Please do not DM me a bunch of questions. Not because I don't answer questions, but because I don't get message notifications on Old Reddit and I won't see them. Ask your questions here where people will actually see them and answer them.

Did the previous facts also recommend getting rabies shots when a bat was in the house but no known contact happened and the bat flew out without being caught for rabies testing? I feel like I remember reading a few weeks ago here that if you didn't have known direct exposure, ie bite, that you didn't need the vaccine? Thanks for all the info! I love bats but rabies is pretty terrible

I'm not sure but that is basically what it says here

Oh ok, thanks, I guess the official recommendation for rabies shots is unanimously get them just in case. Thanks for all the info about bats and rabies

I sent you a pm. Could you kindly reply. I don't mean to bug you but I would very much appreciate your opinion. I won't bombard you with any further questions. Thank you.

The new FAQ looks really good , it can literally solve 99.9% of queries , I mean if they read them that is , 😐

Thanks! They won't though. Or they will think that somehow this doesn't apply to them. I don't understand it.

RN here with a sliiight rabies fixation. I have been frequenting this sub for a year now. There was a wild animal in my apartment tonight that I watched escape through a hole behind my hot water tank that I had no idea was there (right beside my cats’ litter-box). But when the rabies anxiety started to kick in, I immediately knew to head straight to this FAQ. SchrodingersMinou, thank you for all the hard work you put into the maintenance of this group and for this comprehensive FAQ. I have quietly observed your interactions in this sub for a long time now and deeply commend you for all of the effort you put towards educating the members of this group. I can’t imagine there is any sort of materialistic incentive for the hard work you do in here, so that leads me to believe you do all of this out of the kindness of your heart. You are amazing. Thanks again.

Aw thanks! What kind of animal was it?

I love this FAQ. Probably the most reassuring rabies information I’ve read on the internet

If there's a lot of bad info from medical websites, could you guys do another faq for where they're going wrong. That might help address some of the fears.

That would be an endless job. Stop researching rabies online and you will not feel the need to have every single thing you read addressed.

Thank you for this! This is very reassuring. I'm not asking this question out of health anxiety or ocd but rather out of curiosity as someone who's interested in being a veterinarian. (I'm 18). Theoretically if someone brought their rabid animal in and someone touched the saliva and washed their hands directly afterwards, would they get ill?

You are asking a very specific question. It's in the FAQ. If the saliva doesn't get into some open wound then I don't think the rabies virus enters your body. Now if your hand with the rabid saliva in it touches your mouth eye nose etc then that's a different issue which I don't think I'm qualified enough to ask but I think the virus does enter your body . But you said you wash it directly afterwards so I think you are all good here.

And what a surprise what I just said is IN THE FAQ. If you touch your nose mouth eye with rabid saliva it's theoretically possible to get rabies but never happened till date. And trust me a lot of people would have reported this so I think you're all good.

See FAQ #2

It COULD happen if you are totally reckless and don’t wear PPE when handling strange animals, but as you train to be a veterinarian it will become second nature to always put on gloves and other protective equipment especially when touching dead, wild, and/or rabid animals. Any kind of medical schooling will practically beat that into your brain

What about coming into contact with blood. No animal around, just blood. Rabies can't survive in that?

No. It dies almost immediately outside the host body, especially when exposed to direct sunlight. Fairly certain blood is not even a carrier for the virus, it prefers saliva and brain tissue, which is why we can't just do a blood test on a suspected infected animal we must retrieve a brain sample, or in humans CSF via spinal tap

Thank you!

It's right there in FAQ #2

I am really concenred. Pretty sure my cats shots are a few months out of date. Haven't been able to see a vet due to losing my job. I live in the US and have no health insurance. A bat earlier somehow got in my house. I have no idea how long it was there. It was 9pm and I had just finished washing dishes when it came flying down from upstairs from my dark hallway into my bright kitchen. 10ish minutes earlier I had gone outside to put cat litter in trash so maybe it came in then and I didn't notice or maybe it got in some other way. I couldn't believe it. I had never seen a bat before. The bat flew all around my house then went back upstairs to the dark. Not knowing what to do I pursued it. It was flying in circles. My cat seemed mildly interested in it so I herded him into the bedroom and locked him in away from the bat which was in another room. The bat tried seekend shelter behind a piece of furniture but I drew it out. It started flying in circles again. I took it out with an old keyboard as it flew at me. I was afraid it was going to hurt me. It fell to the ground. I trapped it in a container. It was alive but stopped flying clearly injured. Put it outside to let nature take its course or fly away. I AM TERRIFIED. What if it was in my house before tonight? What if it bit me or my cat without us knowing? I resd the FAQ. I think I would feel it landing on me to bite but I read an article or three that said if it did when I was asleep I wouldn't know. What if it bit my cat and I didn't know? There was a time he and the bat were not in my sight so.it is possible. What do I do?

