This information is posted with the permission of its authors
- the Wildlife Rescue League, Falls Church, VA

Mammal Rescue

In general, the less intervention that is done with mammals, the better. Left alone, mammal mothers will retrieve and take care of their babies. Exceptions to this would be when the baby is too cold, sick or injured for the mother to care for; when the mother has been trapped or killed; or when human intervention has so terrified the mother that she has abandoned the nest. If the caller is not sure the mother is gone, the caller should wait and allow the mother to reclaim the babies. Possums are the only animal in our area that will not attempt to retrieve a baby left behind; any baby possum found must be considered an orphan.

Most calls occur when humans disturb the nest somehow; raccoons like to nest in chimneys, skunks under decks, and squirrels in attics. Human attempts to evict these families frequently end with babies taken to a rehabilitator. Attempts to smoke raccoons out of chimneys generally end up with burned babies since they cannot get out of the chimney by themselves.

In each of the next sections there is species-specific information that describes instances when the baby should be rescued and when it should be returned to the nest. However, there are circumstances that should always be referred to licensed rehabilitator in your area:

• The mother is known to be dead.
• The animal has been cat or dog caught, regardless of visible injuries. The only exception might be if a dog has gently carried the animal in its mouth.
• The baby is showing signs of maggots (a death sentence if not quickly removed). This might look like yellow milky patches, rice kernels, fly eggs, or flies buzzing around the baby. Always refer when in doubt.
• The baby is cold, sick, weak, injured, or otherwise looks like it needs immediate care.

All baby animals should be handled with at least thin latex gloves or garden gloves and adults with heavy-duty gloves because of the possibility of parasites or diseases being transmitted, as well as to avoid human scent on a baby (which could cause mother to abandon it). Hands should be washed after handling.

Adult and juvenile mammals will bite if cornered. Care must be taken when capturing them. A bite from a frightened mammal may mean a death sentence for it. An effective means of capturing larger animals is to use a large, heavy towel such as a beach towel folded double or triple, or a heavy padded jacket. Animals will not be able to bite through the towel, and generally will be calmed when placed in a dark environment.

You should not try to handle juvenile or adult rabies high-risk species (foxes, skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, bats, or even opossums). Call a rehabilitator in your area or animal control for rescue. You may try using a live trap, which may be loaned by a local wildlife rehabilitator.

When nocturnal animals (raccoons, skunks, opossums, and foxes) are seen in the daylight, many people believe that is a sign of rabies. However, in spring and early summer this is not unusual because mothers and juveniles who are searching for food will hunt whenever they have to. They may even tussle with household pets for food if it is left outside. Certain other habits, such as nesting in a chimney or attic, are also normal behavior.

"Sick" behavior may take any number of forms, including lethargy, stupor, falling over, walking around in circles, aimless wandering, unexplained aggression toward pets or humans, eye or nose discharge, and partial or complete rear paralysis (often mistaken for an injured leg or hindquarters). Many times aggression is explainable because of hunger, being threatened or cornered by a pet, etc.

If the animal can be safely contained (see below) or is too sick to move, refer to rehabilitator as described below. If it is so mobile that it cannot be contained, it does not need rehabilitation.

If there is any possibility that the animal is sick (as opposed to injured), please call a wildlife  rehabilitator in your area. If the animal is being aggressive,  make sure all children and pets are inside and call animal control immediately.) If you can not reach a rehabilitator within 30 minutes, it will be up to you to decide whether to call the local animal control/animal shelter.  Because of the risk of rabies, many such agencies will euthanize such animals routinely.

If a rabies vector species has come into contact with a human or domestic animal,  seek medical/veterinary advice immediately. If you were bitten, you must also notify Animal Control immediately.

If the animal is obviously injured, rather than sick, do not handle the animal directly. A shovel, box, trashcan, live trap, or net can be used, or it can be lured into the garage and contained there.

Caring for the animal until it is taken to the rehabilitator

4. Do not give food or drink unless directed to by a rehabilitator. Milk causes diarrhea in baby mammals and can actually kill it. Special formulas are needed.

Wildlife Care of Ventura County volunteers  are not prepared to handle calls about adult deer (or large juveniles) and cannot rehabilitate them. Only fawn calls should be referred to us.

Fawns are left alone for long periods of time, especially during the day. The mother is nearby and will return every 4-6 hours to nurse, but will not return if there are humans around. The fawn is usually carefully positioned so that its protective coloring camouflages it, and unlike an adult deer it has almost no scent to attract predators. Human intervention could draw predator attention to it.

Do not disturb the fawn unless there is evidence that the doe has been killed (dead doe by side of road, fawn nearby). When the fawn is separated from the doe because of some disturbance, the doe will find the fawn through verbal communication. If the caller is sure the doe has not been there in twelve hours, refer to a rehabilitator.

