Bat removal and exclusion

Bats are protected wildlife in Georgia, and they do real good. One colony eats an enormous number of insects. They still do not belong in your attic. Their droppings (guano) build up and stain, and the smell gets into a house. Bats are not trapped and moved. They are excluded, which means they leave on their own and cannot get back in.

Signs of bats

• Dark droppings piling up under a gable vent, a chimney or a gap at the roof line
• Brown staining around a crack where bats crawl in and out
• Squeaking or rustling in the walls or attic around dusk
• Bats seen pouring out of one spot at dusk

How I handle it

1. Watch where they exit

   I find exactly where the colony is coming and going, which is often a gap far smaller than people expect.

2. Seal every secondary gap

   All the gaps they are not using are closed first, so only the main exit is left.

3. One-way exclusion

   A one-way device on the main exit lets the bats fly out at night and stops them getting back in.

4. Final seal and cleanup

   Once they are gone, the exit is sealed permanently and I look at what the guano has done to the attic.

What customers say

★★★★★ 4.9 on Google · 80 reviews

• ★★★★★

  By far one of the BEST services we have ever received! We had squirrels and bats getting into our home, and this company responded quickly and took care of everything efficiently. The owner truly goes above and beyond to make sure you and your family are safe. He was incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely cared about getting the problem resolved the right way. Not only did he remove the animals quickly and effectively, but he also repaired the areas of our home where they were getting in and made sure everything was properly secured to help prevent future issues. If you are dealing with any kind of wildlife or animal control issue, I cannot recommend this company enough! Quick, effective, responsive, and truly cares about their customers. Five stars all the way!

  Heather B. · September 2026 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  Brandon was awesome and so helpful! Great communication. We had a bat issue and he took care of it quickly. Will call him again for any animal issues. Thank you!

  Nicki O. · August 2026 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  After finding Bats in my Attic Vent I reached out to Total Animal Control and spoke to Brandon, he immediately set a time the following day communicated perfectly and came out actually earlier than the set arrival time and climbed up into the attic and diagnosed the issue instantly. Gave me an amazing cost effective solution letting me know all options and performed the work within 30 minutes of arrival. He was very informative and professional. Definitely a go to for any pest or animal issues you may have!

  Bo H. · July 2025 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  Courteous and professional! Came out the same day we spoke by phone to give a free estimate. The next day, remove the bats from the attic, cleaned up the area and sealed the entry point. Did exactly what he said he was going to do for the price he quoted. A man of his word, I would highly recommend his service!

  Rusty M. · June 2025 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  Highly recommend!! Fast and great work. We suspected bats in the attic and Total Animal Control came out same day to take a look and came the next business day to get the job done. He was punctual and quick. We will be using TTC for all our future animal removal needs!

  Jordan L. · July 2024 · Google review

Reviews are copied word for word from Google. Older ones mention Total Animal Control, the company’s former name. Read all 80 reviews on Google

Which bats roost in Georgia houses?

Georgia is home to 16 species of bats, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, but only a few of them regularly move into buildings. DNR's identification guide for bats found in buildings and artificial roosts names four.

The big brown bat is the most common bat found in buildings in the northern half of the state and is common statewide. The Brazilian (Mexican) free-tailed bat is very common in the southern half of Georgia and has been increasing in numbers statewide.

The evening bat is less common but found statewide, and DNR notes it turns up in buildings more often than in bat boxes. The little brown bat is uncommon and found regularly only in north Georgia, even though many people assume that is what they have.

How can I tell which kind of bat is in my attic?

DNR describes the big brown bat as roughly 3 inches long, with glossy brown fur, rounded ears, a swollen-looking muzzle and large, sharp teeth. The evening bat looks very similar but is noticeably smaller, at a little over 2 inches.

The Brazilian free-tailed bat is the easiest to identify. DNR notes it is the only Georgia bat whose tail extends past the tail membrane. It is a little over 2 inches long, with grayish-brown fur, very rounded ears and a wrinkled face.

