Saturday, September 26, 2015
Saturday, March 15, 2014
HELP! I HAVE FOUND A COTTONTAIL NEST!
Rabbits "hide their nests in plain view" often putting them in the open, for example in the middle of the lawn, as well as in brush piles and long grass. If you find a nest that has been disturbed, do all you can to restore and protect it rather than bring the babies inside. If a dog has discovered the nest, you can put a wheelbarrow over it so that the mother can get to it but the dog cannot. You can also protect the nest with a wicker laundry basket with a hole cut in it for the mother to enter.
Nests can be moved to a safer place up to 3 feet away from the original site and can be reconstructed if necessary. This should be a last resort. To make a new nest, dig a shallow hole about 3" deep and put into it as much of the original material as you can recover, including the mother’s fur. Add dried grass as needed, and put the young back. Mother rabbits return to the nest to nurse only one or two times a day, staying away as much as possible so as not to attract predators. To determine if the mother is returning, create a tic-tac-toe pattern over the nest with twigs. Wait 24 hours to see if the twigs have been moved. If they have, then the mother is coming back.
Very young babies with eyes closed and ears back rarely survive in captivity, so it is very important to determine whether or not the babies really need your help. See if the babies seem warm and healthy or cold, thin and dehydrated. To test for dehydration, gently pinch the loose skin at the back of the neck. If it stays in a "tent," then the baby is dehydrated and needs rehabilitation. Another test is to stroke the genital area to stimulate elimination. If the pee is brown and gritty, the mother rabbit has not been there to help the babies urinate. The brown, gritty urine is toxic and the babies must be cared for.
Older babies who are found outside of the nest may not be orphaned or in need of assistance. Babies are born without fur but develop a full coat in a week. Their eyes open in 6-10 days and in three weeks they are weaned. At a young age they leave the nest to explore but return there to sleep. If the bunny fill your hand he is old enough to explore without mom. Also look for bleeding, convulsing, fly larvae, broken bones.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
 |
| Please Give So They Can Live We have a free give to mail you for your support. Just email us your address and tell us your favorite pet or model of car! |
FoxValley Animal Nutrition, Inc. offers a Sponsorship Donation of Goods Program. All you need to do is call them at (800) 679-4666 and tell them you would like to purchase formula for Mary Kemp Wildlife in Wichita Falls, Texas.Just give them your credit card info and they will send us the formula we need for our orphaned babies. Be sure to ask for FORMULA 32/40. We can only take in as many as we can afford to feed so your help saves a life.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Mary Kemp / Baby Wildlife Rehabilitation: Though they weigh less then 1/2 oz. they are still alive on the 3rd day of care.
Everyone of the newborn Squirrels in the previous photo are now Wild & Released! We backup with food and water for about a week while they learn to find their own food supply. Happy Day!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Find a Wildlife Rehabilitator
The fall wildlife orphans are starting to show up already. If you need help in your area here is a link to find a qualified rehabber.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
 |
| At this age the bunny must have it's mother |
Is It Really Orphaned?
The most important question is: Does this animal REALLY need my help?
Around half of all animals that rehabilitators receive are animals that did not need to be rescued.
Animals are protective mothers and their babies are always better kept with them versus humans.
BIRDS are on the ground learning to fly. This is called fledging. Some bird species such as robins and blue jays remain on the ground for weeks. These birds look clumsy and injured. Unless you see a visible injury, please leave the fledglings to learn on their own. Mothers are often close by. Cats and dogs are the fledgling's worry. Please keep your cat or dog indoors during this time. If you see a fledgling on the street, gently place it under a bush in a cat or dog free area. Birds that have fallen out of the nest can be placed back in. These birds will have little or no feathers. If the nest is destroyed, then make a nest from a Tupperware type bowl with paper towel inside and vent holes. Please the “nest” back in the tree.
OPOSSUMS that are not injured and are over 7-8 inches long (not including tail) should be left alone. If they are less than 7-8 inches, please do not try to feed them as they do not have the ‘suckle” response and need to be tube fed VERY select formula. Opossums are prone to Metabolic Bone Disease due to diets. This can be fatal. ** If you should find a mother that is dead or hit by a car, check her pouch as more than likely, her babies are alive in there. They will need your help in order to live.
DUCKLINGS stay in groups, so if you do not see a mother around within a couple of hours, it needs rescuing.
RACCOON babies that have been seen for more than a few hours have probably lost their mother, since mother raccoons closely supervise their young and don’t let them out of their sight! You can put an upside down laundry basket over the baby (with a weight on top) and monitor for a few hours. Sometimes raccoon moms will wait until very late to retrieve her babies. Ask around to see if anyone in the neighborhood trapped an adult raccoon or saw one hit by a car. If you do not see the mother after a few hours, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator near you for assistance.
