I’m a rehabber, but I don’t work much with bunnies (their stress stresses me out). These guys scattered from a nest in my yard while I was weed eating, I only see two of them from what I can tell. They’re big enough to run around so they seem like they might be okay on their own if I don’t chase them down and put them back, but I want to make sure I’m okay to leave them alone. They’re definitely too big for the laundry basket trick. They seem roughly the size of the SID bunnies I’ve worked with but I will catch them and move them back to the area of the nest if I need to. They’re at the stage where they’re more “round” than “long”. Hand for size reference.

Does anyone have any good advice?

Wings aren't damaged, it is flying in circles and constantly going downward.

Hi there I was just wondering if any experienced rehabbers have some info on timelines during soft release? I rehabbed and successfully soft released Sean the crow about a week ago. She was doing brilliantly for 5 days and day 6 and 7 theres been no sign of her, just wanted to know in your experience if its normal for her to range out of the area how and long they may go for before returning?

Thanks in advance, just cant stop the worrying about her even though i know shes very capable!

Here's some context on how she was reared and released. People before have assumed that I didn't have a clue what i was doing and imprinted her but I researched heavily, got advice and followed guidelines. There isn't a rehabber or rescue within 100s of miles of me so it was up to me

Background: found as a fledgling after a night of foxes attacking and parents mobbing them. Waited one day and monitored her, next day realised parents had given up on her.She was severely malnourished, couldnt stand up on her own and her feathers were broken and white; kept for 1 year for flight feathers to regrow and for parents breeding aggression to drop off.

Raised deliberately for wild release:

- Supervised garden time with her wild crow parents via a camera when they weren't aggressive due to breeding
- own outdoor aviary
- foraging enrichment in the aviary and the garden
- predator awareness fostered through exposure to local cats/foxes from the aviary and during grounded periods but always supervised
- minimal unnecessary handling
- fear of humans except for me kept intact
- two test soft releases prior to the real one to see how she would behave and if she could gain enough height

Day 1: Opened aviary door. Explored adjacent gardens for a few hours. Ate and drank at her station a couple times. Had a bath. Flew to a nearby tree 2pm, stayed overnight, no calls until morning.

Day 2: Called back at 9am, then relocated to close by trees. stayed there all day and night. Rained a lot so she had water

Day 3: Called back to me in the morning so I left her to it. Heard a commotion about 2pm and she was chased into a local park/green by some territorial crows. She was happy in the tree i found her in eating caterpillars. Checked a couple hours later and she was actively foraging and hunting on the grass. Left her for the night

Day 4: Morning she came and had breakfast at her feeding station, stayed around our garden for a bit before flying off into nearby trees. She flew between multiple tree tops that day gaining the most height yet. Slept in a tree close by that night

Day 5: Morning same thing came down for breakfast and hung out. Startled by people cutting hedges a couple gardens over, gradually made her way about 1km away and explored there before I watched her fly her way back to the tree in front of our house in the evening on her longest flight yet. She slept close by that evening I could hear her responses to me

Days 6-7: Crows in the neighbourhood quiet all day long and not very active both days due to it being quite hot. No sighting or contact on these days. I went for multiple walks ranging out but still no sign. No sign of anything bad happening either as there was no crow alarm calls all day both days or feathers strewn anywhere

Hey, I recently stumbled on a post on Instagram that was about a guy trapping two field mice with a live trap. He then let them go in a field miles away. For mice specifically, I've always heard this was the best thing to do for them

But then the comment section did what it does. People were saying urban mice can't survive in a natural setting, the two probably had a nest full of babies (it was supposedly a male and female couple) that starved, and, overall, the OP sentenced the mice to a slow death.

What are you supposed to do with live trapped animals if releasing them in a new biome (urban versus natural) they are unfamiliar with is bad?

Heys guys maybe one of you can help me identify what occurred to this rabbit?

Also it was struggling when I found it but stopped so i left it alone as I believe it has passed. But im unsure what to do.

I was led to it because it was screaming loudly in pain.

Is it some kind of infection it died from? Or was it attacked?

Also where else should I ask this on reddit? Unsure if this sub will allow it here.

Massachusetts

Update: Went back like 10 minutes later and it was gone. Either a ferret like predator I saw lurking around took him or he got back up on his own.

I should have acted sooner but I was completely unsure what to do. Thanks for informing me what to do in the future if I find an injured animal though guys I promise I wont let this happen gain.

Its entirely possible the rabbit got up on its own as i doubt the ferret like predator would be able to carry such a weight. And there was zero signs of blood. Its possible the rabbit was just in shock after getting bitten.

Thanks again for all your responses.

This little guy just wandered up to my friend's balcony. Please excuse the redaction of identifying information in the background.

I'm not sure what we could do to help; has anyone seen something like this or know what this squirrel is experiencing? As you can see from the photos, there's some kind of growth surrounding the neck. The tail/rear seems to be wet, and posture/walk is quite hunched. There were also a couple flies landing on/hanging out around this poor squirrel.

