Bats Are Cleaner Than You Realize

Bats are frequently misunderstood and maligned creatures. Therefore, when considering bat removal Milwaukee, it is important to know all the facts. It is true that bats do not belong in your house and can carry diseases. However, it is also true that bats help us in many ways, such as pollinating fruit and eating harmful insects.  Many people think of bats as bloodthirsty, ugly, and dirty, which usually isn't true. Only a few species of bats feed on blood, and they all live in South America. North American bats feed on plants or insects and rarely attack humans at all. As for whether bats are ugly, that's essentially a matter of opinion, but some bats, such as the Mariana fruit bat or the flying fox, have big eyes and dog-like faces that are quite cute. While there may be a grain of truth to the perceptions of bats as ugly and bloodthirsty, the perception that bats are dirty animals is false. In fact, bats are exceptionally clean creatures. It's not a matter of vanity for them; their very survival depends on it. 

Do Bats Carry Parasites?

Like other animals, including human beings, bats can occasionally carry parasites. However, they are no more prone to parasite infestation than any other animal. Even if bats were more likely to have parasites, these would not pose any threat to humans. Bat parasites are highly specialized, meaning that they can only use bats as hosts, not humans or any other animals. 

How Do Bats Keep Themselves Clean?

Bats keep themselves clean in much the same way that other non-human mammals do by scratching and licking themselves, going so far as to massage their wings with their tongues. Bats are similar to cats in the fastidiousness of their grooming habits. Both cats and bats can spend hours at a time grooming themselves with their tongues and teeth. Spending so much time keeping themselves clean is part of what keeps bats from having infestations of parasites.  Grooming can be a communal activity for some animals, and bats are no different. Bats that live in large colonies sometimes groom one another. Vampire bats have been known to do this, as have other species as well. 

Why Do Bats Need To Keep Themselves Clean?

While some tree-dwelling rodents can glide for short distances, bats are the only mammal that can truly fly. Every part of their bodies is involved in the flight, and that includes their fur. If they did not keep their fur clean, it would affect their aerodynamics, and they might not be able to fly at all. Bats need to fly to find food; they don't manage very well on the ground. Therefore, keeping clean is a function of keeping themselves airborne and thus fed. 

What About the Bat Droppings?

While bats are generally clean animals, they are not house trained and can leave behind excrement in dwellings. Histoplasmosis is a respiratory illness caused by a fungus found in some bats and birds’ droppings. The fungus usually grows in the soil and does not do well in human habitations because of the temperature and lack of humidity. Nevertheless, you may want to wear a respirator when cleaning bat droppings or consider professional cleaning, especially if the excrement has accumulated in large quantities. The risk of developing histoplasmosis from bat droppings in your house is relatively low, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions anyway as the disease can be serious. 

Why Should You Consider Bat Removal Milwaukee?

Bats benefit humans far more than they cause harm, and many are threatened species. Nevertheless, like other wild animals, they do not belong in human dwellings. Find out how Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can remove and relocate these important and clean creatures from your Milwaukee home.