5 Dangers of Birds and Bats Living In Your Home

Having a bird or a bat living in your home is more than just an inconvenience; they can be quite dangerous and pose significant risks to you and your family. If you’ve encountered either of these animals in your home, you need to seriously consider your next steps, which will hopefully include having them removed as soon as possible. Here are five dangers of birds and bats living in your home that you should know about.

1. Fire Hazards

Birds like to build their nests in chimney shoots, vents, and other areas of your home that provide ventilation. However, this can be a serious fire hazard, especially during the winter months when you’re trying to heat your home. Birds build their nests with grass, dried leaves, and twigs—all flammable materials that can be set alight easily if you’re not aware of them. Furthermore, nests often block ventilation from coming into your home, meaning that exhaust that would normally be ventilated out is remaining in the building and being breathed in by the home’s occupants.

2. Property Damage

Both birds and bats can do serious property damage if they’re not removed from your home. Bird droppings contain corrosive uric acid. Over time, the acid in these droppings can both stain and damage building materials, making it weaker and more prone to breakage. Bats can chew into walls, insulation, and wiring, weakening the structure of your home and doing significant property damage. Loose wires are another example of a potential fire hazard.

3. Histoplasmosis

Both birds and bats are carriers of diseases, which are transmitted through their droppings. Their droppings contain a fungus whose spores, when breathed in, can cause an infection called Histoplasmosis. This infection can be very serious, and it’s also hard to detect. Those with Histoplasmosis never develop any symptoms, but if they have weakened or undeveloped immune systems, they can become seriously ill. Children and elderly people are especially susceptible to Histoplasmosis.

Because of the potential for contamination, you should not try to remove droppings and spores from your home without protection. Better yet, contacting professional services is your safest bet for decontaminating your living space.

4. Rabies

Bats are the primary carriers of rabies in North America; rabies is transmitted through bat bites. While a rare disease, rabies is very serious. It’s a viral infection with flu-like symptoms, like fever, headache, and muscle aches, but if untreated, rabies has the potential to be life threatening. People are most commonly bitten when trying to remove a bat from their home on the their own. Approaching a bat can be very dangerous, and it’s highly discouraged! Professional wildlife removal services are aware of the dangers and know how to handle bats safely and effectively.

5. Ectoparasites

Birds are also carriers of over 50 different ectoparasites, which can make their way through structures and materials to bite both humans and household pets. Ectoparasites are very small and can rarely be detected by the human eye, therefore making it hard to know for sure whether a bird living in your home is carrying them.

Some of the ectoparasites that birds carry include chicken mites, bed bugs, and yellow mealworms. The health risks of ectoparasite bites range from mild irritation to serious health concerns, for both you and your animals. The more birds living in your home, the stronger the chances are for contamination. Your best course of action is to have wildlife removal services deal with the situation as soon as possible.

Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today!