Mitten Wildlife

Michigan wildlife & pest directory — connecting homeowners with licensed local providers.

Bat Removal Help in Vicksburg, MI

Kalamazoo County Pop. 3,273 April through October (some species hibernate in MI; others migrate)
How this works: Mitten Wildlife is a directory. Tapping the call button below connects you with a licensed wildlife removal provider participating in your area. We do not perform removal services ourselves.
Call (888) 217-4913

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Local coverage Wildlife pros who service Kalamazoo County
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Bats in Vicksburg

Vicksburg sits on Sunset Lake — the pond John Vickers formed in 1831 when he dammed Portage Creek's eight-foot waterfall for the first mill in Kalamazoo County — 50 miles inland from Lake Michigan. The county logged two rabies positives in 2023, and bats drive the state total: 34 of 55 cases that year and 14 of 15 statewide through late May 2026. For residents on both the Schoolcraft Township and Brady Township sides of the village, any bat in a bedroom where someone slept must be captured (not released) for MDHHS testing. Michigan law bars excluding maternity colonies May 1 through August 15. The directory connects 49097 homeowners with licensed pros who coordinate with Kalamazoo animal control at (269) 383-8775.

Local context: Nearest state park: Fort Custer Recreation Area (17.8 mi). Nearest large inland lake: Gull Lake (21.8 mi).

Rabies risk — important

Among Michigan animals, bats rank first for rabies. The 2023 count showed 34 bats of 55 rabies-positive animals statewide, and YTD 2026 (as of 2026-05-29) reports 14 bats of 15 positive animals. When a bat is found in a bedroom, or near a sleeping person or young child who can't reliably report a bite, Michigan public health code requires that the bat be tested for rabies — do not release it.

Kalamazoo County recorded 2 rabies-positive animals in 2023, with no 2026 YTD positives reported in the county so far.

Bats in Michigan are the top source of confirmed rabies cases. They can also transmit histoplasmosis, a fungal infection found in dried guano. Cleaning guano without a respirator and gloves is unsafe.

Source: Michigan DHHS Emerging & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases rabies surveillance maps.

Signs you have a bat problem

  • A bat seen indoors in flight — almost always means a colony is nesting in the structure
  • Strong ammonia odor coming from guano accumulating in attics or wall voids
  • Squeaks, scratches, or fluttering in walls or the attic, especially around sunset
  • Tiny dark pellets of guano that crumble into shimmering insect-wing dust beneath entry sites
  • Dark, oily stains around vents, eaves, or rooflines from the residue on bat fur

What to do right now

  1. Michigan requires rabies testing of any bat involved in potential human exposure — if anyone slept in a room with a bat, or a child or impaired adult was in the room, DO NOT release it. Call your local health department immediately.
  2. Bats can carry rabies and may bite without leaving a visible mark, so never handle one barehanded.
  3. If you can do so safely, isolate the bat in one room by closing the door, turning off lights, and opening only that room's windows.
  4. For ongoing bat sightings in living spaces or signs of a colony, contact a licensed wildlife removal provider for an inspection and one-way-door exclusion — exclusions must occur outside the maternity period (typically May–August 15).

Michigan regulations

bats fall under Michigan DNR restrictions on trapping and relocation (Michigan DNR — all native bats are protected. Exclusions must occur outside the maternity period (typically May–August 15)). Removals performed by licensed wildlife professionals stay compliant with state regulations — attempting it yourself may break state law.

Vicksburg animal control

Local animal control: (269) 383-8775. Note: most municipal animal control offices handle stray pets and public-safety calls — not wildlife in private attics. For an animal already inside your home, a licensed wildlife removal provider is usually the right call.

Connect with a provider: (888) 217-4913

Calls are routed to participating licensed providers in your area.

Common questions — Bat in Vicksburg

What should I budget for bat removal in Vicksburg?
A single bat that found its way into the bedroom typically runs $250-$400 with a licensed wildlife pro, including safe capture, containment for MDHHS rabies testing if exposure is in question, and a basic entry-point inspection. A full colony exclusion on an older home — sealing every gap larger than three-eighths of an inch and installing timed one-way exit devices — generally lands between $500 and $1,500. Homes with multiple gables or aging Schoolcraft Township farmhouse-style additions sit toward the higher end.
Should I call Kalamazoo County animal control at (269) 383-8775 first?
Call (269) 383-8775 if there has been a bite, a scratch, or a bat in the bedroom where someone may have been exposed while asleep — that's a public health matter and the county's animal control office can coordinate with MDHHS on rabies submission and post-exposure protocol. For the bat itself, or for a colony in your attic, animal control does not handle removal. A licensed private wildlife pro is needed for capture, exclusion, and post-cleanup decontamination.
There's a colony in my attic — can it be removed right now?
Probably not, depending on the calendar. Michigan DNR rules prohibit excluding a bat maternity colony between May 1 and August 15 because flightless pups are inside the roost. Sealing exits during that window kills the pups in your insulation and creates a severe biohazard. All native Michigan bat species are protected. A licensed pro can inspect, document entry points, and schedule the actual exclusion for after August 15 when juveniles can fly out under their own power.
Is finding a bat in the house an actual emergency?
Often, yes. Bats accounted for 34 of Michigan's 55 confirmed rabies positives in 2023 and 14 of 15 statewide through late May 2026, and Kalamazoo County logged two county-wide positives in 2023. Michigan public health code treats any bat in a bedroom where someone slept as a potential rabies exposure even without a visible bite, because bat teeth can break skin invisibly. Capture the bat without releasing it and contact your doctor and MDHHS the same day.
What happens after the colony is gone?
Guano in a long-occupied attic carries Histoplasma capsulatum spores that go airborne when disturbed, so cleanup is part of the job, not optional. Standard post-exclusion work includes vacuum or manual removal of guano, removing or replacing saturated insulation, and surface decontamination with an EPA-registered product. Different Vicksburg pros bundle this work differently — some include it in the exclusion price, others quote it after final inspection. Confirm which approach you're getting before signing.

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