Wildlife Tips | Snug Harbor Wildlife

Wildlife In Your Home?

We have tips for most situations you could be facing. In this section you will find information on each species and ways that you can safely and humanely get the animal out of your home.

Found Baby/Injured Wildlife

Wildlife in Your Yard?

PLEASE CALL US IMMEDIATELY, DO NOT FEED OR GIVE WATER.

(803) 226-7555

(803) 767-8974

We will list main reasons for why wildlife may be attracted toward your home, things to check for, humane ways to have them move along.

SAFETY FIRST!

Snug Harbor Wildlife is here to help in anyway possible. With the tips you find on this page, some are just for educational purposes. If you have any doubts or questions about a situation you are facing do not hesitate to call. Approaching wildlife yourself can put you and the animal in harms way. If you are ever absolutely needing to approaching wildlife please wear proper protection. This is for the safety of the animal as well as yourself and your family. Wildlife can be very unpredictable. We offer our services free of charge being a non-profit, have people who specialize in humane eviction of animals. If it is a situation that neither of us are able to handle, we will always get you to somebody more equipped for the job.

Orphaned Wildlife

Most healthy wildlife can be reunited with their mother. There are very important things that must be checked off before determining if that baby can survive even if mom comes back to get it.

**IF YOU HAVE AN ANIMAL IN YOUR CARE NOW PLEASE CALL US SO WE CAN WALK YOU TROUGH THIS IN REAL TIME TO GIVE THIS BABY THEIR BEST CHANCES.**

Do Not Attempt To Reunite If:

There are any injuries.

The baby is cold/wet.

There were flies swarming the baby when found.

If the baby was found by a cat. (Cat saliva is toxic even if no breaks in the skin)

There is a deceased adult nearby.

You/other person has attempted to feed/water the baby.

Most wildlife will retrieve their young if given the chance, however opossum moms are NOT one of those. If you ever find an opossum baby/juvenile please contact us and send us pictures so we can determine its age.

Most fawns found alone never need assistance. Mothers leave their young in the early morning hours to go forage, leaving their babies in what they believe is a safe area. While areas we find them in do not seem safe, it is in their genes to stay put in that area until their mother returns that evening.

When coming across a fawn left alone, the best thing to do is to stand back and observe. On average, the mother will return briefly during the day to nurse her young around dawn and again around dusk. Once the baby is about a month old they will begin to venture out with their mother.

Signs that a baby fawn needs help:

Wandering around for hours crying out.

Has injuries.

Has flies on or around it.

Deceased mother nearby-

This situation can be unique with deer. Other nursing mothers in the family often adopt orphaned fawns. As long as there are no other warning signs listed above, you can observe to see if another doe adopts the fawn.

If you are ever unsure, call us before stepping in. We are happy to look at pictures, videos or even come look at the baby in person before ever attempting to remove the baby from its location.

If you are reading this and have already brought the fawn home or removed it from the area and it has no other warning signs or injuries, you can take it back to the exact location where you found it to see if mom returns. They will take the baby back even after being touched.

Observing for these behaviors or waiting for mom to return can take patience, she may have seen you nearby and be cautious to approach if you are still in sight.

If you have to remove the baby from the area, it is crucial that you do NOT feed, give any milk supplements and especially not water. The way deer's stomachs are designed water can cause a lot of digestive issues for a nursing fawn. Do not handle or hold it longer than absolutely necessary doing so causes unnecessary stress and can lead to capture myopathy. Getting the fawn into a quiet dark area where they can remain calm until we can make a lan to get it to a rehabber.

Baby opossums stay in their mother's pouch until they are three months old. Even at three months old they are only about the size of a mouse. Once they start coming out of the pouch they will ride on their mother's backs and often fall off without her noticing, and she will not return for them.

Opossums are North America's only marsupial. Being that they are marsupials they do not suckle or nurse like most SC native wildlife. When orphaned opossums are found and brought into a wildlife rehabilitator they HAVE to be tube fed- this is another important reason why we urge never to feed any babies regardless of species that you may find.

How do you know when they need to be helped?

Any baby that is under 8" from nose to beginning of tail needs to come in to a wildlife rehabilitator.

If there are injuries.

Flies or flystrike present.

Please always remember to stop and check opossums on the side of the road. Babies may still be in the pouch attached to the mom's teets or may be hanging on to her fur or scattered around nearby.