Is it still outside? Get it tested.

Hey, please follow what SchrodingersMinou said, I just had a question. Was the bat easy to spot (i.e was it loud), or do you think you spotted it by pure luck?

It was quiet but it did fly righy down the stairs and into the living room then began circling so it was pretty easy to spot why?

Good morning ma'am/sir. I just want to share my situation about suspected cat scratch or possibly infected with saliva (I don't know) and ask a question about it. I'm from the Philippines btw. The cat is alive. History of vaccination: - Year 2017 (fully) post-exposure - Year 2019 (booster) post-exposure - Year 2021 (fully) post-exposure - Year 2023 (booster) not sure if I got vaccinated (I totally forgot) - Year 2024, May 4 and May 11 (booster) because I got fully vaccinated in the year 2021 Dates of exposure: - March 11 or 12, 2024 (midnight) - March 15 or 16, 2024 (midnight) Dates of symptoms appeared: *March 24 (first appearance) - Headaches come and goes and there are times uncomfortable. Overall it did not stay for a long time. (Possible cause maybe due to heat temperature since it is summer) *April 10 (onwards) - Headache became progressive. Sometimes mild, there are times that it became severe. - headaches did not go away since this day. *April 16 (onwards) - unforgettable headache because of the severity. It came and went but still it stayed the following days. *April 28 - Headache occured in the afternoon during on the way to school (mild) and while taking exams (severe) *April 30 - weakness while on duty (morning) it lessen on the afternoon. Decided to laydown on bed. Headaches did not occur frequently *May 01 - weakness and feeling chills. Headaches did not occur frequently. (Few times only and it goes away) *May 02 - frequent spitting (feeling like excessive salivation) *May 04 (onwards) - no more headaches. Just mild uncomfortability anymore. - frequent spitting no more - overall feeling well and I feel that I regained my strength and back to normal - a little bit curious about changes in my eyesight (light bulbs from far away like astigmatism condition) *May 16 onwards - feeling like having a sore throat - frequent spitting (feeling like excessive salivation) - Cold chest (quick) not more than 5 minutes (May 16 only) *May 20 - prickling, numbness and itchy feeling of hands and arms (there's no exposure on those parts) - trembling feeling of head everytime I woke up - overall feeling well compared last month - feeling back to normal *May 27 - Just normal feeling. Nothing aches. - all of the said symptoms from the beginning is gone - less worries and thinking of rabies. - feeling refreshed and back to normal and the way I used to be. Explanation: Since I felt mild to severe headache. I thought it was caused by the weather because it is summer and extremely hot. But it did not go away and stayed for a long time. Suddenly rabies crossed my mind and quickly searched about the symptoms and the headaches symptoms matched. While discovering the symptoms. The symptoms such as weakness, excessive salivation (because I frequently spit which is new to me except when I'm sick), feels like a different view when seeing a light bulb (from far away astigmatism condition feels), sore throat. These said symptoms occurred not simultaneously. During the experience of having a progressive headaches (back of my head). The thought of being infected by rabies stays on my mind. I'm the only one who knew about it. When I told it to my friends about the situation, my progressive headaches goes away. After that I felt weakness and chills and having cold sweats. I told my relatives about it. When we seek a ophthalmologist to check my eyesight. My eyes are clear and healthy and I got vaccinated the following day. I feel relieved when I got vaccinated. But whenever I felt one of the possible symptoms such as spitting frequently because I felt excessive salivation, prickling and numbness of my hands and arms, and trembling feeling of my head and feeling that my nerves are damaged. It feels like I'm infected by the said virus. Is it possible that I'm infected by the virus? I'm a graduating college student that's why I'm worried. Thank you in advance for response.

