Is it legal to own a pet bat in Michigan and if so where would one go to buy one?

Good question! Well, the answer is a bit tricky. You can have a bat "sanctuary", and care for a sick or injured bat, but I don't see any place that says you can have one for a pet. (This doesn't necessarily mean that you can't, however.)

To find out how to qualify for "bat sanctuary" status (e.g. for one or two bats), you could call Bat Conservation of Michigan at (517) 393-2787. Or you could call the Miller Animal Clinic on 6515 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48911, (517) 321-6406. The Miller Animal Clinic has a small colony of E. fuscus (big brown bats), as well as a couple of E. aegyptiacus (Egyptian fruit bats).