Baby animals may not need rescuing

By Dr. Beth Leermakers

Spring is here, and so are wildlife babies! If you spot one alone, what should you do? It depends on the animal’s age, size and physical condition. In many cases, leaving a healthy baby alone is the right thing to do.  

Birds. If baby birds are clearly injured or have been in your cat or dog’s mouth, contact a wildlife rehabilitation center such as Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (rogerswildlife.org; 972-225-4000). Otherwise, what you should do depends on the bird’s age. Handling a baby bird won’t cause the parents to abandon him. Birds don’t have a well-developed sense of smell. 

Nestlings. Found in nests, these small, featherless birds are completely dependent on their parents for food and warmth. If a nestling has fallen to the ground but appears unharmed, put the chick back in the nest. 

If you can’t find or reach the nest, you can make one out of a small, shallow container (such as a strawberry basket or woven stick basket) filled with a piece of tee shirt, straw or anything dry. Gently place the nestling in the nest and hang it in a tree close to where you found the chick, as high off the ground as possible. Then watch for the parents to return. If they don’t come back within an hour, contact a wildlife rehabilitator. 

Fledglings. Covered almost completely in down and feathers, these adolescent birds can hop and are learning to fly from the ground up while being supervised by their nearby parents. If you find a healthy fledgling, leave it alone. Rescuing a healthy fledgling isn’t necessary and can derail its development. When birds are raised by hand, they may think people are its parents, and they don’t know how to be a bird. According to the education director for the Atlanta Audubon Society, “Eighty percent of baby birds that come in [to rehabilitation centers] have basically just been kidnapped and need to be taken back [to their nest].”

Rabbits. Rabbits open their eyes around 10 days old and venture out of the nest at about 2 1/2 weeks old. To avoid attracting predators, mother rabbits don’t spend much time with their babies, so it’s typical for baby bunnies to be alone in their nest. Mother rabbits only come once or twice per night (7 p.m.-7 a.m.), or once every two nights, to feed their young. Baby bunnies are weaned between 4-5 weeks old. 

If you find an uninjured rabbit with its eyes open, do NOT move it. The rabbit knows where mom will be returning. Mother rabbits don’t go looking for their young, so after they leave the nest, the babies have to watch for mom and run to her to eat. If you move the bunnies, they may become disoriented and won’t be able to find their way back to mom. 

Rabbits need help (from a wildlife rehabilitator) when:

They are injured. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator such as DFW Wildcare (dfwwildcare.org or text 972-388-6986 with location, situation and photos).

Their eyes are closed and they are out of the nest. Babies this young don’t come out of the nest on their own. 

The nest has been obviously disturbed. Send pictures to a wildlife rehabber to assess injuries. Mom will cover the babies back up, so an undisturbed nest means that Mom is taking care of her babies. 

They aren’t being fed. To determine whether the babies are being fed, pick them up, take a picture of their bellies, and send the picture to a rehabber in the morning. It is OK to handle the babies. 

Opossums. The opossum is the only marsupial found in the United States. The young are born prematurely and brought to term in the mother’s marsupium (pouch), where they spend about two months nursing. When they’re about 10 weeks old and 3-4 inches long, the young opossums leave the pouch and start riding on their mother’s back. The mother may not notice when babies fall off her back. Generally, if an opossum is over 7 inches long (not including the tail), it’s old enough to be on its own. 

Contact a wildlife rehabilitator such as DFW Wildcare if you encounter an opossum that: 

• Is an orphan (less than 7 inches long, excluding its tail).

• Is bleeding, has an open wound, or has a broken bone.

• Has been in a cat’s or dog’s mouth.

• Is covered in fly eggs (these look like small grains of rice).

• Is cold, wet or crying nonstop.

Do NOT give the baby food or water. 

Fox. Fox kits (babies) will often appear unsupervised for long periods while their parents are out hunting for food. They will play like puppies around the den site until the parents decide they’re old enough to go on hunting trips. Then they will suddenly disappear. Observe the kits from a distance; if they seem energetic and healthy, leave them alone. If they appear sickly or weak, or if you have reason to believe both parents are dead, contact Spiritual Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Sanctuary (tylerthebobcat.org or 817-422-6080). 

Moon Taylor, the sanctuary’s licensed wildlife rehabilitator, specializes in critical care for foxes, bobcats, cougars, panthers, exotic cats, wolves and coyotes. Taylor is helping Honduras’ government wildlife facility save and rehabilitate a fox named Willow that was kept as a pet for a year. Foxes should not be kept as pets.

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