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Contact the Wildlife Rescue Center immediately if:
- The baby animal is obviously injured.
- The mother is known to be dead.
- There are green flies buzzing around the baby and/or there are what appear to be flecks of oatmeal in the baby's fur (especially around the eyes, ears, mouth, armpits, anus). These are fly egg packets and will hatch in hours to maggots that will begin to feed on the baby. If maggots are already present, every effort should be made to get the baby to the WRC as soon as possible.
If the baby has suffered no injuries and the mother's whereabouts are
unknown ...
- Make sure that the baby is really orphaned and needs help
.
This is very important. Many of the calls Frisky’s receives are
from people who have found an "abandoned" baby animal in
their yard. Most wild animals do not abandon their young. Here are
some facts about some wild babies:
- Fawns:
- Just because the baby is alone doesn’t automatically mean it
is abandoned.
Keep an eye out for the mother, she won’t
come back if she feels threatened by your proximity or if dogs or
other threats are near.
- Fawns are born April through July;
- From birth fawns are left alone while the mother forages;
- Does are very careful to keep their fawns from predators, when
foraging they leave their offspring in dense vegetation. They also
stay away so that they do not attract predators to the fawn.
- The mothers return every four to twelve hours to feed the baby
– especially from dusk to dawn.
- While the mother is gone the fawns lay flat on the ground,
usually with their necks outstretched, so they are better
camouflaged.
- If the fawn is accidentally moved, return it to the same spot or
as close to that spot as possible.
- It is not true that the mother will refuse to take it
back if a person touches it. However, a fawn stresses very easily,
and can die from stress, so it is best to avoid touching it if at
all possible.
- If you must touch it, cover its head with a towel or rag to
block its view so it won’t panic.
- If the fawn is injured, flies are buzzing around it, or it is
crying and thin – it may need help.
- It is important to get the fawn to a wild life rehabilitator for
care. Until you can these are the things you can do:
- Keep the fawn in a quiet, dark area to reduce stress. Remember
fawns can die from too much stress.
- If it is cold, place a heating pad, set on low, under
some bedding. Give the fawn an area where it can move off the
heating pad if it gets too warm.
- Do not feed it milk or baby formula, they are lactose
intolerant. Pedialyte or Gatorade in small amounts may be
offered to re-hydrate it if it appears to be dehydrated. If
possible, it is better to wait until you take it to someone that
is trained to care for it. The sooner it has proper care the
better.
- Wipe away any fly eggs from face or wounds – these look like
small particles of rice.
- Nestling or fledgling - If it is uninjured and if possible it
can be left where it is or returned for its parents to care for.
It is NOT TRUE that the mother won’t come back if the
baby has been touched. (Song birds have a very poor sense of
smell and will not know it has been touched).
- Catching and handling – A sheet or towel dropped on them,
keep head covered to reduce stress. Keep them warm.
- Mother rabbits do not stay "on" the nest, they nurse
their babies about 5 minutes a day, usually in early morning,
evening, or middle of the night.
- If nest has been disturbed it is better to return babies to
the nest. If necessary try to remake the nest. You will know if
the mother is coming back if the babies are warm and hydrated 24
hours later. If they are cold and dehydrated, if their stomach
are sunken, they need to go to a rehabilitator.
- To test for dehydration gently pinch loose skin at the back of
the neck. If it stays up (tents) or does not spring back in
about a second, the bunny is dehydrated.
- Also if you stroke the genital area and the urine is brown and
gritty, the mother has not been helping the baby to urinate. The
brown, gritty urine is toxic.
- Older babies outside the nest may not be orphaned. They are
weaned at 3 - 4 weeks and spend a lot of time outside the nest
only returning to sleep. They are still very small, and stay as
a family group until about four or five weeks.
- For an older bunny perform the dehydration test, look for
signs of illness or injury. If there is no problem leave it be.
- Mother rabbits will not desert their babies even if they have
been handled. If you return the babies within about 40 feet of
the original nest, the mother will find them.
- Baby rabbits can and do die from stress. They should not be
handled or taken from the nest unless there is a very compelling
reason – you know the mother is dead or a dog or cat is
actively threatening them.
- If a baby needs help, try to handle it as little as possible.
Handling stresses all wild babies, but most especially baby
rabbits.
- Put the baby in a box or carrier with leaves, grass, rags,
shredded towels or some type of bedding that it can settle down
in. Place the container on a towel with a heating pad under it
set to Low.
- Keep pets and children away from it. Human contact should be
kept to a minimum to keep stress low. Keep it in a very quiet
place. Remember the little one is already stressed from losing
its mom.
- Do not feed it. Little wild animals need special formulas.
Many are lactose intolerant and milk can do more harm than good.
If it is dehydrated and it will not be gotten to a rehabilitator
quickly a little pedialyte or Gatorade may be given.
- Contact Frisky’s or another wildlife rehabilitator or
wildlife vet right away. It is important that the little one
receive the appropriate care as soon as possible.
Remember it is a good deed to help an orphaned or injured wild
animal, but it takes special training to give each one the care that
is appropriate to their type, age, and overall condition. Wild babies,
like human babies need around-the-clock care, special food and
formulas, and the proper habitat to survive. In addition, it is
against the law to keep wild or exotic animals as pets. The sooner the
baby has the right care, the greater its chances of survival. Do the
right thing and contact a wildlife rehabilitator or a wildlife vet as
quickly as possible.
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