The little brown bat is about 2 inches long, with a buffy brown back, a light belly, long pointed ears and a small nose. DNR's own advice is that bats are hard to identify and should not be handled. I identify a colony from the outside, by watching the exit and looking at the droppings, not by catching bats.

Are bats protected in Georgia?

Yes. The Georgia DNR guidance for nuisance wildlife operators states that bats are protected under state law, Official Code of Georgia 27-1-28, and should never be intentionally exterminated, harassed or harmed.

The same guidance lists the methods that do not meet acceptable practice in Georgia: poisoning, trapping with cages or sticky traps, exterminating, relocating, or harming, harassing or killing bats in any other way.

That leaves one approach: let the bats leave on their own, then make sure they cannot get back in. That is the only way I handle bats.

When can bats be excluded from a house in Georgia?

Georgia DNR says bat exclusions should be avoided between April 1 and July 31. During that period, pups are too young to fly and can be trapped and die inside the structure.

If an exclusion cannot wait until after the maternity season, DNR says it must be done by a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator. DNR's operator guidance adds that in that case the structure must be checked for flightless young, and those young removed, before the house is sealed.

Outside that window, timing still depends on the house and the weather. I will tell you when I can do the work once I have seen where the bats are and how they are getting in.

Why does it matter if pups are left behind?

Summer colonies in buildings are almost entirely mothers and their young, according to DNR's guidance. Most females have just one pup a year, born in early to mid summer, and pups nurse for about four weeks until they can fly.

Sealing a roost during that time does more than kill the pups. DNR's guidance notes it can push more adult bats and orphaned pups into the living space as they search for another way out, raising the chance of contact with people. Dead bats trapped in a wall or attic also bring insects and odor.

Timing the work right protects both the bats and the people in the house. It is also why I will not schedule an outside exclusion in that window, even when a homeowner is eager to have it done.

Can bats be excluded in winter?

Sometimes, but not always. DNR notes that in Georgia some species, such as the big brown bat, are active most of the year and may use buildings year round.

Some big brown bats hibernate in buildings and do not regularly leave, because there is little food to go out for. DNR's guidance says that in the absence of a public health threat, exclusions should not be done during the coldest part of winter if there is a history or evidence of winter bat activity in the building.

Forcing bats out in that weather tends to fail. They may not leave at all, may leave into conditions they cannot survive, or may end up in the living space looking for another exit.

How does a one-way bat exit actually work?

Bats leave their roost at night to feed. A one-way device is fitted over the opening they use, so they can drop out of it but cannot find their way back in. DNR's guidance calls this eviction or venting, and the sealing of every other gap the exclusion.

Because not every bat leaves every night, DNR's guidance says one-way devices should stay up for at least five nights, including at least three nights in a row with weather bats will fly in: above 50 degrees, wind under 10 mph and no sustained or heavy rain. If the weather does not cooperate, the devices stay up longer.

The devices must have no sharp edges and no gaps a bat could get tangled in. Only after the colony is out do I remove them and seal the last opening permanently.

How small an opening can a bat use?

Smaller than most people would guess. DNR's guidance says bats can enter any crevice a quarter inch wide or more, and that bat-sized gaps can be on any side of a building, often out of sight from the ground.

Inside the house, the openings that let bats into the living space can be as small as 5/8 of an inch round, or a quarter inch wide by three quarters of an inch long. Attic hatches, chimneys and fireplaces, gaps around pipes and ducts, loose windowsills, louvered fans, torn screens and pet doors are all listed as likely spots.

This is why I do a close inspection of the whole exterior, with attention to the eaves, rather than relying on an evening watch alone. The evening watch finds the main exit. A close look finds the secondary gaps.

What should I do if bats are coming into the living space during pup season?