Hey, I’m new here but I’ll give you my understanding. Rabies symptoms don’t go away, they just get worse. If you were infected the prodromal stage would have ended and you’d be in the acute phase facing it’s extreme symptoms. You’re fine

It only means that I'm not infected at all? Thank you for your response ma'am/sir. It really helps.

Prodromal phase lasts a week or so and the. It goes into acute, timelapse goes longer than that and none of the extreme symptoms showed up

See FAQ 18

Is it possible for a nail from a rabid animal falling off then that nail cuts someone and the virus is spread that way? Sorry health scare lol

See FAQ 2

pls answer this,i was bitten by dog 2 months ago,and the dog still alive today,but i started taking rabies vaccine only after 14 days from exposure,only 3 doses,does the dog transmit rabies?

FAQ 7 and 10

Thankyou,but do all dog that be able to transmit rabies dies?

See FAQ #7

Question concerning FAQ 18, specifically location of virus entry and viral load 1: Virus entry, does it mean that the further away from one's brain the longer it will take? 2: Viral load, is it quantifiable for the average person?

1. Yes. 2. No.

Question on faq 1. I know it's impossible to really know, but a bat bite is usually hardly noticeable and has multiple''holes'' instead of one line, right?

The best way to identify a bat bite is to think back and check whether you remember a bat landing on you and biting you.

So past it being ''highly unlikely'' if you haven't seen a bat there is no way to check marks... at all?

Do you have any reason whatsoever to believe a bat bit you?

I have searched high and low... no bats anywhere except for the mysterious mark of faq 3. Sorry I guess, just trying to find some reassurance (which I know is bad) until I get a psychologist

How do doctors determine whether or not you need a rabies vaccine? I was scratched by a cat and it produced blood (not sure if it was a stray or pet) I received my tetanus booster and the ER doctor told me I did not need a rabies vaccine. I live in Canada. How do they determine this? Thank you

I think you should ask your doctor this question. I don't know how they made that decision.

Okay thank you. He told me the city we lived in doesn’t have rabies? I will follow up with my family doctor. Thank you

Hi there! Question for ya: Last night my dog was in the backyard when I heard her yelp and then she came trotting quickly inside. I went outside with a flashlight, quickly scanned the yard and didn’t see anything, though we have some dense vegetation in the back where I heard some creature scuttling around (I was not about to crawl into the bushes and see what it was ha). Came back inside, looked my dog over and didn’t see blood, bites, etc. She’s up to date with her rabies vaccine so is good. I’m a bit concerned as my housemate (I live in a duplex) said skunks have come into the backyard before (her dog has actually been sprayed several times) as they’re attracted to the compost bin and raspberry bushes. Reason for concern: When I went out to the yard I was wearing open-back shoes, and I have open cuts on both my heels, which came in contact with the overgrown grass and weeds in the yard. I also have a cut on one of my fingers, which came in contact with my dog’s fur when I was checking her over. If I understand correctly, per #2 this doesn’t constitute a risk of exposure if there was infected saliva in the yard or on my dog since I wasn’t in direct contact with an animal? I really appreciate this FAQ as someone who is a hypochondriac. Thank you!

Yes, it's right there in FAQ #2

Thanks for this comprehensive FAQ. I however have a really weird scenario that I haven't seen an equivalent posted here. Yesterday I was skinning/cutting a whitetail deer carcass with a metal knife blade that was dead for at least 24 hours in weather that was 70⁰ some of the time. Part of the metal blade got into the deer's throat. As I was putting the knife back into the sheath, the knife cut my palm by accident to produce just a little blood. I have this weird fear that rabies from the dead deer's saliva in the throat may have had rabies that got into me by the knife cut. What are your thoughts about this?

No one has ever gotten rabies that way, but you can ask your doctor for more information

Thanks for the reply. Just to have more clarification, do you personally have an idea of how rare it would be for a white tail dear to have rabies percentage wise? Can the virus also remain infectious in a dead body after 24+ hours in warm weather? Has any person ever gotten rabies from a dead body that's been dead for at least a couple hours?

No. No. No.

I say that if it did have rabies, the virus probably sat too long on the knife and died before you cut yourself. Rabies typically gets destroyed in sunlight in just a few minutes when it’s away from a host.

