Wildlife Babies are better left alone!

Spring doesn't only bring nicer weather and new flowers blooming but a huge influx of wildlife babies.

This time of year we have received many calls from people who have found bunnies, squirrel babies as well as nestling and fledgling birds in their backyards and are wondering what to do with them.

Most wildlife babies are better left alone! Although some people mistaken their sighting for being in distress they are often just following natures course and have less of a chance of survival in human hands.

The following are some tips & info for the most common species seen:



Cottontail Bunnies:


Bunnies are born without scent and live in a nest separate from their mother. Most people find a nest of babies and think they are abandoned because they don't see mom around. Bunnies are feed 1-2 x daily when mom comes by the nest in the early morning or at dusk. She needs no more then 5 min to feed the babies and then moves on so she attracts little attention from predators. Bunnies are weaned around 3-4 weeks of age and begin to move away from the nest and eat on their own. This usually is the time when the white spot of hair on their head begins to disappear. At about 5 weeks of age they begin to separate from the rest of their litter and they are on their own.

If you have found a nest of bunnies in your yard and they look content and are warm leave them alone and try to keep your pets away until the bunnies have moved on. If they appear cold and are crying contact a wildlife rehabilitator.


Baby Squirrels:

We receive many calls from people who have found baby squirrels on the ground at the bottom of trees. Squirrels take quite a bit longer to develop in the nest ( eyes don't open until 36 days after birth) and have been known to be blown, pushed or fall out of the nest before then.

If you have found baby that has fallen from the nest the Mom will come to to retrieve them when she feels its safe to do so. In the meantime you can put them at the base of the tree in a box with a fleece blanket to keep them warm and keep your pets away from the area. If she hasn't returned for the babies after 24 hours contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

Baby Birds:

Nestlings are very young and can be distinguished but their lack of feathers or feathers that are just coming through. Sometimes after wind storms these babies may be blown out of nests or the stronger siblings in the nest may have pushed one out. If you can reach the nest you can place the baby back in it ( it is an old wives tale that mom will reject the babies if they have been touched by human hands). If the nest is too high to reach you can make a makeshift nest using a margarine container with small holes in the bottom for drainage lined with paper towels. Tack this new nest in the tree as close to the original nest as possible. The mother will hear the nestling and will go to the new nest to feed it.

Fledglings are young birds that have their new feathers in and are usually seen when learning to fly. They are often seen hopping and fluttering on the ground and appear injured but are really just learning how to fly. Don't be alarmed..mom is usually close by and will come to the ground to feed the baby until they get the hang of flying ( usually a couple of days). Again keep your pets clear of the area until they have left.


Wildlife Baby Info :

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/guideto.htm

If you have a wildlife baby that you think has been abandoned you should contact a wildlife rehabilitator. Raising wildlife without the proper license is illegal and can result in a large fine. These people are trained to raise and release wildlife properly.

International Wildlife Rehabilitators:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactI.htm

If you are in Ontario check out these sites:

http://www.earthrangers.ca

http://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/index.html

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun15fs_05.html

Fatty Liver Disease Treatment in Cats

Fatty Liver Disease aka Hepatic Lipadosis is a liver disease seen in cats when they have become anorexic or have a severe decrease in the amount of food they are eating.

Cats are unique in that they are not meal eaters and tend to graze on small meals throughout the day which allows them a constant flow of nutrients/energy into their bodies. When cats stop eating or severely decrease the amount of food they are eating their bodies mobilize their fat stores instead, to their liver, for breakdown to be used as energy. Unfortunately the liver can't handle this large amount of fat being mobilized and results in Fatty Liver Disease.

Fatty Liver Disease can be fatal if not treated properly. The good news is, if the cat is provided with the proper aggressive nutritional support they can achieve a 90% survival rate. Medications are also needed in the treatment of this disease but the most important aspect of treatment is providing the proper amount of nutrional support. Often treatment can last approximately 6 weeks and can be managed by owners at home.

There are some veterinarians who still believe that force feeding food provides enough nutritional support. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. In most cases the cats refuse the force feeding after minimal amounts of food are administered. This not only creates a breakdown in the human animal bond with the owner but also doesn't provide the adequate amount of nutrition. In some cases cats have developed a food aversion, to the food they are being force fed, which can be detrimental to their treatment as it is often a prescription diet needed for the treatment or recovery afterwards.

The most direct and effective way of providing nutritional support is by using a feeding tube either placed as a nasogastric, esophagostomy/pharyngostomy or stomach tube. These tubes are easily maintained and allow the appropriate amount of nutritional support without stressing out the cat or owners. The food is very easily measured and administered through the tube in several small meals throughout the day mimicking the cats natural eating behaviour.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1455

There is no doubt about it in my mind. Tube feeding is the Fatty Liver Disease patients best chance at a full recovery!

LuLu the Lovebird

Well it was bound to happen, working in an animal shelter. The day finally arrived when I had to bring an animal home I could not resist.

Her name is LuLu and she is the most beautiful little peach faced lovebird. She came to us at the shelter as a stray...Poor little thing. Left outside all by herself with no tail feathers...Or maybe she lost them to a neighborhood cat?

I never imagined such a small bird could produce so much sound! For the first 2 days she vocalized ( or shall I say screamed at the top of her lungs) non-stop. I actually had second thoughts and said to myself..."Kristina was have you got yourself into this time?". I have no personal experience keeping birds other than my school training. It is amazing how a tiny bird can have such a huge personality. She has settled down quite a bit now and only is really chatty in the am and late afternoon.

She has been quite entertaining in the 2 weeks that I have had her. Most info you read on the web talks about their limited (if any) ability to talk. I have to disagree. At least in her case. She often mimics what we are saying or whistling, to her, and comes up with other things we have no idea about.

She has been a great addition. Looks like she will be staying awhile!