Do bats make good pets?

Bats are wildlife animals that have a certain lifestyle and habits that are difficult to sustain and support in captivity. Bats are nocturnal animals, which means they are dormant during the day and spend their daily hours sleeping in a dark and quiet confined area. They become active in the evening as night falls, when they fly out from their daily hideout and go outside to hunt for food.

This lifestyle will be completely different when they are kept as a pet in captivity. They can't do anything that is normal and natural to them – they can't fly out to hunt for food during the night; they can't sleep during the day in the dark because you probably want more activity and fun from your pet during the day than during the night, right? They don't get to hunt their food but instead eat what they are served. They only have stale water instead of finding streams and creeks to drink from. Not a very happy life, indeed.

Bats are not human-friendly animals. They will never be cuddly animals nor will they get accustomed to living in captivity. It has been discovered that bats in captivity rarely live longer than a year – and in their natural habitat they can live up to 25-30 years. This is evidence enough that bats don't make for good pets and you will only be throwing your money away when buying such a "cool" pet.

It is also important to take into an account that handling bats is strictly directed by state and country laws. It is strictly forbidden to kill bats as they are a protected animal species in several different aspects. As much as it is forbidden to kill them, it is also strictly regulated how to handle them, and several different inspections make sure that regulations are followed and obeyed. It is probably against the law to get a bat as a pet in most places, so you should keep in mind that you may end up having to pay a huge fine for getting a bat as a pet when this might be forbidden in your state. So before getting a bat for a pet, besides considering the inhumane aspects of capturing a bat, also consider laws in your state that govern handling and keeping of bats. Avoid a penalty by getting familiar with local laws and regulations.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Bats page or email us if you have any other questions about Do bats make good pets?