No matter what creature you are talking about, every animal, at some point, dies. Nothing lives forever and that is true of the bat as well. While these creatures may seem like they will live forever because of how ugly they are, they eventually pass on as well which is hailed as good news by any person who has had a bat get into their home before.
This makes some wonder if a bat got into their home how long it could live there within the walls or the attic of their house? That’s a really good question, but one that is a little more misleading to answer and you may think.
How Long a Bat Lives
The average bat lives between 10 years and 20 years. The survival into adulthood depends greatly upon the amount of food that’s available to it and the type of shelter that is available as well. If a bat is well fed and is well protected within the shelter that it lives, it is quite likely that this animal will live to be near the 20 year range, especially considering that there are not many natural predators to these ugly looking creatures.
What this tells you is that a bat has a very good opportunity to live to be as much as 15 or 20 years old if it were to live in or directly around your home. If there are rodents or large insects for it to eat, and it has a safe place to live in, like in your attic, then it can stay there for years without issue. Because so few people spend any significant time in their attic the bat has virtual solitude and can stay there almost uninterrupted.
That is the good news.
Now the Bad News
This is why this question is so difficult to answer. If you are talking about just one bat then the worst case scenario for you is that the bat would be there for 15 years before it died. At that point it would be gone and you would have no issue.
However, the problem is that bats usually live in large colonies. In fact, these colonies can number into the hundreds or thousands of bats. Now, when you are considering how long they can live in your home, you are talking about the fact that hundreds of bats, reproducing and caring for each other, can live for generations in your home in less you do something to get rid of them. Is that bad news? You better believe it is.
A lot of times the reaction that people have to any kind of animal like this getting into their home is that they believe the animal will eventually just go away. That may be true in the case of some animals. Birds, for example, fly south for the winter giving you an opportunity to ensure that they can’t return by sealing a hole or crack in your siding where they are gaining entrance. A bat is a totally different story, however.
It can be likely that you may have dozens if not hundreds of bats that have gotten into your attic, barn, or shed. Once in there they can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Deciding that they will eventually go away is not an option for you at all. Death will occur, but you know that there is the potential for dozens or hundreds to replace them. It is for this reason that you must be quite proactive in getting rid of these flying rats if you know that there are any that have gotten into your home. NEED LOCAL HELP? We have wildlife removal professionals servicing 95% of the USA. Click here to hire a local bat removal expert in your home town. Updated 2018. It's best to be educated on the subject, so browse this site and especially read the bats in the attic home page, or email me if you have any more questions about How long do bats live in a house?
Wildlife Education - Information and Advice for the Safe Removal of Bats from Attics
This makes some wonder if a bat got into their home how long it could live there within the walls or the attic of their house? That’s a really good question, but one that is a little more misleading to answer and you may think.
How Long a Bat Lives
The average bat lives between 10 years and 20 years. The survival into adulthood depends greatly upon the amount of food that’s available to it and the type of shelter that is available as well. If a bat is well fed and is well protected within the shelter that it lives, it is quite likely that this animal will live to be near the 20 year range, especially considering that there are not many natural predators to these ugly looking creatures.
What this tells you is that a bat has a very good opportunity to live to be as much as 15 or 20 years old if it were to live in or directly around your home. If there are rodents or large insects for it to eat, and it has a safe place to live in, like in your attic, then it can stay there for years without issue. Because so few people spend any significant time in their attic the bat has virtual solitude and can stay there almost uninterrupted.
That is the good news.
Now the Bad News
This is why this question is so difficult to answer. If you are talking about just one bat then the worst case scenario for you is that the bat would be there for 15 years before it died. At that point it would be gone and you would have no issue.
However, the problem is that bats usually live in large colonies. In fact, these colonies can number into the hundreds or thousands of bats. Now, when you are considering how long they can live in your home, you are talking about the fact that hundreds of bats, reproducing and caring for each other, can live for generations in your home in less you do something to get rid of them. Is that bad news? You better believe it is.
A lot of times the reaction that people have to any kind of animal like this getting into their home is that they believe the animal will eventually just go away. That may be true in the case of some animals. Birds, for example, fly south for the winter giving you an opportunity to ensure that they can’t return by sealing a hole or crack in your siding where they are gaining entrance. A bat is a totally different story, however.
It can be likely that you may have dozens if not hundreds of bats that have gotten into your attic, barn, or shed. Once in there they can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Deciding that they will eventually go away is not an option for you at all. Death will occur, but you know that there is the potential for dozens or hundreds to replace them. It is for this reason that you must be quite proactive in getting rid of these flying rats if you know that there are any that have gotten into your home. NEED LOCAL HELP? We have wildlife removal professionals servicing 95% of the USA. Click here to hire a local bat removal expert in your home town. Updated 2018. It's best to be educated on the subject, so browse this site and especially read the bats in the attic home page, or email me if you have any more questions about How long do bats live in a house?