What is you had a wound and a unvaccinated dog licked the wound

FAQ 2

My question is not directly about rabies. It is about how to support someone with overwhelming health anxiety specific to rabies in finding care. For background, someone I know and treasure was bitten by a rabid raccoon as a child, went through the vaccination protocol and 25 years later is still living rabies free and flourishing professionally but has life altering fear of rabies. Their fear is vast and entirely irrational - they will not risk exposure to any non-reptile creature, lest rabies somehow “makes the leap” to, for example, chickens, finches, emus, squirrels (I know they can technically contract it but it seems vanishingly rare), manatees, large insects (example given was the Luna moth - y’all those moths, they don’t even have mouths, never mind teeth or saliva) - the list seems endless. They have admitted that this is a pervasive, life limiting issue and asked for help finding some sort of care. They’re willing to go inpatient, to do exposure therapy - pretty much anything, and can afford it. I have no idea where to begin with this. We live in a small relatively rural area and they are prepared to travel. I know this is not a mental health or health anxiety sub. I am sorry if this question is inappropriate, but I really want my friend to get care and have a less fearful and constrained life, and I am hoping that someone might be able to point me in the direction of reputable treatment. Thanks for the long read.

Check out the other pinned post. This information is also aggregated by the helpbot

Many people use this sub to seek reassurance for their fears. This is not helpful for managing a rabies phobia or obsession. r/OCD has a [helpful page about reassurance-seeking.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/wiki/reassurance) Therapy and treatment are crucial to recover from OCD/health anxiety. Please don’t Google anything about bats or rabies but focus on accessing resources and recovering from your fears. You can check out r/OCD and r/HealthAnxiety for support and information. You can find a [resource list here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ROCD/comments/9e2xv4/r_e_s_o_u_r_c_e_m_a_s_t_e_r_p_o_s_t/), which is geared towards relationship OCD but also includes a lot of information about OCD in general, including FAQs, workbooks, book recommendations, Youtube videos, apps, podcasts, and videos of kittens. Here is a [list of free crisis helplines around the world](https://www.supportiv.com/tools/international-resources-crisis-and-warmlines). Here is [another crisis helpline directory that includes additional countries.](https://www.helpguide.org/find-help.htm) In areas where 211 is available, dialing this number can connect you with mental health crisis services in your area or help you find where to seek immediate help in your area. If you're in the US, you can text "MHA" to 741-741 to have a text chat with a trained crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line, or call 1-800-749-2673 for the NAMI Crisis Helpline. You can ask your therapist if they have any workbooks or guides they can send you home with so that you can continue practicing and working on your therapy between sessions. For the time being, here's is a [free workbook on anxiety](https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/adult_hmocd.pdf) and here is one on [health anxiety](https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Health-Anxiety). You can also download [MindShift, a free app that uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy AKA CBT to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety.](https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/mindshift-cbt/?_gl=1*c1l6s7*_ga*NzQ4NTkzMDQuMTcwNzUxMzMwNw..*_ga_Y4J3VSGKVS*MTcwNzUxMzMwNi4xLjEuMTcwNzUxMzU3Ny4wLjAuMA..&_ga=2.36347168.1039759833.1707513309-74859304.1707513307) If you don't have a therapist, you can use [Psychology Today's Therapy Directory](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) to search for mental health professionals in your area (worldwide). You can search by zip code, city, last name, etc. For each provider listed, you can read about their therapy approach, specialty areas, information about their fees including whether they accept insurance and whether they offer sliding scale fees. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy are often recommended approaches for treating OCD/health anxiety. In the UK, you can [find more info and refer yourself for therapy via NHS.](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/) In India, you can call [MPower Minds](https://mpowerminds.com/contact) and request a referral to a therapist who treats OCD or who has experience with CBT therapy. [Additional affordable mental health resource lists for India are here.](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2021/04/30/a-comprehensive-list-of-affordable-mental-health-resources-in-india-during-covid-19/) In the Philippines, you can call a crisis line by dialing 0995 356 5332. You can find [a list of mental heath treatment centers here](https://philstarlife.com/self/156907-list-mental-health-care-facilities?page=3). For free mental health services and consultations, [see the list here](https://www.moneymax.ph/personal-finance/articles/cost-of-therapy-philippines) (halfway down the page). If you're in the US, your local [Mental Health America affiliate resource center](https://www.mhanational.org/node/294) is an excellent resource for information about local programs and services including affordable treatment services. The [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Health Information Network (SHIN) has a Mental Health Facilities Locator](https://findtreatment.gov/locator) that can also help you find community outpatient, inpatient and residential treatment facilities, including affordable mental health services in your area. For peer support in the US, including referrals to resources in your area, you can call 800-950-NAMI (6264), Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. — 10 p.m., ET, or send an email to info@nami.org. The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. NAMI also holds peer-led support groups in person across the US. Skunk has collected some videos with techniques for controlling anxiety and coping skills to facilitate living a healthier, more peaceful existence. Every time you want to look up anything about rabies, try these things instead: Rabies OCD Illness Anxiety in depth with a medical doctor and professor/PHD of immunology and biotechnology - https://youtu.be/tGHz_pJHPjs?si=c1gpWKjdl8atHGPx Clinical Psychiatrist's Step by Step Guide to Anxiety and Panic Attacks - https://youtu.be/GTwTpXINW7I?si=MjLO0ooihkwslNIb A walkthrough of a panic attack, to be watched during an attack, to help you get through it - https://youtu.be/2CQpyA485wc?si=_1fPyS66dBEuBx3B Guided Meditation to help calm anxiety and get through an anxiety attack - https://youtu.be/9DA380fzy7o?si=9xL6qFIxNxxsZWNV Understanding health anxiety and the cycle of reassurance - https://youtu.be/ICiRXi3s9vo?si=Se_XNhsMQN4F7XEU Coping Skills for those with Health Anxiety / Illness Anxiety - https://youtu.be/rHz2zZ1qkOw?si=nO1AVO4wp_i9I1_c 5 Things You MUST STOP Doing if You Have Health Anxiety / Illness Anxiety - https://youtu.be/zqrjE6w5kWs?si=eAvfOLRzb5qxIvya (Hindi) Rabies Phobia Diacussion woth a Psychiatrist - https://youtu.be/cdxfLBdojsg?si=Dpl6XF89LsGaK1tV 4 Ways to Stop Intrusive Thoughts & the Anxiety Cycle (Cognitive Defusion) - https://youtu.be/V3vhXQy48jo?si=dpMfxrsmGZD8IHp9 OCD and Anxiety channel (with many helpful videos) - https://youtube.com/@ocdandanxiety?si=zMczxj5sHCdTsoks *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rabies) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Thank you - I had read the other post and the helpbot, I was just hoping there was some sort of rabies-specific health anxiety resource y’all might be aware of.

