SHOULD I RESCUE THAT WILD BABY? by Mary Anna Cook-Babcock

The first thing you should do is observe the baby from as far away as possible. Keep children and pets completely away. Sit quietly and just watch, listen, smell, use all your senses, including your common sense, to make a decision.

Are the eyes closed? There is a difference between eyes closed in sleep and eyes “glued” shut as most babies are at birth and for a period of time after they are born. The ears may also be “glued” shut but the ears open before the eyes as a general thing.

If the eyes, and maybe the ears, are “glued” shut the animal is too young to be out of the nest. There is something wrong in some way. You need to do something.

Keep watching.

Are there ants, flies, other insects around or on the baby? If so the baby needs help.

Keep watching.

Is there blood visible? Are all the body parts where they should be? Are legs or the head at the wrong angle? Are there open wounds? If so the baby needs help.

Eyes closed babies that are out of the nest, injured babies, and babies not moving are cold, in shock, and will die without help.

What can you do without making the situation worse?

Use a small towel to pick up the baby and move it inside.

Never leave an orphaned or injured baby outside.

Do not leave the baby in a garage or shed.

These little ones need special care from you before they get to a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Once inside you can prepare a box just a little larger than the baby. You can use any kind of container that can be secured with a lid. Even babies can get out of most containers unless a lid is in place. Put into the box some bedding. You need enough bedding for sleeping on and snuggling under. Most wildlife babies need to snuggle into their bedding to feel safe and comfortable. It is best to leave the towel at this point and use bedding material that does not have loops, like towels do, or holes, or snags. Tee shirts are good bedding. Sheets, pillow cases, fleece, baby blankets and diapers, sweat shirt material, all make good bedding. These are all made of closely woven fabric in which little toenails cannot get caught.

Sometimes the nest in which the baby originally lived is found. It is tempting to use this material to give the baby a sense of place. This is not a good idea because often the nest material contains unwanted animal life that you don’t want around the baby, around you, or in your house. These include fleas, mites, ticks, and a host of other insects and parasites.

It is best to use the warm bedding you supply for the baby.

The next thing you need to do is supply this baby with warmth.

It doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside you still need to warm the baby.

Eyes closed babies cannot regulate their body temperature. All their body heat must come from other sources.

Injured babies are in shock and warmth fights shock.

All wildlife, babies and adults, when captured by humans, suffer from stress

Stress is the number one cause of death in rescued wildlife.

There are a number of ways to provide warmth for a baby.

Place a heating pad turned to low and covered with a towel under half the container.

Fill a sock with regular rice, dry peas or beans, or gravel or small rocks. Place the filled sock into the microwave for about 2 minutes, watching carefully so the contents don’t burn. Wrap the sock in fabric like you used for bedding. Place the wrapped, warm sock into the container. The baby will lay next to, on top of, or under the warm sock to get warm.

Use a larger rock or a brick. Put it in the oven or pan of boiling water to heat. When your rock or brick is warm, remove it from the over or water. Then wrap the rock or brick in fabric like you used for bedding, Place the warm rock or brick into the container. The baby will lay next to or on top of this warm sock.

You can warm a chemical hand or foot heat pack according to directions. Wrap the hand or foot warmer in fabric like you used for bedding. Place the warm pack into the container. The baby will lay next to, on top of, or under the warm pack.

There are warm packs made for the neck and other body parts. One name is Bed Buddy. Usually these are filled with grain or herbs. Warm one of these according to directions. Wrap the Buddy in fabric like you used for bedding. Place the warm Buddy into the container. The baby will lay next to, on top of, or under the Buddy to keep warm.

Be sure the container is secure and the baby cannot accidentally get out.

Now leave the room.

Close the door.

Keep all children and pets away from the room.

Let the baby have some peace and quiet and rest from its trauma of being rescued while you call a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Do not give the baby ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK.

This will do more harm than good.

To give the baby anything to eat or drink can even kill the baby.

The Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator will make sure the baby is completely warm inside and out.

Then the Rehabber will rehydrate the baby according to a mathmatical formula for the length of time designated in the formula.

The Rehabber will use medically approved rehydration fluids in specified amounts for specific times.

Only then will the Rehabber provide food ordered from companies that produce formulas which meet the specific nutritional requirement of wildlife babies.

There is nothing you can buy in the pet store that meets the needs of wildlife.

Some other things you need to know:

Birds make nests in trees, in cavities, in chimneys (think Chimney Swift), in flower pots, against walls in mud nests, on the ground, on rocks with no nest present, and all kinds of other places.

Birds sit on the eggs to keep them warm until the baby birds hatch.

Many birds sit on the babies to keep them warm when the parents are not out finding food for themselves and their young.

Mammal moms usually do not stay with the nest except for certain periods of time. They do not sit on their babies. This is especially true of bunnies.

Tree squirrels, Grey squirrels, Fox squirrels, Flying squirrels, Chickerees, and all the others live in trees.
If their babies are found on the ground they can sometimes be reunited with their moms. A Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator can help you decide how to do this.

Ground squirrels live under the ground and their nests for their babies are underground. Babies found above ground cannot be reunited with their moms and need to be taken to a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator. e i

Tree squirrel babies and Ground squirrel babies found on the ground need help.

Fawns are left in what the mom deer considers a safe place most of the day. The fawn stays where it is put no matter what. Do not pick up a fawn because this is kidnapping. Mom is nearby.

Any bird or mammal that has been in the mouth of a dog or cat needs immediate medical attention from a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator. You may not see a wound. This does not matter. The damage is there even if it can’t be seen.

Relocating babies to what humans consider a more desirable place always ends in tragedy for the baby.

Baby mammals sometimes cry when left because something has happened to mom. You can hear them crying. Often the cry sounds more like a bird than a mammal. You will need to follow the sound and try to rescue the babies. This is often difficult. A Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator can help with this problem.

People can acquire zoonotic diseases from wildlife. These are diseases that can be transferred from animals to people.

People can also transfer diseases to wildlife. So can your pets.

Please wash your hands before and after handling wildlife. Do not allow your pets around wildlife .

If you have cats please protect them from death and disease by keeping them indoors.
American Bird Conservancy http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html
has good materials concerning cats and their devastation of our native wildlife.

—
Mary Anna Cook-Babcock
Naturalist
Wildlife Rehabilitation Consultant
Phoenix, AZ