Rabies

When you see a bat in your home, it can be a nerve-wracking experience. Many questions can go through your head. How did it get in? Why is it here? Is it going to suck my blood and turn me into a vampire? Do I want to be a vampire? Does it have rabies?

The answers to how and why it is there have been discussed in other areas of this site. For information about this, just click “Bats” at the top of the page. Vampire bats are only found in Central and South America and do not live in Michigan and are unable to transmit vampirism. The focus of this article will be on the topic of rabies.

What is Rabies?

Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervous system of mammals and is almost always fatal. It is transmitted through bodily fluids, so people and animals are most often infected by a bite or scratch from a rabid animal.

The early symptoms of rabies are fevers, headaches, and a tingling at the site of the infection point. This can then progress to agitation, confusion, paranoia, and insomnia. The final stages of rabies infection include excessive drooling, an aversion to water, and then paralysis and coma before death.

The middle stage of rabies in animals can present in a couple of different ways. The more dramatic is called “Furious Rabies.” This type displays the behavior that most people think of as rabid- drooling, foaming at the mouth, excessive aggression. The less exciting way is called “Dumb Rabies.” This is characterized more by weakness, unsteady walking, and extreme shyness and fear.

How Common is Rabies?

I often get calls about potentially rabid raccoons hanging around someone’s home. Homeowners usually report that the animal has been sighted outside during the day. It will be sleeping out in the lawn, or kind of staggering around like it is injured or drunk. Sometimes they even walk in circles. A lot of the time there is even foam around the animal’s mouth. In each of these cases, the raccoon has turned out to not be rabid but actually be suffering from a different lethal viral infection, known as canine distemper. There has actually not been a reported case of a rabid raccoon in Michigan since 1997, and that animal was infected with a bat strain of the virus. These animals should still be avoided, but canine distemper is only transmissible to mammals of the suborder Caniformia like dogs, bears, and skunks. If you encounter such a raccoon, give me a call and I will come take it away for you.

When it comes to actual rabid animals in Michigan, the most common type of animal is a bat. The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) keep track of all cases of rabies in the state along with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). The species of bat is not recorded, but since the bats tested are usually recovered from a human living space, and Big and Little Brown Bats are basically the only bats that enter homes in Michigan, it is safe to assume that these are likely all brown bats.

According to reporting from these agencies, there were 42 bats that tested positive for rabies in Michigan last year. No other species was found to be infected in 2025. Since 2015, there have been an average of around 45 bats that tested positive each year. For a while, there was also a population of skunks in the Detroit area that was also found to be rabid, but that seems to have been eliminated for the last two years.

In all, less than 5% of bats submitted for rabies testing turn out to actually carry the virus. This makes it unlikely that a bat in your living room is infected, but not impossible. Caution should always be taken when dealing with wild animals. There is no way to diagnose a bat just by looking at it.

What do I do if I get bit?

Bites from bats are rare, but when they do happen, they should be taken very seriously. Contact your doctor or the Health Department immediately if you or someone else is bitten by a bat. The same advice would apply to pets.

The Health Department warns that it is possible to be bitten by a bat in your sleep without realizing it. They recommend that if a bat is found in a room where someone is sleeping, or with someone who cannot communicate well, like an infant, that you should immediately reach out to your medical care provider.

If you do end up with a bat in your home, we can help. We offer 24/7 Emergency Bat Removal services. We can also seal up your home to prevent any future incursions and get any remaining bats out. Give us a call to set up an appointment to see what we can do for you.

For more information on our Bat Services, click the button below.

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