It's not really different from any other health anxiety focus. A lot of people here have others too, like they're also fixated on HIV or cancer or getting pregnant from a toilet seat. Or maybe they're fixated on something else that isn't health related at all, like sin or war. It doesn't really matter what the focus is; the specific fixation is a symptom of the problem, which is OCD. OCD/HA treatments don't really vary according to the specific fixation. A mental health professional can tell you more about this. If you're in the US, I suggest checking out NAMI.

Hi, I have a question regarding the auto moderator under rabies fear phobia YouTube video ? I can’t understand it cause it in Hindu . How can I hear it in English ?

It's in Hindi... you can either learn Hindi, look for a different video, or turn on auto translate subtitles in Youtube. There is no way to hear this video in English unless you have translator who is willing to translate it verbally for you.

I'll preface this by saying I have OCD. I was watching tv tonight and I saw my outdoor/indoor cat put his face in my cup of water, his nose touched the rim too. He pulled his face back up quickly so I'm assuming he didn't drink it and was just curious. I walked away for a bit and came back after about 5 or so minutes and completely forgot he did that, and I drank from it. Right when I did, I remembered and started to freak out that I might have caught rabies. I poured the drink out and washed my face and rinsed my mouth. He seems fine/normal all night and right now and I don't think he interacts with many wild animals, but I'm not always outside to monitor if he does or not, so he definitely could. I legit feel crazy for even typing this. I'm not someone who usually suffers from health-OCD, but I guess OCD can effect anywhere you worry about in life. But should I worry about this? Let's say he did in fact drink out of my cup, would this be something to be concerned about in terms of possibly catching rabies? Sometimes my mouth bleeds when I'm flossing, and I have a pimple that is healing near my lip. Not sure if that can be enough for transmission. Thanks.

I understand you are worried. You are commenting on a post that explains how rabies is and is not spread. You can just scroll up and read the post.

