Bat Removal Pasadena, TX

Pasadena contacts

• Pasadena Animal Control & Adoptions: 5160 Burke Road, 713-848-5340 for animal control and the shelter. The old 281-991-0602 number has been replaced. Adoptions are at 713-848-5362.
• After hours: animal control officers work weekdays. For an after-hours emergency such as a serious bite, the city directs residents to the Pasadena Police Department.
• Mayor's Action Line: 713-475-5555, for non-emergency city service questions.
• Harris County Public Health: (832) 927-7655, for rabies exposure questions in the county.

Harris County bat testing

DSHS's 2024 county summary shows 287 Harris County bats with a result, and 21 were positive. That's more than seven positive bats for every 100 tested. If a bat touched a person or pet, or turned up in a bedroom with someone asleep, contain it instead of letting it go so it can be tested.

Bats around Houston

Pasadena is next to one of Texas's largest urban bat colonies. Texas Highways estimates up to 250,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats under the Waugh Drive Bridge over Buffalo Bayou in Houston. Free-tailed bats from colonies like this also move into buildings, Texas Tech notes that Seminole bats, which roost in Spanish moss, range west into Texas, and evening bats are common in the eastern part of the state.

Pasadena housing

About 58% of Pasadena's 51,693 housing units were built before 1980, and only about 8% in 2010 or later. The median year built is 1976. About 28% of units are in buildings with 10 or more units. In older apartment complexes, bats get in at flat-roof parapets, gaps in the wood siding at stair towers, and long continuous soffits. In houses, they get in at aging fascia, roof returns and gable vents.

Timing

At Houston Hobby Airport, about 8 miles away, average lows stay at 50°F or warmer from February through November. TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15, so the main windows are mid-August through November and February through April.

Pasadena housing and climate snapshot (Houston Hobby Airport climate)

• Housing units: 51,693 (median year built 1976)
• Built before 1980: 58%; built 2010 or later: 8%
• Single-family detached: 55%; buildings with 10+ units: 28%
• Renter-occupied homes: 46%
• Average January low: 46°F; average August high: 94°F
• Months with an average low of 50°F or warmer: Feb–Nov

Housing figures: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003) via Census Reporter. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Houston William P Hobby Ap station.

Common questions

Nearby city guides

• Houston
• Deer Park
• South Houston
• La Porte
• Pearland

Sources

1. City of Pasadena: Animal Control & Adoptions
2. City of Pasadena: Animal Control staff directory
3. Texas DSHS: Harris County disease reporting contacts
4. Texas DSHS: 2024 rabies summary by county (PDF)
5. Texas Highways: top bat-viewing spots
6. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): Brazilian free-tailed bat
7. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): evening bat
8. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): Seminole bat
9. TPWD Outdoor Annual: nongame and other species (bats)
10. Texas DSHS: bat exposure scenarios and capture tips
11. CDC: preventing rabies from bats
12. Census Reporter: Pasadena ACS 2024 profile
13. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals (Houston William P Hobby Ap)