Should I Rescue This Baby Animal? A Step-by-Step Guide

Start with the injury check. If the bird is bleeding, limp, or a cat has had it, call a rehabber before you do anything else. Cats carry bacteria in their mouths, and even a tiny puncture can cause a serious infection. Most wild birds are federally protected, so you can’t keep or treat one yourself. Put it in a small box with air holes and a soft cloth, keep it dark, warm, and quiet, and skip the food and water.

If it looks fine, figure out what kind of bird it is. Ducklings, goslings, and other ground birds hatch covered in down and leave the nest soon after hatching. Walking around is normal for them, and their parents are usually close. Keep people and pets back and watch from a distance. If it’s peeping nonstop or alone for several hours with no adult in sight, call a rehabber. A lone chick has no nest to go back to, so don’t put it in one, and don’t put it in water. If you can see the family, let it rejoin them.

Songbirds come in two stages. A fledgling has real feathers and hops or flutters. It left the nest on purpose, and its parents are feeding it nearby. Leave it alone. If it’s in the road or within a cat’s reach, move it to a shrub or low branch close by. Keep cats, dogs, and kids away, because parents won’t feed it while people are close. If you haven’t seen a parent after two hours, or it gets weaker, call a rehabber.

A nestling is bare, fuzzy, or has its eyes closed. If you can see and reach the nest, check that the bird feels warm. A cold chick may get pushed out, so warm it gently in your hands first. Then put it back and watch from indoors. Your scent won’t make the parents reject it. If no parent feeds it within one to two hours, or it looks worse, call a rehabber.

When the nest is gone, the bird’s development decides what’s safe. A partly feathered bird may do fine in a substitute nest, but call a rehabber first and ask. Don’t build one if the original nest is still active with siblings in it. A bare or fuzzy nestling with no nest can’t be left in a substitute nest, because it still needs a parent to keep it warm. Keep it in a small box with air holes in a quiet spot, skip the food and water, and call before you drive.

A baby rabbit that looks alone usually isn’t. The mother only visits at dawn and dusk, so an empty-looking nest is normal. If the rabbit is bleeding, limp, weak, or a cat or dog has had it, it needs a rehabber. Put it in a box with a soft cloth, lid on, in a quiet room. Skip the food and water, and call before you drive.

If you find a nest, a shallow dent in the grass lined with fur, leave it where it is. She won’t reject young that were touched, and she won’t recognize a nest that was moved. To check on her, lay twigs or string over the nest in a criss-cross, 1 to 2 inches apart, late in the afternoon. Look the next morning. Disturbed twigs are reassuring, because she’s likely feeding them. Undisturbed twigs don’t prove she’s gone. The test isn’t always right, and a camera on the nest is more reliable.

Look at the babies without touching them. Warm, round-bellied, clean, and nestled together is a good sign. If they look healthy, don’t take them. Call a rehabber for advice and send a photo if you’re still worried. If they look cold, thin, weak, or hurt, call right away. Mark the spot and mow around it. Young rabbits leave the nest at four to five weeks.

A rabbit out on its own that’s furred, with open eyes and upright ears, is about 4 to 5 inches long and weaned. It’s meant to be on its own. Keep pets away from the spot, and don’t feed it or bring it inside. A tiny one with its eyes closed and no nest can’t survive alone. Look once more for a nest. If you find one, put the rabbit back and treat it as a nest. If not, keep it warm in a closed box and call a rehabber before you drive.

If the squirrel is injured, or has flies or maggots on it, it needs a rehabber. Wear thick gloves, because older juveniles bite. Use a ventilated box and a towel, keep it warm and quiet, and skip the food and water. Call before you drive.

Fur and open eyes don’t mean a squirrel is independent. Gray squirrels open their eyes at about four weeks and aren’t on their own until about eight or nine. A squirrel is old enough to be out there when it’s nearly full-sized, with a full fluffy tail, and it can run, jump, and climb. Leave it alone, keep pets away, and don’t feed it. If it keeps approaching and following people, its mother is probably gone, so call a rehabber.

A furred squirrel with open eyes that’s smaller, with a flat or thin tail, or one that seems friendly, likely still needs its mother. Mothers sometimes carry strays back to the nest. Keep pets and people away. If you can see the nest, a ball of dried leaves high in a tree, try to get the baby to climb the trunk. Don’t carry it up. Check back after several hours. If it’s still there and hasn’t been fed or attended for a full day, call a rehabber. If you can’t tell whether it’s independent, call and ask.

A squirrel with sparse fur, a thin tail, and eyes closed or just opening is a nestling. It may have fallen or been moved by a storm. If it feels cold, warm it gently. Wrap a bottle of warm water in a towel and set it in a shallow box, with soft cloth between the bottle and the squirrel. Never let the squirrel touch the bottle. Put the box at the base of the nest tree in daylight only, give no food or water, and watch from indoors. If the mother hasn’t taken it within a couple of hours, call a rehabber. Never leave it out overnight.

A fawn lying alone and quiet is almost always fine. Healthy fawns are left alone for 6 to 8 hours at a time, and a healthy one can be alone for days and still be cared for. The doe stays away so her scent doesn’t lead predators to it, and she comes back to nurse. This is the mistake rehabbers see most.

So leave. Walk away, keep pets back, and don’t touch it, feed it, or bring it inside. Your presence keeps her from returning. Don’t judge by whether it’s in the same spot. Look from a distance for real warning signs instead. A fawn that cries nonstop, has flies on it, looks thin, cold, or weak, or has a dead doe nearby needs a rehabber or your state wildlife agency.