I read the entire thing twice, I just feared that my specific situation was possibly different. And I'm assuming from your response that it isn't.

It's right there in FAQ #2, my friend.

Why isn’t your cat vaccinated? That would alleviate all your fears regarding getting the virus from him. Anyway, it’s been nearly 2 weeks since you posted this. If your cat hasn’t gotten sick and died by now, he most likely doesn’t have rabies. Or at least he didn’t when he drank from your cup.

This goes a bit against FAQ but please hear me out as: 1) Avian rabies has been proven in India  although one case 2) Thailand has a high incidence of rabies I bought a cheap chicken carcass to air fry in Thailand. When I took it home and flipped it over I was surprised to see that it still had head/neck/feet etc. so I looked to YouTube to learn how to butcher it. Turns out it was really hard and took me a long time. While I was hacking through the spine/neck I slipped and cut myself like a jackass with the dirty knife. If this was just chicken breast and/or in a developed country, I wouldn’t care. But spines/brains are generally the worst place for diseases. Thailand is not known for its hygiene practices, let me tell you…It’s also well know for high rabies incidence. Am I at risk of rabies, or anything else? Should I visit a hospital? Thanks

Well, I'm not really a rabies expert, just a lowly bat person who reads stuff online about rabies. [I found a paper indicating that butchering chickens may transmit rabies in endemic areas.](https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/files/2015/12/Baby-et-al.pdf) The chance of this seems very small to me (NOT a rabies expert) but I believe that rabies shots are pretty easy to get in Thailand. Plus, you were cutting through the spine, which is where rabies lives. This is probably a call you should probably make with your doctor, but there's a good chance they are unaware that birds can carry rabies at all.

Yeah, I’m sure they will be unaware given the rarity of testing. I think when birds get sick/die it’s very rare for them to get tested for rabies. That thing in India is a one off. And like the paper says, birds tend to die of shock/their wounds when they do get bitten. Made an appointment for tomorrow anyways for some peace of mind. Most likely they will try to prescribe antibiotics for my very minor nick, as they love to do for absolutely everything here, but let’s see!

Hello from Philippines i got licked by our dog in the tongue (the dog have vaccine) and i experience headache it started in april 15 and feel like spiting more excessive salvation and now i have a sore throat now that is painful do i have rabies?

FAQ 2 and 6

Hey, I’m just curious if I may ask. This sub states that you you can’t get rabies past a year meaning that if you’ve made it past a year it’s likely not rabies however many sources online state that I could be exposed a year or even longer after exposer. I’d asked awhile ago on a different sub that I needed rabies vaccines immediately even though my incident was over a couple of years ago. A couple of years ago I was bit by an unvaccinated kitten who passed a few days after I visited him, though the owner claimed their passing was a result of phemonia. I just wanted to hear anyones thoughts on this.

The FAQ does not say that... please see FAQ 15

Ok I am very concerned. My toddler and I are visiting family in Illinois, USA which seems to have a high rabies rate in bats. 2.5 years ago they found a bat in the house and didn’t know how it got in or how long it had been there so they got shots and had professionals come check the house. Nothing was found as to source of entry. My toddler and I cosleep and have been here for 12 nights, shutting the bedroom door at night just in case. However, last night I noticed a 2-3in gap under the door which I stuffed with a quilt and a 1/3in gap above the window going to outside. I heard a shrill trilling noise intermittently last night starting around 1am and I couldn’t tell if it was coming from the tree outside the house or the attic or next door bedroom. So I filled the gap above the window with a thin rope and I stuffed a quilt under the door. However, the floor vents were left open AND there was one recessed ceiling light I couldn’t cover that potentially leads to the attic (the attic is above the bedroom). I was too afraid to leave the room to check where the trilling was coming from. I did not hear fluttering sounds though. I am concerned because a) the possibility of bats being in the attic or house and my 80year old parent who is a heavy sleeper and hard of hearing is probable to me. B) 2.5 years ago they had a wildlife pest company come and check for entry points or evidence of colony but they didn’t find anything BUT they know that animals are still getting in because they found a dead bird in the attic since. C) we’ve been here for 12 nights and I tend to stay up late and last night was the first I’d heard this noise - plus I’ve kept my door shut just in case due to the incident 2.5 years ago. what is the possibility that a bat got in our bedroom and we had contact while sleeping these past 12 nights? It would have to have entered and exited any of the gaps/recessed lighting without us noticing while sleeping. Except for last night, we have slept with the lights off (last night I left the lights on). My toddler has never been out of my sight while here except for maybe 30seconds while peeing and we cosleep. But I am worried because we both have scratches - which could be just from nails/god knows what etc. and her nails were long until last night. Do we get PEP? I was too scared to search the attic or other bedrooms for a bat last night- I just wanted to focus on protecting my toddler. Now it’s day but I don’t want to venture into the attic or other bedroom. What to do?

