Bat FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Do bats drink blood?

There are more than 1000 species of bat worldwide and only three of those are vampire bats. Vampire bats are found in Latin America and regardless of the way they have sometime been portrayed in films Vampire bats do NOT attack humans. Vampire bats do not actually suck blood, they actually prick the animal (often farm animals or poultry) with their two front teeth and then lap the blood. They are very gentle creatures who live in colonies, helping to raise orphaned pups and will regurgitate food for colony members who were not able to find food. Reports about Vampire bats that have been handreared say that they are friendly and form a firm bond with their carer, making them very good to use for educational talks demonstrating what beautiful creatures they are.

Seventy percent of all bat species are insectivorous, the remaining are mostly frugivorous bats that live in tropical climates and eat fruit, nectar and pollen. There are 16 resident species of bat in the UK, all of which eat insects. The insects usually on the menu for British bats include midges, moths, lacewings, beetles and spiders.

Do bats fly into your hair?

Contrary to popular belief bats are not blind will not fly into your hair. Bats are experts at flying and steering themselves round corners better than the highest performance motor car! Bats do sometime fly near humans, this is for two reasons - firstly because they are naturally curious animals and just want to check us out! Secondly, we attract midges (think of those balmy summer nights when you are forever wishing the midges would leave you alone) and some bats see midges as the main part of their diet and as there are so many hovering around us it is easy pickings for a bat to swoop around munching midges as he flies.

Aren't bats dirty and smelly?

No - bats are very clean living animals. Should you be lucky enough to have bats roosting in your home you may notice droppings. One idea is to put a plastic sheet down to collect the droppings and then scatter them on your garden, as they make an excellent fertiliser! Bats are enthusiastic groomers, in fact part of colony life is to indulge in grooming your neighbours! The only bat you will see that is anything other than 100% clean is a sick or injured bat. Should you find a bat please contact the Sussex Bat Group for advise. Click here for our list of bat workers in Sussex.

Do bats make good pets?

No - bats are wild creatures and you should never think about keeping one as a pet. The only bats kept as permanent houseguests by members of the Sussex Bat Group are those that are not suitable for release (mostly due to injury or deformity). These bats are kept in excellent conditions and, where possible, housed with members of the same species. For example, Pipistrelles are socialable bats, so those that are not able to be released are kept in small colonies and you may often see them visiting wildlife shows and taken by their carer to educational talks. For more information about organising a visit to your school or group please email the Sussex Bat Group.

As the Bat Conservation Trust explains "Some bats in Europe do carry rabies viruses. There is more than one strain of rabies. The "classical" strain associated with terrestrial mammals in Continental Europe - sylvatic rabies - has never been recorded in bats in Europe.The rabies-related virus sometimes carried by European bats is called "European bat lyssavirus" (EBL). There are two strains: EBL1 and EBL2. In Continental Europe, the recorded incidence of EBL is low. The bat recorded in Britain in 1996 carried a little recorded strain known as EBL 2. In Europe, EBL 2 has been found only ten or so times, in pond bats (which are not found in the UK) and Daubenton's bats."

Bat rabies is VERY rare in the UK; the risk of catching rabies from a bat is extremely low. Click here for the recent Word document produced by the Bat Conservation Trust, giving advice to members or the public or here for bat workers. For more information about bats and rabies visit the Bat Conservation Trust website.