How can I move a bat house that is being used?
Question:I've got a bat house on the back of my garage. I went to move a ladder that was sitting under it and about 8 flew out. There was still chirping coming from inside of it, so I'm guessing there were babies in it? I really don't know.
I am having the house and garage painted soon, and need to move the bat house. There are many trees just a few feet away, I would move it to one of them (facing the same direction though).
How and when should I move it? I don't want to disturb them.
Answers:
Moving it is definitely a bad idea now but seeing as you are set on it consider consulting a local wildlife expert on the right time of year to move it. I'm sure with other winged wildlife they must have some sort of migratory pattern that they follow so be patient and let the little ones be taken care of. I just took a look at a website and found that bats in the united states hibernate or migrate during the cold months. If you can wait until the weather changes to paint the house and garage it should give the babies plenty of time to grow.
Don't move it! bats are protected, and they should not be moved. Especially if there are babies there, the parents will fret and be to frightened to return to the box, resulting in the babies not being able to survive, or getting killed or injured by other wildlife. It is against the law to disturb them, so KEEP AWAY FROM THE BAT BOX!!
If you move them, you may have a bigger problem. I would suggest painting around it .Please don't even TRY to move it!
Best thing to do is move it in the winter, when the bats have migrated south. You may want to get your project done, but wildlife should come first.
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