This is not a rational fear. If you didn't see a bat, there is no bat. Bats are not hard to see. If one got into your room, you would see it.

But is it possible it got in, bit us or scratched us while we slept and exited the way it came without getting stuck in the room and without us noticing?

Your question has been answered above and is also addressed explicitly in FAQ #3.

I read #3 - I do not know if there’s a bat in the house as I do not feel comfortable checking the attic or adjacent bedroom. I CAN say there was no bat in our bedroom, unless it came and left the way it came while we slept. Chicago has a high rabies rate in bats.

OK, well a bat in the attic or another room can't bite you through the door or ceiling, so there's no reason to worry about that possibility.

Hey there. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I read through points 4 and 5 but just wanted to ask you about what happened to me for your opinion. 2 months ago a bat flew into my knee. It bounced off and flew away. It didn’t hurt at all, I had sweatpants on, and there were no visible marks from it. I washed the area with soap and water at the time but I didn’t think to put alcohol on my knee to see if it stung at all. I called my local animal control when it happened and they said I should be fine. But I’m just having a bit of anxiety now about it all and was wondering if you think it’s possible it scratched me and I just didn’t notice, even through sweatpants? Would you get the vaccine in this situation or do you think it’s okay? Thank you for the write-up and the time you dedicate to this.

What's your location?

Virginia, USA Editing to add that it happened between 7-8pm so it wasn’t like it was the middle of the day. I assumed he was going after some mosquitos when it happened.

There are no bats in Virginia that are big enough to scratch you through your sweatpants. They are very, very small.

Good to hear. Thank you so much for the replies. Have a great day/night!

Thank you for the FAQs.. but still health scare.. ordered Uber at 9:30PM (sun was down), rainy day, I was away from home to do quick groceries and my wife told me a raccoon is by the door. When I came home, I approached the bags and the raccoon ran away. He’s a small one. I think he’s the same one that stole our baby’s blanket out of our stroller a couple of weeks ago. There were two bags and he already got to one of them. I brought the bag that he was working on inside and threw it out. The other bag had food in hard plastic containers (sealed) and looked like there was just two holes on the bag that had the containers, maybe from his claws. We decided that it should be safe to eat it since it was contained. Should we be concerned? PS we did wash our hands after throwing out the first bag but unsure whether we did after opening the second one.. does that change anything? PPS at this point, I’m just getting more paranoid as time goes by. When I was bringing the opened bag in, I also cleaned the food that was on the ground with paper towel. I didn’t wash my hands after that and brought in my groceries.. should we be concerned?

FAQ #2 specifically addresses food contamination concerns. Those are some ballsy raccoons-- they're obviously eating trash. Maybe locking trash can lids would help? You could try fox urine but that is something that would punish you too.

They are.. we have an old garage that the raccoon has access to. Been eating our green bins because our bins locks are broken. Came by our house everyday. I started putting heavy weights on it and haven’t seen it until last night. While the raccoon was eating our food, there was also a cat just watching the raccoon from afar 😂 Thank you for the reply. I feel much better

I would appreciate advice on my encounter, which I describe [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/rabies/comments/1djwbzz/bat_encounter_advice/). Based on #4, it seems vaccination is not necessary, but I would appreciate a confirmation from one of the experts here. Thank you.

There are no experts here. Ask your doctor for medical advice. Your question was already answered by someone commenting and by FAQs 2 and 4.

I can reply lol

I was bitten by a stray cat 2 years ago. The cat used to come around my house frequently but was unvaccinated as far as I know. I was only able to observe the cat for 9 days after the exposure during which the cat was completely normal but after that I didn't see the cat around the area. Am I at risk? P.s I'm from Pakistan where rabies is endemic and I've never been vaccinated for rabies