Firstly, make certain that the animal is truly an orphan.

Handling an animal will not prevent the mother from accepting it.

Never feed a cold animal, it can kill them.

All baby animals and birds need extra warmth.

Use gloves or a soft cloth to catch the animal/bird.

Any bird or animal that has been in a cat or dogs mouth should be checked by a rehabilitator, as it may have injuries that are internal and not obvious.

Have You Found a Baby Bird?

 Fledglings

Fledglings are older baby birds who are starting to leave the nest and learning to fly. They wind up on the ground and don't have the capability yet to get back up into a tree. Fledglings can usually "flutter_fly" and hide in bushes and ground cover until they can fly. If conditions are suited to their survival (there is ground cover, bushes, or other places to hide, and there are no obvious predators such as cats, dogs, or curious children in the area) the bird should be watched to make sure the parent bird is nearby. Parent birds do the best job of raising their offspring so it is desirable to keep the feathered families together if at all possible. However, fledglings that are injured, orphaned, or in obvious danger from predators need to be rescued.

If you have to rescue a baby bird keep him quiet, and keep him warm.

Pick up the baby bird using gloves and  a soft cloth. Gently place a clean, lightweight cloth over him, and catch him while he's covered. Prepare a small container (such as a shoe box) with a heat source and some soft, absorbent material, such as paper towels or newspaper, or clean cloths. The younger the bird, the more important it is to keep him warm. Featherless and down covered babies need an external source of heat such as a heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water. A temporary, disposable heating pad can be made by putting one cup of dry rice or beans in a plastic bag, and micro waving it for one minute. Cover the bag with cloth or several layers of paper and nestle the baby bird into the softness. Reduce the bird's stress by keeping the box still, quiet, and dark. Do not try to feed the baby bird, even though he may be demanding to be fed. 

Ducklings      

A female duck lays one egg a day (4 to 24 eggs) and cleverly waits to sit on them until after she has finished laying. This way all the eggs will be incubated at the same time and hatch within a 24 hour period. Hatching is a stressful ordeal for a new little duckling, and time is needed afterwards to dry off and regain strength. By the time the last ducklings hatch, their older siblings are active and anxious to find water. Ducklings that hatch last may not have enough time to recover; they may not keep up with the family and eventually fall behind. Sometimes ducklings stray from the group and get lost. A mother duck may also abandon eggs that are slow to hatch, concentrating instead on getting active ducklings to food, water, and safety. If abandoned eggs hatch after she leaves the nest, the ducklings are left to fend for themselves. If you're able to catch a lone, dry duckling, with duck families nearby, walk around the area, including the shores of lakes or streams with the duckling cupped securely in your hands. Let him peep loudly. Only his mother will respond to his cries, and she should respond in a frantic, angry manner. Never put lost ducklings back into the water unless you're confident you've located his particular family; he is not likely to survive without his mother, and another mother duck will reject him. If you find a wet duckling, or find an abandoned duckling with no duck families in the area, it is not likely to survive on its own and it must be rescued. Occasionally an entire brood of ducklings will require rescue. The mother duck may have been killed by male ducks, or by a car while leading the newly hatched ducklings across a street toward water. She may become frightened and abandon her ducklings which have hatched in a yard with a swimming pool, when she realizes she cannot get them out of the yard. In these cases, the ducklings must be rescued.

Have You Found a Baby Animal?

Often parents will leave their young to look for food, so you must be sure that you are not kidnapping a baby animal.

Squirrels:

 If you think the squirrel has fallen from a nest, try placing it back as near to the nest as you can.

If it is cold, wet or injured it needs help.

Orphaned squirrels will often approach people and other animals such as dogs. They are seeking warmth and food. They may even try to climb up onto your clothing. These squirrels need to be rescued.

All baby animals need to be warm, so place them in a small box with a towel and add  some form of heat. A heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water. A temporary, disposable heating pad can be made by putting one cup of dry rice or beans in a plastic bag, and micro waving it for one minute. Cover the bag with cloth or several layers of paper and nestle the baby squirrel  into the softness.

Never feed a cold animal. Call for help before attempting to feed the squirrel.

Raccoons:

Young raccoon kits do not leave the nest when their eyes are closed. If your find a kit whose eyes are closed it probably needs to be rescued unless it has been recently dropped by its mother while transferring it. If  it is warm you can leave it in a safe place in a warm box where no predatory cat or dog can find it for a few hours.

If it is cold, wet or injured it needs help.

All baby animals need to be warm, so place them in a small box with a towel and add  some form of heat. A heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water. A temporary, disposable heating pad can be made by putting one cup of dry rice or beans in a plastic bag, and micro waving it for one minute. Cover the bag with cloth or several layers of paper and nestle the kit into the softness.

Older raccoons often get separated from their parents when they are out for a nighttime walk. These young kits are warm healthy and well fed. They can be left out in a box that is too deep for them to climb out of, for a few hours and their mother will pick it up on the next round. Do not feed the kit, it needs to be hungry to call its mother. Make sure the location of the box is a safe place, part way up a tree or somewhere where a predator can not get to it. Monitor the situation but keep out of sight.

Fawns:

Deer hide their fawns in a safe place and go off to eat. They come back roughly every 4 hours to feed the fawn.

If you find a fawn on its own, look closely. If the fawn is injured, cold, crying continuously, covered with flies  it needs rescuing. If it is curled up quietly leave immediately. Check back in 4-8 hours to assess the situation. The mother will know you have been there and should move the fawn.

Leave a site quickly, fawns can follow you if you move slowly.

Never feed a cold fawn.  NEVER GIVE IT COW'S MILK OF ANY KIND.   COW'S MILK KILLS!     Call for help  if in any doubt.

Rabbits:

Female Rabbits only feed their young twice or three times a day. Other than that they stay away from the nest to keep predators away. If you find a nest and the bunnies are warm, the mother will come back when you leave. Try not to disturb the nest. If it has been disturbed arrange it as it was before.

If it is cold, wet or injured it needs help.

All baby animals need to be warm, so place them in a small box with a towel and add  some form of heat. A heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water. A temporary, disposable heating pad can be made by putting one cup of dry rice or beans in a plastic bag, and micro waving it for one minute. Cover the bag with cloth or several layers of paper and nestle the rabbit into the softness.

To check if the mother is coming back you can place pieces of yarn or string in a criss-cross across the nest so that the mother must move them aside to enter. By bunnies are  always warm if they are being fed.

Baby rabbits are weaned when they are about 120g or 4 ounces, very small, but they are on their own. If it is warm and active it probably does not need rescuing.

Bats

Never handle a bat without gloves or a soft cloth. You can scoot it into a box without touching it.

They can escape from very small gaps, so seal the box, or put it in a bag and tie the open end.

If it is cold, wet or injured it needs help.

All  animals need to be warm, so place it in a small box with a towel and add  some form of heat. A heating pad set on low or a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water. A temporary, disposable heating pad can be made by putting one cup of dry rice or beans in a plastic bag, and micro waving it for one minute. Cover the bag with cloth or several layers of paper and nestle the bat into the softness.

                                 INJURED WILDLIFE

                                                                           WILDLIFE RESCUE

— Mammals have sharp teeth and may bite. Mammals may also carry infectious diseases such as rabies, so use     heavy gloves  to protect yourself. Contact the rehabilitator for capturing instructions.