SKUNK babies do explore briefly at times away from its mother, yet it is more likely that the skunk has lost sight of the mother. Watch to see if the baby finds the den or if the mother retrieves him. You can put a plastic laundry basked upside down over the skunk to temporarily contain him while waiting for the mother to return. Approach the skunk slowly and talk softly – if the skunk gives a warning by stamping his front feet, then stand still or back off. You can approach again after the skunk calms down. As baby skunks get older, they sometimes come out to explore while the mother is away. Most of the time, however, they don’t appear without her – so if you repeatedly see the baby outside alone, he may be orphaned. If the skunk appears to be truly orphaned, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator near you.
SQUIRRELS should be taken indoors for the night if the mother hasn't come back and you can try again in the morning. Squirrels often have a secondary nest if one should fall out of a tree. The mom should come back to retrieve her babies when she feels it’s safe.
DEER will rarely be seen mother and baby together. If you should see a fawn lying down without its’ mother, leave it there until morning and if it has not moved, mom may not be returning and please do call. You may not see mom during he day, but she is probably watching you. Stay away from baby so mom will feel safe to return.
BUNNY nests can be repaired. Skewer sticks, thin string can be placed in a tic tac toe formation over the top of the den. If they are moved the following morning, the mother has come back to take care of them. If not, they need your help. If bunnies are over 5 inches long, eyes open, and can hop, they do NOT need rescuing.
URGENT
ALL ANIMALS will avoid coming to retrieve their babies if humans are around. Please watch for signs of mom without being too close or animals seeing you.
As a general rule: If the baby is wandering around crying for an hour, it needs your help. If you do not know, place in a box close to where you found it. if the mother does not come back in 4-6 hours, it needs help.
Keep the baby or injured animal WARM and CONTAINED and QUIET. Put tissues or towels in the box or bag to keep it warm, and cover it. Darkness makes the animal feel more secure. Loud noises are scary, so keep that in mind when selecting a spot for the box. Keep it out of drafts and away from air conditioners. The box can be placed half on and half off a heating pad set on low. If the animal gets too warm it can move to the other end of the box. A water bottle filled with warm water taped (to prevent rolling around) to the inside of the box will work just as well.
If an animal or bird has been caught by a cat or dog get help immediately. Even if wounds are not visible, the animal or bird needs to be given antibiotics.
Please email if you need help
fund4wildlife@gmail.com
Friday, December 2, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Rest in Peace Little OneAfter twenty years of doing orphaned wildlife rehabilitation the death of an infant you have held, bottle fed, held to your chest to warm, never gets any easier. The ones like this are the hardest. When I see them eagerly clutching for milk and see they sheen of health on their skin. Then with baby formula in hand you open the box and see the lifeless body that only the night before was thriving. It hurts.
The release site was already picked out. The bird rehabber that gave me these has a lake behind their center. I could go every day and lay out food until she learned to fend for her self. In my mind, I saw her walking along that lake and living the life she was born to. So today, the joy in what I do is gone. Yes, my room is full of the others. But for today, she is gone and her life is the one that matters.
The release site was already picked out. The bird rehabber that gave me these has a lake behind their center. I could go every day and lay out food until she learned to fend for her self. In my mind, I saw her walking along that lake and living the life she was born to. So today, the joy in what I do is gone. Yes, my room is full of the others. But for today, she is gone and her life is the one that matters.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Recollections of a Wild Bird Rehabilitator
The shrieks of my youngest daughter brought me running into the kitchen. The look on her face said it all. I knew what was coming as I saw her with the refrigerator door open: " You do know this is the most disgusting thing in the world don't you? You promised me you would not do this and here they are again! "
I attempted to get in a " yes, but...." as her finger pointed to the object of her wrath, an assortment of thawing rodents and slivers of beef heart in a zip lock bag.
This was lunch for the Mississippi Kites anxiously waiting for the delicacies that so repulsed my vegetarian daughter.
I dump the rodents on to a disposable plate to thaw outside by the door and began filling bowls with beef heart. After a sprinkling of calcium powder, a pinch of avian vitamins and a swoosh of the spoon I am out the door. The kites greet me with their frantic whistling and within seconds the bowl is encompassed by 15 bobbing heads.
