Silver Bullet Pest ControlA bat swooping around the bedroom at 2 a.m., one clinging to the curtains, or a second bat this month? Silver Bullet Pest Control removes bats from Teaneck homes, finds out how they got in, and closes the house up the legal, humane way — with acoustic surveys and exclusion done by our own licensed team.
4.9 stars on Google • NJ License 90568B • Licensed by NJ Fish & Wildlife for wildlife work • 15+ years • Hablamos español
Bat in a room where someone was sleeping? Don't let it go — keep it contained and call 973-510-2585.
If there's a bat in your house in Teaneck, NJ, close interior doors to keep it in one room, open a window, turn off the lights and give it time to fly out — unless it was in a room with a sleeping person or a child, or touched anyone, in which case keep the bat contained and call your local health department about rabies testing. Then have the house checked: Silver Bullet Pest Control removes bats, finds the entry points and seals them under New Jersey's bat exclusion rules. Call or text 973-510-2585; same-day help is often available.
A flying bat is trying to find a way out, not attack. Move kids and pets out of the room and close the door behind you.
Close interior doors and closets, open a window or exterior door in that room as wide as you can, and turn the lights off.
Most bats find the opening within a few minutes to an hour. Watch from the doorway so you know it actually left.
With thick gloves, place a container over the bat, slide cardboard underneath, and tape it shut. Never use bare hands.
Exception: if the bat may have touched anyone, or was in a room with someone sleeping, a child or a pet, don't release it — read the next section.
Most bats don't carry rabies, but bats are a known rabies source, and their bites can be so small they're missed — especially if someone was asleep. That's why the guidance is cautious.
Keep the bat and call your local health department about rabies testing if it was in a room with a sleeping person, a young child, someone who can't say if they were touched, or an unvaccinated pet — or if anyone was bitten, scratched or touched.
If nobody was exposed, releasing it outside through an open window is fine. Either way, call us afterward so we can find out how it got in.
Teaneck has a lot of what bats need: older homes with attics and plenty of mature trees, and water nearby — the Hackensack River along the west side of town and the Overpeck Creek wetlands and park to the east — that produce the insects bats feed on.
One bat in the house in November usually means bats are using the building. It's worth an inspection even if you only saw one.
| What you notice | Probably one stray bat | Probably bats living in the house |
|---|---|---|
| How often | A single bat, once | Bats inside more than once, or every summer |
| Droppings (guano) | None | Small dark droppings that crumble, piled under a spot in the attic or on a windowsill |
| Sounds | None | Scratching or squeaking in walls or the attic, mostly at dusk |
| Outside at dusk | No bats leaving the house | Bats flying out of the roof line, chimney or siding gap |
| Stains | None | Dark greasy marks around a small gap |
Not sure? We do acoustic bat surveys ourselves, recording bat activity at the house to confirm whether bats are present — that's also what New Jersey requires before exclusion in the cold months.
Removing one bat from your living space can be done any time. Sealing a house so bats can't get back in (exclusion) follows the state's calendar to protect young bats:
| Time of year | Bat exclusion allowed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| April 1 – April 30 | Yes | Before pups are born |
| May 1 – July 31 | No | Pups can't fly yet and would be trapped inside |
| August 1 – October 15 | Yes | Young bats can fly and leave with the colony |
| October 16 – March 31 | Only after an acoustic survey shows no bats | Bats may be hibernating in the building |
Calling now, in November? We can remove a bat in your living space, inspect the house, run an acoustic survey and seal it once the survey shows no bats — or schedule exclusion for the next open window. Learn more on our licensed bat exclusion page.
Three parts, done by our own licensed team:
We take the bat out safely and check the whole house — roof edges, flashing, vents, soffits, dormers, chimney — for openings and signs of a colony.
When exclusion is allowed, bats leave through one-way devices and can't get back in. The remaining gaps get sealed so they don't simply move to another spot on the roof.
Bat guano shouldn't be swept up dry. We handle odor control and HEPA cleanup, and remove and replace soiled attic insulation ourselves.
There's no reliable evidence they work. Bats keep using the roost and the gaps stay open.
Sealing while bats are inside traps them, they die in the walls or find their way into the house. And there's usually more than one gap.
Old droppings can carry fungal spores. Don't sweep or vacuum it dry — it needs proper cleanup.
Sometimes it's a stray, but repeat visits or a bat in winter usually point to bats in the building.
Bats eat huge numbers of insects and are protected in New Jersey, so the goal is to get them out humanely, not to kill them. See remoción de murciélagos for this guide in Spanish.
Tell us where you saw the bat, how many times it's happened, and whether anyone was in the room. We'll give you a free quote and explain what can be done this time of year.
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
Usually through a small gap at the roof line, chimney flashing, an attic vent, a dormer or around siding — a bat needs an opening only about the width of your thumb. From the attic or walls it can reach the living space through gaps around pipes, attic doors or recessed lights.
Not always, but often. A single bat in late summer can be a young bat that took a wrong turn. A bat in winter, repeat visits, droppings or scratching in the walls usually mean bats are living in the building. An inspection or acoustic survey tells you for sure.
Keep it if it may have touched anyone or was in a room with a sleeping person, a child or an unvaccinated pet. Contain it without touching it and call your local health department about rabies testing. If nobody was exposed, you can release it outside.
Yes. A bat in the living space can be removed any time of year. Sealing the house is different: from October 16 to March 31, New Jersey allows bat exclusion only after an acoustic survey shows no bats are present, so we survey first.
Bat exclusion is allowed April 1 to 30 and August 1 to October 15. It's not allowed May 1 to July 31, when pups can't fly. From October 16 to March 31 it's allowed only after an acoustic survey shows no bats.
An acoustic survey uses a detector that records bats' echolocation calls at the house to show whether bats are present and active. We do acoustic surveys ourselves; they're required before winter exclusion in New Jersey and help confirm whether a colony is there.
Generally yes, as long as bats aren't getting into the living space and nobody handles them. Keep the attic door closed, avoid disturbing guano, and have the house inspected so entry points can be sealed when the calendar allows.
Not while bats may be inside. Sealing traps them, and they die in the walls or find a way into the house. Exclusion also has to follow the state calendar. Let us confirm the house is clear first.
Yes. We do odor control and HEPA cleanup, and attic insulation removal and replacement ourselves when guano has soiled the insulation. Don't sweep or vacuum guano dry.
Same-day help is often available in Teaneck and the rest of Bergen County. Call or text 973-510-2585 and tell us whether the bat is still in the room.
Cierre las puertas del cuarto, abra una ventana y apague las luces. Si estuvo cerca de alguien dormido o de un niño, no lo suelte y llame al departamento de salud. Hablamos español: 973-510-2585.
We serve Teaneck and towns across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties from our base in Garfield.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
