#kedreevas psas
fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:
This is the time of year when wildlife rehabilitation facilities get filled up with “orphaned” babies brought in by well-meaning citizens. While plenty of these babies truly are orphans and need the care of a licensed rehabber to survive, there are also unfortunately plenty of babies brought in that were mistakenly thought to be abandoned. So, what do you do if you see a baby animal by itself? Information provided based on recommendations of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota:
–Squirrels: Female squirrels move babies between nest sites, and during this process babies may be visible outside their nest or even at the base of a tree. If you see baby squirrels outside of a nest, leave them undisturbed and keep your pets contained. Keep an eye on them for a few hours–it may take her a while! If she doesn’t return for them by the next day, then it’s time to call your local rehabber. If you disturb a nest, as is common when trimming branches this time of year, leave them be as long as they are not injured. Again, if they are still alone the next day, take them in.
–Bunnies: If you find a nest, try and keep your pet contained and the area undisturbed for a few weeks while the bunnies grow. You likely will not see mom! You can monitor the nest if you’re concerned, you will quickly see a decline in the health of the babies if mom is not returning to nurse them. If your pet disturbs a nest, bring any injured babies to your local rehab center but leave the uninjured animals alone.
–Ducklings/goslings: Mom should lead the babies to the nearest body of water within a day or two of hatching. Do not try and move mom and all her babies as you will likely just end up stressing and potentially scattering them. If a baby is left behind, you can gently capture them and keep them in a warm, quiet place until you can take them to a rehabber. Be very gentle with ducklings and goslings, and do not handle them more than necessary! These babies are very easily stressed. Unhatched eggs should be left undisturbed–they are federally protected.
–Birds: It is a myth that handling a baby bird will prevent the parents from taking care of it. If you find a featherless bird or a bird with fluffy down feathers, you can gently put it back in the nest. If the same bird keeps getting pushed out of the nest, you should bring it to a rehabber as they may be something wrong with it. If the entire nest has fallen, try and put it back in the same place you found it. If you can’t put it right back where it was, keep it within 5 feet of the original location to ensure the parents continue to care for them. Fledgling birds will spend a significant amount of time on the ground as their immature wings develop. They flutter around, but they can’t really fly yet. Parents will still feed fledglings, so you can keep an eye on a grounded bird to see if adult birds are still in the area caring for them.
–In general: If you find a baby animal alone, leave it be and monitor it to see if mom comes back. Keep your pets away from the area, and don’t try to handle the baby unless absolutely necessary as this can result in you stressing out or hurting the animal. If mom doesn’t come back after several hours, you can take them in to a LICENSED REHABBER. Many rehabilitation facilities want you to call before bringing in an orphaned animal to ensure that they are truly orphaned. Do NOT bring the animal into your house to raise! Most people do not have the time or knowledge to raise orphaned wildlife, and by hand raising them, you habituate them to humans and prevent them from having a chance to be released. Also, it’s illegal. If the animal is injured, it is ok to take them to your local rehabber right away! When in doubt, call your local wildlife rehabilitation facility. They can give you more information about specific species and situations. If you really can’t find a wildlife rehabilitator or the animal is in need of immediate medical attention, you can take it to a vet clinic. Veterinarians can provide lifesaving care or humane euthanasia for an injured animal, before getting them to a rehabber.
An added note that if the weather is bad (cold temperatures, raining, etc.) and there’s a baby down that you’re worried about leaving too long, call your local rehab for advice on how long to wait & when to step in. Naked babies can get cold quickly when it’s cool outside, so your rehabber might want them brought in sooner than waiting overnight like you could with a slightly older baby that’s furred/feathered. I know my rehab sometimes instructed people to go ahead & bring in small babies right away rather than leave them to die from exposure.
Also if you don’t mind me adding an extra animal….
- Fawns! We would get people calling a LOT about fawns found alone (Michigan-based rehab, loooots of deer around). Mom often leaves the fawn on their own while she gets food. She’ll tell baby to stay put & stay quiet, so they’re less likely to be found by predators. You do NOT want to take a baby fawn away from their location if they are laying down & staying quiet. They’re doing what they’re supposed to! Signs that a fawn need help include: obvious injuries; walking around alone with no mom in sight, especially if they’re also calling out & making a lot of noise; if they have a dent in their forehead (indicates dehydration); if they’re near a dead adult female & show obvious reluctance to leave her. Deer take a ton of work to rehab & there are added restrictions in some states (at least in Michigan for sure) due to diseases like chronic wasting disease, so please make sure you’re not kidnapping a healthy fawn that’s just waiting for Mom to come back.
Reblogging for the added commentary on fawns!
Hey this is EXTRA IMPORTANT this year because we have some nasty diseases in our wildlife populations! Please PLEASE make an effort to leave baby animals alone unless they are truly injured or abandoned, because a lot of rehab centers are either at lower capacity or cannot take certain species. This primarily concerns rabbits, which are affected by rabbit hemorrhagic disease, and certain birds. In my area, the local rehab center is not taking waterfowl or raptors due to the concern for high path avian influenza. And even for those of us that are still taking these animals, we are limited too because we don’t have anywhere to send them. We are already struggling to find a place for healthy waterfowl “orphans”, because the local rehab center isn’t taking them right now. Plus we have to hold on to these patients so much longer, which limits space for other animals. Do not bring us animals that don’t need to be rehabilitated!