A squawking from the aviary led me to check on the songbirds. I can always count on the blue jays to let me know when the meal worms bowl is empty. So it is back to the kitchen to cut up grapes and scoop up a few hundred meal worms that are quickly scattered over the grapes. The last bowl is filled with soaked Science Diet and breakfast is served to the blue jays, mockingbirds, kingbird's, sparrows and doves that occupied my aviary.
Since that day, the escape hatch portion of the aviary door was opened and I has the privilege and pleasure to see each bird released for a second chance at life.
As I watched the newly released Mississippi Kites soaring in the sky, riding high on the thermals I feel I have a glimpse into natures soul. I then remember them as they once were: tiny featherless infants, some barely alive when rescuers bring them to my door. This is why I work for free. This is my pay check.
If you live in Texas as I do and need help in dealing with a wildlife issue or help in locating a wildlife rehabber in your town, click here http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Help! I Found a Baby Rabbit
The bunnies look so helpless in the little depression in the lawn. They are so tiny and you keep going out and checking throughout the day and still no mother in sight. Surly, she would be there sitting with her babies if she were alive. So the best thing to do is bring them in and try to bottle-feed or maybe find a wildlife rehabber. Wrong…wrong…wrong!
Actually, rabbit mothers nurse their babies for about 5 minutes a day. The milk is very rich and the babies fill up to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not sit on the babies to keep them warm. This is not because they are bad mothers. It is because they do not want to draw attention to the babies so they leave, which gives the impression that the babies have been abandoned.
If you come across a nest of bunnies and the mother is nowhere in sight, please DO NOT disturb them! By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival. In fact, I would say you are sealing their fate of a premature death. Studies with rabbits in rehabilitation centers show there is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to "save". There is no substitute for the enzymes and cofactors in their mother's milk. Often they die a slow painful death from the formula literally putrefying in their little tummies.
If you have reason to believe the mother is not there. The following test will help you determine if that is the case. That evening take flour and use it to make a large, wide circle around the nest. Then leave the nest alone until the next morning. Check to see if there are rabbit tracks going through the flour to and from the nest. If there are, either the mother is returning to the nest or the babies are old enough to venture from the nest and eat on their own. Now just leave them alone. Even if this means mowing around a small patch in the yard for a short time.
As the babies age and are about the size of a tennis ball they will begin to wonder around and forage on grass. They still stay with mom and may go back to the nest. Do not rescue a baby the size of a tennis ball. It is not lost, it is just growing up and needs a safe place to learn. The best advise it just keep you dogs and cats out of the area until the rabbits move on.
That said, there are times when you know your dog has killed the mother. Sadly, this happens a lot. If this is the case, you need to put them in warm box with a soft cloth inside. Place the box away from pets and children. Wild baby rabbits are unlike any other species. They can literally drop dead from fear. The sound of your voice, your sent, the noises in your home are all terrifying to a baby rabbit. Fear and compromise an already undeveloped immune system and cause death even later on.
As a wildlife rehabilitator I am always researching protocols to increase my success rate with all species but especially the cottontails. At this point I have 10 infant rabbits in my care, all with eyes still closed. The first 5 came in when they were just 2 days old. I am using a new protocol with my babies this year and I am excited about the results so far. I am incorporating Dr. Ohhira Probiotics into their formula. Although I have used probiotics before,these are unique in their composition and are manufactured for human consumption. I have lost only one baby thus far and am hopeful they may survive. Though, with bunnies with eyes still closed, things can change in instant. In addition, I will be using cecotropes into their diet since Blanca & Emy Aaron have graciously allowed me to borrow their beloved pet rabbit to provide the babies with life saving cecotropes. For this I am so gratful!
The bunnies look so helpless in the little depression in the lawn. They are so tiny and you keep going out and checking throughout the day and still no mother in sight. Surly, she would be there sitting with her babies if she were alive. So the best thing to do is bring them in and try to bottle-feed or maybe find a wildlife rehabber. Wrong…wrong…wrong!
Actually, rabbit mothers nurse their babies for about 5 minutes a day. The milk is very rich and the babies fill up to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not sit on the babies to keep them warm. This is not because they are bad mothers. It is because they do not want to draw attention to the babies so they leave, which gives the impression that the babies have been abandoned.
If you come across a nest of bunnies and the mother is nowhere in sight, please DO NOT disturb them! By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival. In fact, I would say you are sealing their fate of a premature death. Studies with rabbits in rehabilitation centers show there is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to "save". There is no substitute for the enzymes and cofactors in their mother's milk. Often they die a slow painful death from the formula literally putrefying in their little tummies.