Other reasons to rescue a fawn is if the fawn is exhibiting some sort of unusual behavior (following someone around, begging), has a visible injury, or has closed or swollen eyes (they are born with eyes open). If in doubt, consult with  a wildlife rehabilitator in your area.

This generally happens in fall, during mating season. There is little that can be done.

If the deer is trapped and/or is causing a traffic hazard, call the police.

Rehabilitators cannot go out and catch or trap adult deer that appear in distress. Even injured deer can outrun the pursuer. It takes special equipment. Adult deer can be dangerous to deal with, and the public must not attempt a rescue. If the deer is actually down, contact the local animal control/game warden. If the deer is not down, there is nothing that can be done.

If a mother opossum is killed, she should be checked for babies in her pouch or clinging to her. These must be referred immediately to a rehabilitator.

Opossums normally stay with their mother for about a year. Mothers do not retrieve their babies. If the possum is less than 10 inches long (not including tail, it must go to a rehabilitator. However, any opossum that is 10 inches long healthy and uninjured can be left alone. Place it under a shrub away from cats and dogs. Occasionally people will ask what to feed it. Opossums eat just about anything; cat or dog food is a favorite. If they feed it, they can expect it to hang around for more.

Injured adults should be placed in a box by moving with a big towel and garden gloves, shovel, or other instrument (do not pick up with hands) and transported to a rehabilitator.

If the rabbit is fully furred, the eyes are open, and the ears are up, (rabbit size of a baseball or tennis ball) the rabbit can be on its own. If necessary, put it under a bush or in tall grass, away from cats and dogs.

Rabbits are an important part of the food chain. They will not be particularly safe anywhere.

Cottontails stress very easily and will die in captivity. It must be released.

The mother rabbit leaves the nest for long periods of time, and feeds babies only twice a day, generally around dusk and dawn. Nests are rarely abandoned, but she will stay away if humans or animals are around too much.

It is important that rabbits be renested whenever possible and the mother be given a chance to tend the babies. If the nest has been disturbed, the caller should:

• Remove injured/dead rabbits. Refer injured rabbits to rehabilitator.
• Keep dogs and cats inside until the rabbits have left the nest on their own.
• Recover the remaining rabbits and make a teepee or crosshatch of twigs on top of the nest. Leave the nest alone and check the next morning. If the twigs have been disturbed but the nest is still covered, the mother has returned. Do not visit the nest every few hours or the mother will abandon it.

As prey animals, rabbits are very prone to dying quickly when frightened. Handling small rabbits can send them into shock and if placed in captivity, they can die of fright. They also have a high mortality rate in rehabilitation. Every reasonable effort should be made to allow the mother to continue to raise them.

If in doubt, refer the call to a rehabilitator. Some of the cases in which renesting may not be possible are the nest has been very disturbed and mother will probably not return, or a dog knows the location and cannot be kept away.

Unless you know for sure that the mother has been killed or disappeared, it is better to observe the situation. Foxes have more than one den site and often move the cubs around. Foxes are very sensitive to scent. If a cub becomes separated from the adult, the adult will return to get it if it does not have human scent on it, and humans are not close. Leave the cub alone to give the mother a chance to retrieve it undisturbed. Use gloves if the cub must be moved out of harm’s way. Return periodically to assess the situation. If the mother has not retrieved the cub in two hours, refer to a rehabilitator.

The public should not handle adult foxes. They can be dangerous and they carry numerous parasites and diseases. The hotline volunteer should contact a rehabilitator directly if the fox is acting in an unusual manner.

Foxes are susceptible to mange, the skin mite condition which dogs can also have. Symptoms are sometimes confused with rabies. The fox will be miserable and itching, may have patchy fur, and may be starving to death or acting unusual. Mange is treatable; refer the caller to a rehabilitator.

There are predominantly two types of squirrels in this area: gray squirrels and fox squirrels.

Sometimes animals do get caught in chimneys and must be rescued. If a squirrel is trapped in a wall, down a vent, or in the chimney, provide a means for the animal to climb out. Lower a weighted, double strand of rope into the enclosure, making sure the length is adequate to reach the animal. For lesser heights, a panty hose rope will also work well. If this does not work, refer to a rehabilitator for advice.

If the squirrel can come out the bottom, through the fireplace,  close off the room, open a door or window to the outside, and retreat to allow the squirrel to exit. If the room does not open to the outside, a pillowcase can be used to capture the squirrel in and take it outside.

Warbles (botfly larvae) look like large growths; they are actually eggs laid under the skin. The squirrel will look horrible but act fine. Leave it alone. The worm will exit after it hatches and does no damage to the squirrel. Trying to remove the warble can actually harm the squirrel; if the warble is punctured, toxins will enter the squirrel’s system.

If the squirrel is furred, has a tail that curves up (looks like a real squirrel tail) and it can sit up and walk, leave it alone unless it approaches you for help. These squirrels are making learning excursions from the nest, but are still under a parent’s care.