DNR's guidance recommends bat-proofing the living space, sometimes called interior sealing, when an exclusion cannot be done because of maternity season or winter hibernation. The colony stays where it is for now, but the openings between the roost and your rooms are closed.

That work focuses on places where air moves between the attic or walls and the house, because bats follow the same paths. It buys time until the outside exclusion can be done in the right season.

If you are finding bats inside the house in summer, call me. I can look at where they are getting through and close those paths without sealing in the young.

Why shouldn't bats just be killed or poisoned?

First, it is against Georgia law. Beyond that, DNR's guidance notes that poisoning and trapping can cost the homeowner more and can be dangerous to people and pets.

Bats also cannot bounce back the way rodents do. DNR points out that bats can live up to 30 years, and most species have only one or two young a year, so heavy losses are very hard for them to recover from.

Bats are also not rodents. DNR's guidance points out they belong to their own order, Chiroptera, meaning hand wing. Treating a bat colony like a rat problem, with traps or bait, ignores how differently they live and how slowly their numbers recover.

They are worth keeping around. Most U.S. bats eat insects, including farm, forest and disease-carrying pests, and DNR's guidance notes a bat can eat half its body weight in insects each night during summer.

What is white-nose syndrome, and is it in Georgia?

White-nose syndrome is a disease caused by a cold-loving fungus that attacks bats during hibernation. It disturbs their hibernation so they burn through their fat reserves too early. DNR says it has been blamed for the deaths of millions of bats in the United States.

It was first found in Georgia in February 2013, at sites in Dade, Walker and Gilmer counties, and has since been confirmed or suspected in 14 counties. DNR reports the average decline in bats counted at Georgia sites monitored since at least 2013 is more than 90 percent. The species hit hardest in Georgia are the tri-colored bat, little brown bat and northern long-eared bat.

DNR reports no effects on humans or other wildlife. What it does mean is that every bat left matters more, which is why Georgia's guidance asks operators to reduce other causes of bat deaths and to decontaminate gear between jobs.

How common is rabies in bats?

Uncommon, but serious. DNR says very few bats test positive for rabies, and its operator guidance cites a natural infection rate of 1 percent or less in common building-dwelling species. Without prompt care, though, the disease is fatal.

The CDC states that most people in the United States who die of rabies were exposed to a rabid bat. Bat bites can be tiny, and the CDC notes you may not even know you were bitten. That is why a bat in the house is treated differently from other wildlife.

The CDC lists signs that a bat may be sick: being active during the day, turning up in an unusual place, being unable to fly or easy to approach. Keep your distance from any bat like that and call animal control or your local health department.

What if a bat was in a room where someone was sleeping?

Take it seriously even if nobody felt a bite. The CDC's national rabies prevention recommendations say that finding a bat in the same room as a person who might not know a bite or contact happened can count as a possible exposure. The examples given are a deeply sleeping person who wakes to find a bat in the room, and an adult who sees a bat in a room with a previously unattended child, or with a mentally disabled or intoxicated person.

Do not release the bat. The CDC says not to let it go until you have talked with a public health expert. The same recommendations note that these situations should not be treated as exposures if testing rules out rabies in the bat, which is why keeping the bat matters.

Call your doctor or the county health department right away. If anyone was bitten or scratched, the CDC says to wash the wound with soap and water and get medical care immediately.

How do I safely catch a bat that got into the house?

If there is any chance someone was exposed, contain the bat so it can be tested. The CDC describes the method below.

• Put on leather work gloves
• Wait for the bat to land, then approach slowly
• Place a box or jar large enough for the bat over it
• Slide a piece of cardboard with small air holes under the container, then tape it shut
• Call your local health department about testing and whether anyone needs medical care
• If you cannot catch the bat safely, ask the health department for help

What if there was no contact at all?

If you are sure nobody was exposed, DNR's guidance says a single bat can usually be let outside when it is above 50 degrees with no rain or high wind. Close the room off from the rest of the house, open the windows and outside doors, and stand quietly against a wall while it finds its own way out.