If you have reason to believe the mother is not there. The following test will help you determine if that is the case. That evening take flour and use it to make a large, wide circle around the nest. Then leave the nest alone until the next morning. Check to see if there are rabbit tracks going through the flour to and from the nest. If there are, either the mother is returning to the nest or the babies are old enough to venture from the nest and eat on their own. Now just leave them alone. Even if this means mowing around a small patch in the yard for a short time.
As the babies age and are about the size of a tennis ball they will begin to wonder around and forage on grass. They still stay with mom and may go back to the nest. Do not rescue a baby the size of a tennis ball. It is not lost, it is just growing up and needs a safe place to learn. The best advise it just keep you dogs and cats out of the area until the rabbits move on.
That said, there are times when you know your dog has killed the mother. Sadly, this happens a lot. If this is the case, you need to put them in warm box with a soft cloth inside. Place the box away from pets and children. Wild baby rabbits are unlike any other species. They can literally drop dead from fear. The sound of your voice, your sent, the noises in your home are all terrifying to a baby rabbit. Fear and compromise an already undeveloped immune system and cause death even later on.
As a wildlife rehabilitator I am always researching protocols to increase my success rate with all species but especially the cottontails. At this point I have 10 infant rabbits in my care, all with eyes still closed. The first 5 came in when they were just 2 days old. I am using a new protocol with my babies this year and I am excited about the results so far. I am incorporating Dr. Ohhira Probiotics into their formula. Although I have used probiotics before,these are unique in their composition and are manufactured for human consumption. I have lost only one baby thus far and am hopeful they may survive. Though, with bunnies with eyes still closed, things can change in instant. In addition, I will be using cecotropes into their diet since Blanca & Emy Aaron have graciously allowed me to borrow their beloved pet rabbit to provide the babies with life saving cecotropes. For this I am so gratful!
I will be posting my exact protocol from the first day the new babies arrived with photos and video soon.
For emergency care of baby rabbits:
Step
1
Warm goat milk or Zoologic Milk Matrix ( available online) formula, so it is warm to the touch, but not hot.
Step
2
Hold baby upright. Using a small syringe, such a 1ml insulin syringe (needle removed) or eyedropper, slowly release formula into the side of the mouth. Newborn, hairless bunnies will need about a half milliliter of warm formula every two to three hours. Bunnies with their eyes tightly closed and ears flat to their head, but fully furred, will eat approximately approximately 2 ml per feeding. The amount increases as their size and weight increase. Generally, you want to feed until the stomach feels full and round, but not tight or hard.
Step
3
Immediately after feeding, stimulate the bunny to eliminate waste. This can be accomplished by gently rubbing its genitals with a moist Q-tip. This imitates the way the mother would lick the baby to stimulate elimination.
Step
4
If you have access to a healthy, adult rabbit, borrow some cecotropes (night droppings.) These nutrient-rich, soft stools are eaten by rabbits directly from their anus, and babies gain much nutrition from eating the cecotropes of their mothers. You can offer cecotropes to bunnies as their eyes are about to open.
1
Warm goat milk or Zoologic Milk Matrix ( available online) formula, so it is warm to the touch, but not hot.
Step
2
Hold baby upright. Using a small syringe, such a 1ml insulin syringe (needle removed) or eyedropper, slowly release formula into the side of the mouth. Newborn, hairless bunnies will need about a half milliliter of warm formula every two to three hours. Bunnies with their eyes tightly closed and ears flat to their head, but fully furred, will eat approximately approximately 2 ml per feeding. The amount increases as their size and weight increase. Generally, you want to feed until the stomach feels full and round, but not tight or hard.
Step
3
Immediately after feeding, stimulate the bunny to eliminate waste. This can be accomplished by gently rubbing its genitals with a moist Q-tip. This imitates the way the mother would lick the baby to stimulate elimination.
Step
4
If you have access to a healthy, adult rabbit, borrow some cecotropes (night droppings.) These nutrient-rich, soft stools are eaten by rabbits directly from their anus, and babies gain much nutrition from eating the cecotropes of their mothers. You can offer cecotropes to bunnies as their eyes are about to open.
Step
5
After the babies eyes open, beging putting the a jar lid filled with formula in the box. They leaern to self fed very early. At 3 to 4 weeks of age, begin introducing solid food, such as baby rabbit pellets, dandylion greens. Gradually reduce bottle feeding once the rabbit is on solid foods.
If you would like to contact me about a baby rabbit or other orphaned wildlife email me at fund4wildlife@gmail.com.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Guest Contributors
From time to time guest writers will post their views on this blog. Today I am happy to welcome Reverend Jim Hanratty who has contributed his expertise regarding spiritulity and animals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)