Bat Bite

Bat bites are possible with all species of bats. Vampire bats have a reputation for biting because blood is the only thing on their menu. But bats that eat insects or fruit also bite people. And because bats commonly carry rabies, you need medical attention for any bat-related injury.

In countries where rabies vaccination is common for pets and domestic animals, bat bites are how most humans get rabies. Rabies is easily treatable early on. But once symptoms start, it’s virtually always deadly.

Rabies can easily pass to you through a bat bite. But you can also get it from scratches from bats’ claws. And in rare cases, people have developed rabies after being up close with bats, even though they couldn’t remember a bat touching them.

Symptoms of bat bites

Bat bites, like bites in general, can cause symptoms like:

• Punctures or bite marks on your skin
• Bleeding
• Pain

But it’s also possible to have none of those symptoms. You might instead have what looks like a small cut or scrape. Or you might not have any marks at all.

What do bat bites look like?

Bites from most bat species leave only tiny, pinprick holes that are easy to miss. Vampire bats, which live in Central and South America, don’t suck blood out. Instead, they use their sharp teeth to make a small cut and then lick the blood that flows out.

Rabies symptoms take at least a week — but usually one to three months — to appear. But in some cases, it can take a year or more.

How bat bites can happen

Being around bats is the main factor that increases your risk of being bitten. And bats live almost everywhere in the world, except for north of the Arctic Circle, Antarctica and some very remote islands.

You’re more likely to encounter bats if you:

• Live near caves or other places where bats like to roost
• Live near buildings that bats can get into and roost
• Live around bat food sources (like fruit trees for fruit bats and croplands that attract insects for insect-eating bats)
• Leave unscreened windows or doors open at night when bats are more active
• Spend a lot of time in or around caves where bats live
• Have a job where you spend a lot of time with bats or around where they live

Complications of bat bites

The main complication of bat bites is rabies. Bats are a “reservoir” for the virus that causes it, meaning they carry the virus, but it doesn’t harm them. One place the virus lives is in their saliva. That’s how bites can transfer it to humans.

Bat bites can also develop other complications, like bacterial infections. Without proper wound cleaning and care, those infections can turn into something much more serious, like sepsis. Bat bites may also leave scars, as well.

How doctors diagnose bat bites

Doctors mainly diagnose bat bites after examining any injuries you have and asking questions about how they happened. In some cases, like with children who can’t describe what happened, they might rely on a caregiver to answer questions.

Hospitals don’t test for rabies directly. Your local government health department might test the bat for rabies (if the bat is catchable or you catch it for them). That testing can determine if you need rabies treatment later on.

How are bat bites treated?

All bat-related injuries, whether bites or scratches, need first aid. The first thing you should do is wash the wound with plenty of soap and water. You should then use a clean bandage or cloth to put pressure on the wound until the bleeding stops.

Once the wound is clean and the bleeding is managed, you need professional medical care. A bat bite or scratch isn’t an emergency, but it needs care as soon as possible. You should call your primary care provider to schedule an appointment or seek care at an urgent care facility.

If you’re able to do so safely, you should also catch or trap the bat, or contact your local health department or animal control to catch it. Testing it could spare you from rabies treatment if the bat doesn’t have it. If testing the bat isn’t possible, the safest thing to do is give you rabies-preventing treatments as a precaution.

Treatments after first aid

If there’s a chance a bat infected you with rabies, there are two main treatments:

• Rabies vaccine. This can prevent rabies either before or after a bite. Treatment with this has to start before you develop rabies symptoms.
• Rabies immune globulin. This contains rabies antibodies, which teach your immune system how to recognize the virus. Using this alongside the rabies vaccine greatly increases the protective effect.

Your healthcare provider might also recommend other treatments. Examples include antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections or a tetanus shot. And with very severe bites or injuries, you might need stitches or even surgery to repair damage or reduce scarring (though this is rare). Your healthcare provider can tell you more about the treatments they recommend for your case.

Can bat bites be prevented?

The main way to prevent bat bites is to avoid bats altogether and make it hard for them to get to you. Some things you can do include:

• Use screens or netting over doors or windows that will be open at night.
• Seal any openings where bats might enter a building you live in or use. This goes for any opening larger than a U.S. dime coin (0.7 inches or 1.8 centimeters).
• If you’re camping, keep bats away from you. Make sure your tent, cabin or other sleeping space doesn’t have any openings bats can get in through.
• Don’t pick up or touch bats you see either inside or outside your home. If you have to pick up a bat, use leather work or gardening gloves to handle it.

If you work in a job where exposure to bats is likely, talk to your healthcare provider. You should also talk to your provider if you’re traveling someplace where you might encounter bats. Your provider can set you up on a vaccination schedule to make sure you’re protected against getting rabies and many other illnesses.

What can I expect if I have a bat bite?

Bat bites are usually small and minor. The biggest concern is making sure you don’t develop rabies symptoms. That means either making sure the bat didn’t have rabies and/or giving you anti-rabies treatment as a precaution.

With proper treatment to prevent rabies and prevent or treat other infections, you can expect to make a full recovery.

Is there anything I can do to feel better?

If you have pain from a bat bite, your healthcare provider might recommend taking pain medications like acetaminophen. Be sure to ask them which pain medications are safe to take and which to avoid. Some medications, like NSAIDs, can slow wound healing.

Can you feel a bat bite?

Yes, you can usually feel bat bites. What you feel may depend on the type and size of the bat, as well as where it bites you. In general, if you think a bat might have bitten you, it’s best to seek medical care as a precaution.

What counts as contact with a bat?

Seeing a bat isn’t enough to count as direct contact. But if you feel a bat touch you, or you touch a bat, that counts as contact. You should also count instances of possible contact when you can’t be sure.

For example, if you wake up and find a bat in your room, you should call your local health department or animal control. They can trap and test the bat for rabies to see if there’s any risk to you. And you should also act similarly if you find a bat in the room of someone who can’t tell you reliably if it touched or bit them (like an infant or very young child).