Home/Bat in the House: Mississippi Rules

Bat in Your Jackson Home: What the Health Department Says

Checked against Mississippi State Department of Health, MDWFP and CDC guidance on November 7, 2026. How we research this site.

In Mississippi the bat is the animal the health department worries about most. Its instruction for a bat in the house fits on one line: leave the room, close the door, and do not let the bat go.

Why one bat is a health question here

The Mississippi State Department of Health says bats are the primary reservoir for rabies in Mississippi and that rabid bats are found in the state every year. Land-animal rabies, by contrast, is exceptionally rare here. So while raccoons get the attention in many states, in Mississippi bats are the main wild animal responsible for passing rabies to people.

MSDH treats any contact with a bat as a high-risk exposure, whether or not a bite is found, because bat bites are tiny and can be painless and invisible to the naked eye. Someone who woke up with a bat in the room cannot rule out contact just by looking.

What to do, step by step

1. Leave and shut the door. That is MSDH’s first instruction. Keep pets and children out.
2. Do not release it. A bat that has flown off cannot be tested.
3. Work out whether anyone had contact. If they may have, MSDH says to talk to a health care provider at once.
4. Call the Office of Epidemiology about testing. 601-576-7725, or 601-576-7400 out of hours.
5. Capture only if you are advised to. MSDH says not to handle live bats or bats that appear dead. If health officials want it caught, CDC describes covering the bat with a box or jar while wearing leather work gloves, then sliding cardboard underneath and taping it.

If someone had contact and the bat has escaped or cannot be found, MSDH’s advice is prompt medical attention: your family doctor or the nearest emergency room.

Signs a bat is sick

MSDH notes that bats are normally active at dusk, at dawn and at night. It asks people to avoid bats seen in the daytime, particularly in unusual places, behaving erratically or aggressively, or lying on the ground. A bat on the patio at noon is one to leave strictly alone.

A colony in the attic or walls

A bat in the living area often came from a roost elsewhere in the house. MSDH is direct about who should deal with that: bat removal or exclusion should only be done by a professional pest control provider. It does not publish a method, maternity dates or a list of companies.

On the wildlife side, MDWFP lists Mississippi’s bats as nongame mammals in need of management, and its nuisance wildlife page points homeowners to a search for nuisance wildlife control specialists. Fourteen bat species have been documented in Mississippi, and MDWFP says three of them are federally endangered, so this is not a job for poison or a broom. Before you hire anyone, ask how they get the bats out without killing them, how they make sure none are left inside, and how they avoid sealing in young bats that cannot yet fly. Mississippi publishes no maternity dates, so timing comes down to the judgement of whoever inspects the roost.

We do not quote prices. The number of openings and the state of the attic decide the job. For roost patterns in Jackson’s older neighborhoods, see bat removal in Jackson.

Dead bats

The same rule applies to a bat that looks dead: MSDH says not to handle it, and a dead bat that may have touched a person or pet should still be tested. A bat sealed into a wall that dies there is a separate problem, covered on our dead animal page.

Questions people ask

There was a bat in my bedroom and it flew out. What now?

The Mississippi State Department of Health says that if there was human contact and the bat cannot be found or has escaped, you should get prompt medical attention: call your family doctor or go to the nearest emergency room. Contact includes the possibility of a bite you did not feel.

Who tests a bat for rabies in Mississippi?

MSDH’s Office of Epidemiology gives instructions for having an animal tested, on 601-576-7725 during the day and 601-576-7400 after hours. MSDH says any bat, live or dead, that may have had contact with a person or pet should be tested.

Can I remove the bats from my attic myself?

MSDH’s advice is no: it says bat removal or exclusion should only be done by a professional pest control provider. It also tells people not to handle live bats or bats that seem to be dead.

Are bats protected in Mississippi?

Yes, to varying degrees. MDWFP lists Mississippi’s bats as nongame mammals in need of management. It also says 14 bat species have been documented in the state, and that three of them, the gray, Indiana and northern long-eared bats, are federally listed as endangered.