with care.
Robert Rowe Colem11
We must have posted at nearly the same time, since I didn't see your post after I posted the second time. While the landlord may think $1100 is a lot to spend, just the fact that you have brought this all to their attention should make it a priority, since it directly involves their tenants' (you and your family) health and safety. It should come off on their taxes as a capital improvement which they count against their rent collected. But that's for the landlord's accountant to worry about.
Here's an overview of the Habitability Law from the State of NJ:
http://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/habitablity.pdf
You could draft a letter and send it to the landlord by certified mail complaining of the issue, requesting that it be fixed (as per that link) and check with your community's Health Dept. and Town Clerk about what else may be done.
Here's another link from Legal Services of NJ that explains it even more completely and mentions bringing in the town's Inspector to check the premises :
http://www.lsnjlaw.org/Housing/Landlord-Tenant/Repairs-Habitability/Pages/Safe-Decent-Housing.aspx#.VMgb-S7QUk8
Here's a link to the complete pdf from Legal Services of NJ, including contact info:
http://www.lsnjlaw.org/Publications/Pages/Manuals/TenantsRights.pdf
Obviously, it's likely that the landlord may give you issues since you say they haven't found it to be an urgency, but that's not their decision. By law, they have to keep the premises pest-free, and rabies can be deadly. That's not something I'd want tenants to deal with if I was renting out a place, nor would my conscience be able to stand if something did happen to anyone.
Since you say it's a walk up attic, they could be getting in through the area around the attic door (my grandma had just such a door, but no bats), or they could be able to access the walls and/or ceiling and sneak into your living area through a missing switch plate or outlet cover, especially if there's space between the box and the wall or through the area by a ceiling fixture. It all depends on the attics structure, etc.
It would be a very good idea to take up John C on his offer of lending you his FLIR camera, since by looking for cool spots where drafts are coming in you're likely to find where the bats may enter, though since a walkup attic normally has the insulation in the rafters, rather than on the floor of the attic/ceiling of the living space, it may be more difficult to find where the cool spots are without one.
Many kudos to John C for his offer!
Thank you John c., I will definatly let you know. And Phil thank you sooo much for those great resources, I did place a call to the health dept. today but they were closed. The landlord already received a letter from them after the last bat was taken away to get tested by animal control. This will be third bat in living space since December 12th. I won't even begin to tell you the list of issues I have had since november. It is an old house that has been refurbished, it looks nice to the naked eye, but really sloppy work and lots of corners cut. Am supposed to buy house out in spring, but thinking that might not be, we are learning quickly that sloppy work can cause lots of annoying and potentially dangerous mishaps.
Thanks again guys,I really appreciate your help!
Yeah, I went through the bats in the old house a few times. First, moth balls, sonic devices, all seem to just move the critters around; I found none to be effective.
The most effective measure is to seal the holes which can be as small as a piece of pulled flashing on the chimney you couldn't slip your finger in, does not leak water, but good enough for a mouse-like bat.
When possible, stapling metal screen has done the trick; I use this even if I have plugged the holes. Lexel also makes a caulk that you can use in these temperatures.
Two types of infestations: bachelor bat ----- lone wolf or a few without family. To me these seemed smarter and harder to move out ---- they found many ways in. And because so few, not a lot of droppings. But they have a penchant to return and can do so from 10 or 20 miles away, I think. Sounds like that's what you have. I even had one that I swore figured out that if it came into the house, I would open a door and let it out. Ended up trapping and driving 30 miles to release.
And then, there's the "family," a larger group which, for me, was easier to deal with. Just had to watch at twilight, determine access point, and block during the night. Of course, when you do that there's the possibility of blocking some in.
Good luck.
Course it's still better than Texas.........
mistergoogle 
Caged Animal I called health department this morning and filed a complaint against landlord. Miracoulesly got a phone call tonight that he will be paying for the exterminator to come in and do the work necessary. So hopefully this will remediate the situation. Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and resources!!
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