Bats as Pets?

Bats are the animal kingdom's only flying mammal and they are nocturnal (active mostly at night). They are quite social, roosting in sites where they can group together, and eat hundreds of insects per night to maintain the energy they need.

Although many find bats to be intriguing and even beautiful creatures, they should actually never be kept as pets. When we keep pets, we want to provide them with comfort and love, helping them grow to their full potential. When bats are kept as pets, though, they live in great terror and stress and lose their right to reproduce. Wild bats live over 25 years, but bats kept as pets rarely live longer than one year.

(In addition to this, there are several laws protecting bats from being kept as pets.)

While bats cannot be kept as pets, there are ways to provide for them. One of these is by building a bat box which can work as an alternate roost for bats. There are many varieties of kits available for you to buy with instructions on how to build it. After it's built, though, you'll need the perfect location.

First, if bats can be seen in an area at dusk, the area is likely to be a good spot to support a bat box. The box should be placed at least ten feet above the ground with its opening facing south-southeast, and it should receive at least seven hours of direct sunlight.

Also, bats are more likely to choose a box that is within 1500 feet of a permanent stream or water supply, as bats need plenty of water. Another consideration is to locate the box within 30 yards of a tree line to provide cover from predators.

It is also important to note that the bat box will be primarily used only during the summer months by bats, and that if the box is disturbed in any way during the first summer of its placement, the animals may not return. When they choose a roosting place, though, they are likely to be annual visitors.