If you have to remove the babies from the mother's teets, pinch at the base of her teet and firmly grasp it while pulling the baby back slowly. We can always guide you through this process on the phone.

Keep the babies bundled together and warm until we can make a plan to get these babies from you. Infant opossums CANNOT suckle or drink from a syringe or bottle. They have to be tube fed so it is even more critical not to try to feed them.

Baby squirrels are probably the most commonly found wildlife. Between yardwork, tree services, storms, and household cats, most people will encounter a baby squirrel at some point in their life.

Squirrel moms are amazing at retrieving their babies. Here are the most common scenarios...

Baby Squirrel Fell From Nest/Tree cut:

As baby squirrels begin to squirm they fall out of their nests quite often. Moms come and go from their nests throughout the day and if given the chance will retrieve their babies.

The baby needs to be checked thoroughly for injuries, any bruising, cuts, or bloodied nose call a rehabber immediately. If the baby is cold to the touch call us immediately. Warming the baby must be done carefully and slowly to not send the squirrel into shock and to make sure they do not get too hot. Placing the squirrel on a soft blanket/shirt inside of a box and placing the box ON TOP of the heating pad on the LOWEST setting.

Do not attempt to feed or give water or any milk replacers!

If the baby seems uninjured, place in a box that mom can get in/out of and leave at the base of the tree (or location where the tree was cut) and allow 5-8 hours for her to retrieve. We have found that the most successful time frame has been around 4:30-8:30 when moms are returning to their nest for the night. You do not want to leave them on the ground if there are ants present, cats or dogs in the area that can bother them, in direct sunlight or iffy weather conditions (too hot, too cold, raining etc.)

With a tree being cut down, you can still try to reunite with the mom. Squirrels (and raccoons too) have 2-3 back up nests nearby and will relocate them to their back up nest if given the chance. This can take the mother longer to retrieve them as she goes to check her other nests to make sure they are safe.

We always recommend keeping an eye on the box from a window or distance to see if you see mom check on them. A lot of times mom will come look at them, leave and come back- she will check her other nesting locations first before going to move them to that nest.

IF YOU EVER ARE UNSURE on what to do or want to double check, PLESE CALL OR TEXT us we can walk you through things to look for, facetime etc. to make sure we are taking the right steps for the situation at hand.

Approached by a Squirrel:

Its not uncommon for an orphaned or lost squirrel to approach people.

Our first steps are to look for injuries, look around for nests, signs of mom (alive or deceased). Babies will often come out the nest if something has happened to mom and she has not returned in some time to look for her or food.

Call us so we can get pictures/videos of the animal and help check the area to see if the squirrel needs to come into our care.

*With raccoons being rabies vector species, we do urge complete caution IF you have to handle the animal, yes even baby raccoons. Please make sure to wear gloves or have several layers of blankets or a towel when picking the animal up to ensure no saliva contact.*

Raccoon's are very intuitive and protective mothers, who do not leave their young for very long. If you find a baby raccoon on the ground or with out its mother. Stand back and observe for a few moments (unless you see obvious signs of danger or that the baby is injured). If the baby is not already crying out for its mother, playing sounds of baby raccoons will help alert mom that one of her babies is out of the nest.

To reunite this depends on the age of the baby, weather conditions, and location where he/she was found. Keeping any baby warm during reunification is one of the most important things. You can use the water bottle method (wrapped in a blanket so baby is not directly against the heated bottle), or rice sock etc. place these and the baby in a box, strapping the box into the tree where the nest/den is and play baby noises. For older babies you may be trying to follow you, you can use a laundry basket to set over them, placing a weight or something on top of the basket that will hold them in place, but mom will be able to move to get to her baby. All of these methods you need to keep close eyes on from a healthy distance to make sure that the mom is coming to get them, cats are not bothering them or any other predators. Male raccoons will come and kill the young to make their mother go back into heat again, playing the crying noises could attract a nearby male as well.

If reuniting has failed get the baby to a safe quiet area, avoiding handling as much as possible, and keep warm in a box or a crate. Reach out to your local wildlife rehab or rescue asap. Remember DO NOT FEED the babies!

**UNDER CONSTRUCTION**

Please call us if you found a sick/orphaned animal or haven't found the information you needed here. There is no question or situation that is not worth the call! We are always happy to help!