Only mammals can contract rabies. Birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians cannot contract or transmit rabies. The majority of confirmed rabies cases found in the United States are from wildlife. Wild animals that are at a high risk of carrying the rabies virus includes raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats.
Rabies can also be contracted by unvaccinated domestic animals such as cats and dogs, and livestock such as cattle, horses, and goats.
Bats are the leading cause of exposure to rabies in the US. Because their bites are often small and not visible to the human eye, a person may not know they have been exposed.
Therefore, if you find a bat in your home, try to safely capture it and not let it escape. To do this, you will need leather work gloves, a small box or coffee can, piece of cardboard and tape. When the bat lands, approach it slowly. While wearing the gloves, place the box or coffee can over the bat. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the cardboard to the container, and punch small holes in the cardboard allowing the bat to breathe.
Once captured, contact your local health department for guidance on testing.
Signs an Animal May be Rabid
Only a lab test can confirm the presence of the rabies virus. However, animals that may be rabid may display these behaviors:
- Excessive drooling (saliva)
- Animal behaving aggressively
- Animal that is tamer than usual
- Animal having trouble moving as expected
- Animal biting at imaginary objects
- A bat on the ground
If you believe an animal may be rabid, do not approach the animal. Instead, contact your local animal control.