I flipped a bat over with my index finger to see whether it was alive or not and after poking it with my finger it flew off. some friends are telling me i can get rabies from this and i was wondering if that was actually true or not as it didnt bite.

No: Touching a bat without any bite or even scratch will not result in Rabies. Rabies is transmitted only in the saliva of an infected Bat, not in its guano, blood or urine.Only 1-3 people are bitten and contract Rabies per year in the US. All of these had a documented bites or scratches. You are much more likely to catch rabies from a fox or raccoon. but again, it has to scratch or bite you.