If the fawn is hurt, sick, or you know for certain the mother is dead, call before you move it. In many states it’s illegal to keep a fawn, even for a few days. If you’ve already picked it up, put it back soon. Wear gloves, rub an old towel in grass, wipe the fawn down, and return it to the same spot or safer cover close by. Leave quickly and stay far back. Don’t feed it. The doe will come back to nurse even after people have handled it. Watch for the same warning signs over the next day.

If the opossum is injured or a cat or dog had it, it needs a rehabber. Like any wild mammal, it can carry rabies, so use thick gloves. Cover it with a towel, move it into a ventilated box, keep it warm and quiet, and skip the food and water. Call before you drive.

For a healthy-looking one, size decides. Don’t pick it up to measure. Hold a ruler or a familiar object near it and measure nose to rump, tail not counted. The Wildlife Center of Virginia looks for at least 8 inches and over 200 grams. You can’t check weight without handling it, so look at condition too. Over 8 inches and healthy and well-fed means it’s likely old enough to be on its own. Keep pets away and don’t feed it. If it looks thin, weak, or poorly developed, call a rehabber whatever the length.

Under 7 inches, it can’t survive alone. Joeys of 3 to 4 inches can fall off their mother’s back without her noticing, so call a rehabber. Between 7 and 8 inches, rehabilitators don’t agree on one cutoff, since Tufts uses 7 inches. Describe it by phone and follow their advice. If you can’t tell its size without handling it, take a photo from a distance with something familiar next to it for scale, keep people and pets back, and call. A rehabber can judge from a description or a photo.

Raccoons are a rabies vector species, so treat them differently from most baby animals. Bare-handed contact counts as a possible exposure, and the animal may have to be euthanized and tested. Keep people and pets back, and don’t touch one.

First decide whether it’s okay. It’s hurt or acting wrong if it’s bleeding, limping, shivering and limp, has flies on it, was caught by a cat or dog, or has a dead parent or sibling nearby. It also needs help if it cries without stopping, has closed eyes and no mother, is cold and stretched out, or walks up to people calmly. A raccoon that walks up to you calmly is a sign something is wrong. Call a rehabber or animal control. Not every rehabber takes raccoons, so call first. If someone was bitten or scratched, wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice.

If it looks healthy, a baby left alone may be waiting for its mother. She may not come back until the next night. Watch from a distance, preferably from indoors, and don’t touch or feed it. If it’s in the same spot after 24 hours, or it gets worse, call a rehabber. If she’s denning in your house, wait until the young can move on their own before you close up the entry.

Fox kits are often alone for hours while their parents hunt. Healthy kits are active and play near the den like puppies. If that’s what you see, leave them alone, keep your distance, keep pets away, and don’t feed them.

A kit that’s weak, limping, wobbling, bleeding, or walking up to people is different. So is one whose parents you know are dead. Foxes can carry rabies, so don’t touch or capture one before you’ve talked to a rehabber. Keep people and pets back and call a rehabber or animal control. If someone was bitten or scratched, wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice.

If you’re not sure, watch from a distance and call a rehabber if the kits look sick or weak.

Skunks are a rabies vector species, and young ones can spray. Don’t touch one, even with gloves, unless a rehabber tells you how.

A healthy young skunk is fully furred, moves well, and reacts to you. It’s often out exploring or playing on its own, and the mother is usually nearby and may be scared off if people are close. Stay well back and keep pets and children away. Leave it overnight and check again in the morning from a distance. If it’s still there in the morning, or it looks sick or hurt, call a rehabber.

It needs help if it’s hurt, has flies or fly eggs on it, was caught by a cat or dog, is cold, wet, or slow, doesn’t react to you, is tiny with its eyes closed and alone for hours, has been out all day or night with no adult, or you know the mother is dead. Don’t handle it. Call a rehabber or animal control, and call first, because many can’t take skunks. If someone was bitten or scratched, wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice.

Groundhogs are a rabies vector species, so keep your distance. Don’t touch or feed one.

A healthy young groundhog is at least 6 to 8 inches long, fully furred, up on its feet, and avoiding you. It’s weaned and foraging on its own, and it should return to its den by itself. Stay back, keep pets away, and leave it alone. If it looks sick, hurt, or stops avoiding people, call a rehabber or animal control.

A groundhog that’s smaller, hurt, or sick needs a professional. Signs include flies or fly eggs, an obvious injury, crying for hours, being cold, wet, or slow, not defending itself when you approach, or being tiny with its eyes closed and alone for hours. So does a baby whose mother you know is dead. Call first, because many rehabbers can’t take groundhogs. If someone was bitten or scratched, wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice.

The first question is whether anyone touched the bat. Bat bites can be tiny and easy to miss. If someone was bitten or scratched, or you’re not sure, call your health department now, even if the mark looks minor. Wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice. Don’t wait for symptoms.

The same goes if the bat was in a room where someone was sleeping, or with a young child, or with someone who can’t say whether they were touched. If a bat is in the room, close the door and keep people and pets out. Don’t release it. Ask animal control or the health department how to have it captured and tested. Don’t touch it. The rehabilitator finder is a second step, after public health.

If no one had contact and the bat is inside your home, call animal control or your health department to capture it safely for testing. Don’t release it before you’ve talked to public health. If it’s outside, on the ground, active by day, or unable to fly, it’s likely sick or injured. Don’t pick it up, even with gloves, unless a professional tells you how. Keep people and pets away and call a rehabber or animal control.

If you can’t tell what you’re looking at, or how old it is, don’t guess and don’t handle it. Keep people and pets back, and don’t pick it up, feed it, or give it water.

Take a photo from a distance. Note where it is, what it’s doing, and how long it’s been there. Then call a rehabber or your state wildlife agency and describe it. Many young animals that look abandoned are fine, and a rehabber can usually tell from a description or a photo. If it’s hurt or in immediate danger, call right away. If anyone was bitten or scratched, wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then get prompt medical advice.