https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:21:04 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603933 Mon, 15 Aug 2016 08:27:24 +0000 RLCeigh 2603933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This just happened to my best friend! And sorry to say, she got the shots (had to go to the ER). Since the bat woke her up and she couldn't be 100% sure she wasn't bitten, they recommend getting the shots since rabies is 100% fatal. As if a bat in the house wasn't bad enough! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603928 Mon, 15 Aug 2016 08:21:40 +0000 LuLu Mom 2603928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd do what you said and call (and probably take her in.) We actually just had 4 bats in our city test positive for rabies (it was all over the local news), so I would be taking this extremely serious. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603654 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 20:47:18 +0000 mrbee 2603654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with everyone above! I actually got a rabies shot this week due to somewhat similar circumstances; there was a 99.9% chance that I wasn't exposed but since it's 100% fatal... went ahead and got the shot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603651 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 20:22:34 +0000 Truth Bombs 2603651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My bro and SIL had a bat in the house. Luckily they were able to catch it and have it tested. Their PCPs, pediatrician, and health department all said they would recommend shots for everyone in the house if the bat hadn't been caught and tested negative. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603606 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 14:39:39 +0000 Cole 2603606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone, I'm going to call again first thing Monday. I'm hoping we can at least skip the ER. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603596 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 13:29:56 +0000 Alba4 2603596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was pregnant with #1, we had a bat in our house. Luckily animal control found it in our basement and we got the bat tested... no rabies. If we hadn't found the bat, we would have gotten the shots to be safe since you can't always see the bites (ew). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603508 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 00:43:04 +0000 yellowbeach 2603508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As an ER doc who just looked up the protocol on this 2 nights ago for a patient with a very similar story, I can tell you I agree with agree with @MAMACATE 's DH. If the person was sleeping at any time in the presence of the bat, you can't exclude a bite (for the reasons some others mentioned above). And since rabies is 100% fatal, the recommendation is to go to the doctor/ED and get treated with both the rabies immunoglobulin and the 5 part vaccine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603505 Sat, 13 Aug 2016 00:04:55 +0000 OldpuebloJenn 2603505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is you local health department warning of rabies? If not, skip the shots. They are painful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603500 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 23:46:00 +0000 MamaCate 2603500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: my DH is a ped and saw this thread. He says that unless you can say 100% that the bat never touched you (and it sounds like none of you can say for sure since you were all asleep at one point with the bat in the house), you should all get rabies shots. Unless you live in Hawaii where rabies doesn't exist. I am sure the shots are no fun but better safe than sorry! </p> <p>If you are looking for more information it would also help to talk to your local health dept about the presence of rabies cases in your area. It would be best to get it done as soon as you can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603494 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 23:24:42 +0000 HLK208 2603494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I would be more concerned if it was daytime? Since rabid bats are likely to be awake during the day. But I would probably check with a vet/Doctor to be on the safe side! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603492 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 23:18:02 +0000 stratosphere 2603492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I got bitten by an aggressive cat in Mexico (where rabies is endemic in the feral cat population) and had to get rabies shots because the cat disappeared. They suck. I wouldn't go getting the shots unless you got bitten (or of course unless recommended by your doctor). </p> <p>Bats (other than vampire bats--which are not found in the US) are not likely to bite unprovoked just stuck in your house without you grabbing them. Heck, I have actually grabbed a bat (accidentally caught it in my line on a back-cast when fly-fishing one early evening) and that little guy didn't bite me as I untangled him and cut him free (though he opened his tiny little mouth in threat--he was understandably freaked out)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603461 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 20:46:21 +0000 MenagerieMama 2603461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been taught to give the vaccines if in doubt at all. It may be a 0.001% chance but rabies is fatal. You don't want to mess with that. So I would take it seriously and look into it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603356 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 15:46:47 +0000 Jess1483 2603356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was a counselor at a summer camp when there were some bats found with rabies at the lake. The bats are always in the cabins and such. Worker's comp ended up paying for vaccinations, so I was vaccinated (and most of the other counselors as well.) It probably wasn't necessary, but I remember doing a lot of googling at the time, and was totally freaked out. I liked the peace of mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603355 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 15:44:14 +0000 gotkimchi 2603355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was taught in pharmacy school to vaccinate if there was any chance of contact. So if you were awake and know it didn't get close to you that's ok. But anyone sleeping or who can't say should be vaccinated. This happened to one of my teachers and she had to vaccinate her 6 week okd </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603330 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:55:25 +0000 Cole 2603330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks guys. I think between what you guys are saying and the pediatrician's response we will be very careful in checking us all thoroughly and watching for the next few weeks. I didn't realize how scary rabies was before this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603317 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:26:03 +0000 Maysprout 2603317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had this happen while I was pregnant with #2 and I was very freaked out. Dh was on his peds rotation and they all said no shots. It was night when I saw it and I didn't know when it got in. Dh ended up getting the bat (tried shooing it out with a broom but hit it too hard- whoops) but not until the next night. We had been all sleeping in the same room with the window AC with the doors closed and it was in a different room. I donno, between it not acting bizarre and us not having any known contact (though it could have) we were told no shots, but I was very freaked out bc I had no idea how long it had been in our house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603314 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:16:45 +0000 PurplePeony 2603314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry, I don't want to freak you out, but bat bites don't always leave a mark and I recently read a story about an elderly woman who was sickened and died due to a bat bite she didn't realize she had gotten. <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/480414566/bats-in-the-bedroom-can-spread-rabies-without-an-obvious-bite" rel="nofollow">http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/480414566/bats-in-the-bedroom-can-spread-rabies-without-an-obvious-bite</a>. I don't know if I'd jump right to shots, but I would definitely take it seriously and contact as many public health sources as you can think of for more specific advice. And watch your DD VERY closely while you figure out what to do.</p> <p>ETA: I'm glad Avivoca posted, since her DH is experienced in these things and it doesn't sound as alarming as the NPR article made it sound. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603311 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:11:59 +0000 avivoca 2603311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As long as there is no evidence of a bite, you should not need to go through the rabies protocol. You can call your local health department to find out for sure, but the only times my biologist husband has had to do it was a) to get his initial rabies vaccination for work (he is a bat biologist) and b) the time he actually got bit by a bat.</p> <p>ETA: Not a doctor, and this is also our own personal experience. You actually could see the bite when he had it (he showed me a picture and I saw it when he returned home). Rabies is serious, so I do encourage you to talk to as many public health people as you can to make the best decision for your family. In five years of working closely with many bat species, he has only been bitten once. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603309 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:04:20 +0000 yoursilverlining 2603309@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't worry unless you have evidence of a bite. I thought bats rarely catch rabies (compared to some other animals); but you could confirm that with a vet maybe. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ugh-bat-got-in-our-house-do-we-need-rabies-shots#post-2603307 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:02:00 +0000 Cole 2603307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A bat got in our house, my daughter was asleep upstairs, I hid and my husband tried to shoo it out. He thought he did but it turns out it actually flew upstairs. After about five minutes of quiet and us deciding it flew out one of the windows I went up and closed both our bedroom door and my daughter's. My daughter never made a peep through all of this. A bit later went to bed and but the dog was agitated and it turned out the bat was in the curtains right by his crate. We left the room, my husband went back in and opened the windows, the best actually left this time. </p> <p>I am about 99.9% sure the bat never got close enough to me to get me, my husband feels similarly. My daughter had about a five, maybe ten minute window where she could have been bit but it seems unlikely. What would you do? (For the record, the ped says check her for marks but don't worry about it and my doctor's office is closed. The ER won't give advice...) </p>