If the bat has to be moved, DNR's guidance says to release it off the ground, such as on a windowsill or tree branch at least 4 feet up, where it can drop into flight. In freezing weather, high wind or heavy rain, a released bat may not survive, and DNR asks people to contact the agency for help instead.

One bat in the house does not mean you have a colony, but it is worth checking. DNR notes stray bats find their way inside especially in summer, when the young of the year are becoming independent.

Is bat guano dangerous? What is histoplasmosis?

Histoplasmosis is a lung infection caused by breathing in spores of a fungus that lives in soil. The CDC notes the fungus also spreads in bird and bat droppings mixed into soil, and that it lives mainly in the central and eastern United States.

Most people who breathe in the spores never get sick. When symptoms do appear, the CDC says they usually show up 3 to 17 days later and include fever, cough, fatigue, chills, headache, chest pain and body aches. It does not spread from person to person or between people and pets.

The CDC lists people with weakened immune systems, adults over 55 and infants among those at higher risk, and names cleaning, remodeling or tearing down old buildings among the riskier activities. DNR's guidance also notes that roost areas with built-up guano can carry histoplasmosis risk.

Who should clean up guano in an attic?

The CDC's histoplasmosis guidance says large amounts of bird or bat droppings should be cleaned up by professional companies that specialize in hazardous waste removal. It also notes that masks such as N-95s are one way workers protect themselves.

Georgia's operator guidance lists the gear used for guano cleanup in attics and living spaces: disposable suits, gloves and booties, respirators with filters replaced after each job, and HEPA vacuums whose bags are thrown away after each project. That gear is also decontaminated or discarded to avoid spreading white-nose syndrome.

A light scattering of droppings near the exit is a different job from a thick layer through the insulation. When I inspect, I will show you how far the guano reaches so you can decide what level of cleanup the attic needs.

Will a bat house keep bats away from my home?

A bat house gives the evicted colony somewhere else to go. DNR's guidance recommends them for displaced bats because bats return to the same roost year after year and may otherwise spend time and energy trying to get back in. Ideally it goes up a few months to a year before the exclusion, near the original roost.

DNR also says it cannot promise bats will move in, and it often takes a while before any do. Placement matters more than people expect.

• Roosting chambers about 3/4 inch wide, with open bottoms, rough surfaces, vents, a solid roof and a landing pad
• Three or four chambers rather than one; single-chamber houses only on barns or buildings
• Light colors; DNR says not to paint a bat house dark
• About 12 to 20 feet off the ground, 20 to 30 feet from tree lines and structures
• Six to eight hours of morning sun; DNR says houses generally should not go on trees
• Away from outdoor lights, overhead wires, dense vegetation and busy roads

Why is there guano under my porch but no bats in the attic?

That is often a night roost. DNR's guidance explains that bats rest between feeding flights at night, using open spots such as porch ceilings, and that droppings can pile up under them.

Night-roosting bats usually do not need to be evicted, according to the same guidance. The spot can be made less appealing by hanging ribbons or mylar balloons that move in the breeze.

If you are not sure whether bats are only resting on the porch or getting into the house, an evening check of the outside usually answers it.

What decides how long and involved a bat job will be?

No two bat jobs are priced alike, so I look before I quote. What drives the work is how many gaps the house has, how high they are and how many sides of the house they are on. A one-story house with a single gap at the gable is simpler than a tall house with openings along every eave.

Season and weather matter too. DNR's guidance says it can take several tries even for experienced professionals to bat-proof a building, and devices stay up until bats have had enough good flying nights to leave. That can mean more than one visit.

Finally, guano cleanup and any bat house are separate pieces of work. I will tell you what the attic needs and let you decide on each one.

Common questions

Where I do this work

Bat Removal across Bartow County, Cobb County, Cherokee County, Paulding County, Floyd County and Fulton County, Georgia.