Though very few bats actually have the rabies virus, they are still one of the top carriers in Illinois, and it is much better to be safe than sorry.īats are a protected species, and are an incredibly valuable asset to our ecosystem, helping to control insect populations and pollinating the plants we depend upon for food. So for your own safety, do not try to catch the bat on your own, and do not simply open a window and hope it will leave. A bat’s teeth are so small and sharp that you may not even realize you’ve been bitten. If a bat makes its way into your living space, it is absolutely vital that it be captured and tested for rabies. Other factors that may wake a bat include starvation and disease. When this happens, bats often become disoriented and gravitate toward the interior of the house where it is much warmer than the attic. Areas of the attic that are in direct sunlight or near a chimney can interrupt hibernation. Bats may rouse if the area where they are resting suddenly becomes warmer. Outside conditions can affect bat hibernation as well. During this often hours long process, heart rate and body temperature will slowly return to their normal state. Hibernation also leaves bats more prone to parasites, and rousing themselves helps to boost their immune systems. If there is a colony living in your attic, you may hear scratching or scuffling noises in your ceiling from time to time when this happens. It is natural for bats to awake periodically throughout the winter to move their muscles and hydrate since they can lose quite a bit of water. When food becomes scarce and outside conditions become hostile, hibernation lowers an animal’s body temperature and slows the rate at which they metabolize food, meaning they expend fewer calories and are able to conserve energy and fat stores.Ĭoming out of hibernation is greatly dependent upon temperature. Bats travel primarily through flight, which expends a great deal of energy. Because of the extreme drop in temperature and lack of flying insects as a food source, these bats must find a hospitable environment to use as their hibernaculum to endure the winter. But most often, bats roost in attics during the winter. The most common of these species are the Little Brown and Big Brown bats.ĭue to their very specific heat and airflow requirements, Little and Big Brown bats are known to live inside year round.
But a few different breeds will remain year-round, spending the winter in caves, rock crevices, tree hollows, and buildings. The majority of these species prefer to roost in trees and bushes and will migrate to warmer regions when the weather turns too cold for them to remain outside. More than a dozen varieties of bat are native to Illinois, but not all of them hibernate.
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