Sometimes babies fall/are blown out of nests, or are dropped as the mother is moving her nest, or a whole nest is blown down during high winds. (Normally a mother squirrel builds several nests and will move the babies if she feels threatened or there are fleas in the nest.) The mother will generally come back and check to make sure she has all the babies, however she may miss some and leave them behind. A mother squirrel will not retrieve a baby that is very cold or injured. If the weather is cold, the baby was very cold, lying flat and not moving, or the baby is unfurred or very small, refer to a rehabilitator.

Place it in a basket or box (shoebox) near where found, out of the reach of cats and dogs. The box should be lined with soft materials to make a warm nest and be a size that is high enough to prevent the baby from climbing out, but low enough to allow the mother to enter and depart with the baby. If the location of the nest is known, the box can be tied as far up the tree trunk as can be managed, out of direct sunlight in hot weather. If the baby is chilled, or the weather is cool, place a jar or a ziplock bag filled with warm water wrapped in several socks inside the box.

Keep dogs and cats indoors and try to minimize human activity around the tree.

Watch from inside the house if possible. The mother will not show herself if she can detect anyone’s presence within a fairly wide radius of the tree. Check every hour. If the baby is still in the box after 2 hours or as darkness approaches, refer to a rehabilitator.

A juvenile squirrel will seek human help when it has been prematurely separated from its family and is not yet old enough to find food on its own. If possible, it should be returned to its family. If the location of the family is unknown, refer to a rehabilitator.

Squirrels are difficult to catch. If they are trapped they can die of shock or injure themselves in panic. It is also important to determine whether it is a female with babies. Unless the injury is very severe, it is better not to attempt to catch an injured squirrel. If they are caught, they must be handled with thick gloves.

you can attempt to pick it up but must be very careful not to be bitten. You can also cover the squirrel with a box to protect it and keep it from moving on and call animal control to do the pickup. Animal control will euthanize it if the injuries are very severe (back or spine), or will take it to a rehabilitator.

The squirrel does not want to be in your house and will panic. Try to confine it to a room with an exit (window, door, etc.) to the outside and it will find its way out.

If it has come from the attic and returns there, determine whether there have been recent repairs to the house which have sealed off its normal access route to the outside. There may also be babies in the attic if it is baby season. The squirrel must be given an avenue of escape and a way to remove its babies.

Unless there are indications the mother has been killed or trapped, babies should be left in the area where found so the mother can retrieve after dark. If necessary, move out of harm’s way, near where found, and leave alone. Do not handle. Refer to a licensed rehabilitator in your area if in doubt.

Although a small percentage of bats can carry rabies, healthy bats will not attack you, and if you stand still they will not fly into you. Bats do a great service by eating insects (diving at the insects is often mistaken for an attack on a human). One bat can eat up to 3000 mosquitoes in one night. They are gentle creatures; never needlessly destroy.

Bats do not show rabies symptoms, so it is important never to handle bats without gloves or a towel. Any time someone has been in a room with a bat and there is the possibility of a bite that was not noticed (child, sleeping or retarded person, etc.) animal control should be called to capture and test the bat. If the bat cannot be capture and tested, or tests positive for rabies, the caller should contact the public health officer immediately.

Occasionally, bats are found behind house shutters when these are moved for painting or repair. These bats should be left alone until just around sunset, when the shutters can be taken down after they leave. If the shutter is left down, the bat will seek an alternate roosting site.

If the bat is inside the house, close off doors to stairwells or other rooms to confine the bat(s) to a single room. Turn out all lights including aquarium lights, lights on VCRs, microwaves, etc. Open any windows and doors to the outside and leave the room -- they will leave on their own at dusk.

If you don’t want them to return, you will need to close any holes to the outside that are more than 2 inch in diameter, or any cracks of 1/4 x 1 2 inches. Bats can enter through open doors and windows, chimneys, or loose-fitting screens on windows or doors. However, before closing up the area make sure that there are no bats trapped inside, particularly flightless young. Bats are unable to fly for the first 3 weeks after birth. All young bats usually fly by mid-August.

If the bat is found on the ground or on the floor in a house, or appears to be injured, or cannot fly, or it is a baby, refer the caller to a rehabilitator. Secure the bat with a box over it and keep children and pets away.

Bats cling to a wall or tree normally; they cannot take off horizontally and must be vertical to fly. If an adult is clinging to a wall or curtain, it may be reluctant to fly because it is daylight, not yet awake, not warm enough, or injured. Do not touch it. Place a cardboard or styrofoam box with air holes over it, or a coffee can. Slowly insert a piece of cardboard between the bat and the wall or floor. Or use a towel over it and gently roll the bat in the towel, then take it outside. Do not place it on the ground; put it high in a vertical position, if possible. If it will not fly away outside, contact a licensed rehabilitator in your area.