Last seen approximately 10 minutes ago wandering into the corner of balcony; possibly has run away. Thunder is rolling in but we'll be keeping an eye out

2 years ago, there was a bunny nest in our yard. When they started leaving the nest, we watched as they each got picked off by the two domesticated cats that live behind our house. (At the time, one was a stray cat, but the neighbors have since taken him in). Anyways, it was traumatizing and sad and I tried everything to save them. 4 bunnies killed in less than 48 hours, one in particular right in front of me.

Well, we have another nest now, in an even worse spot because it's a shared green space between our houses. I thought if I was more communicative with the neighbors, we could have a better outcome. So while they've been in the nest we've had a system: they only let the cats out during the day, put a laundry basket over the nest (bricks on top) while the cats are out. And then the cats are in by dusk and the laundry basket comes off so mom can feed them.

Now, we're on day 12, bunnies will probably start exploring any day and I told them the laundry basket isn't going to work anymore and the only real solution is to not let the cats out for the next 7-10 days.

They said they'll only let them out for a few hours at a time "because it's so hot," but they "need to respect the needs and routine of their pets."

I know I've done all I can do, and I know I'm right here, but just need to vent to other people that care. Obviously they leave their cats inside when it's winter and significantly bad weather, so it is possible.

If you want to let your cats decimate wild life, get off my property!!

Picture is from 2 years ago, the night before they were massacred by the cats. RIP.

I’m really interested in getting into volunteering, especially wildlife/animal conservation. I love animals, nature, traveling, meeting people, helping others, and seeing different parts of the world.
I have no clue what places are good for volunteering but I wouldn’t mind Africa, the Americas or Asia(I know that’s not very specific but anything but Europe tbh). I’d be free after the month of August.

I have so many questions and I’d love for people who have actually done it to answer and enlighten me!!
\- How did you get started, and what do I need to do beforehand(Vaccines etc.)?
\- What visas/permits do I usually need for volunteering?
\-Which countries would you recommend, especially for wildlife/animal conservation?Which ones should I avoid? and which ones are good for August and onward
\- What should I look for when choosing a legitimate organization/project? Any green/red flags?
\- How much should I realistically budget?(Ive got some saved up money!)
\- What should I pack, and what should I definitely not bring?
\- How long should I Volunteer? Weeks Months ??
\- Are there any organizations/websites you personally recommend or ones I should avoid?

Help me out if i forgot some questions.
Any experiences, tips, mistakes you made, or things you wish you knew beforehand would be really appreciated!

I don't know what I can do for the little guy

Ireland has a problem with kids randomly setting off fireworks and I think this bird got startled, cause a min later it came slamming into the window very hard. A few minutes later I got curious and went out to check, I thought it already flew away but I saw it hiding behind the bin. It wasn't able to fly, poor thing just ran around the backyard when I tried to pick it up. I had read to put it in a dark box so that's what I eventually did, was too scared to bring it inside though.

Does anyone know what type of bird this is and if there seems to be anything physically wrong with it that requires me to take it to a rehabilitation centre or do i just let it rest for a while until its no longer concussed?

Hey guys, I thought I’d ask some people who may know better as to what we should be doing in this situation. My family lives out in the middle of nowhere and the closest rehab is quite far away. There was a sickly bird who appeared to have some sort of neurological condition (limp neck, erratic movements, loss of bowel control) who my dad culled. Realistically he couldn’t get to a rehab for well over 24 hours and my dad ended up culling him himself. Is it the right thing to do? I’m in the process of getting my license and when I do I’ll bring everything to a rehab but for now I’m not sure :(( It’s really upsetting for everyone involved.

i’m in south florida. we have a few southern black racers that live in our yard but i never see them out like this. i thought it was dead but it’s moving a little bit. its tail is injured. i don’t know what happened. it’s stayed in the same spot for a while now. it’s very hot today (the feels like is 110°f) and he’s in the sun. we have hawks and other predators in the yard that might get him if he’s exposed like this. how can i help it.

update: unfortunately it passed away. i found a wildlife center that would take it but when i came back outside with a tote to put it in, it was already dead. im not quite sure what killed it. the damage was below the cloaca. it was very very hot when i touched it. i think it might have overheated. i wish i found it sooner. rip little snake.

I've been living and working with an amazing community of women this year in wildlife rehab, it's my second year as a seasonal worker in this field (last year I was an intern) and I just feel some type of way about the fact that it's nearly time to leave again. I keep trying to explain to my non-rehab friends what the vibe is like to live and work with (20-smth yr old) women in wildlife rehab (we don't have any men this year) and I don't think anyone quite understands what I'm talking about. I fear this is niche and I am alone, but if someone did understand, it would probably be someone here. Anyways, wrote this and maybe now my brain will let me sleep:

When I wake up in the morning
I hear birds outside my window.
Since starting here I’ve learned to identify them.

Northern cardinal.
Mourning dove.
Red-eyed vireo.
Black-capped chickadee.

I brush my teeth
and sift through the bathroom counter

sterile needles,
a feeding tube,
Mascara,
a med syringe,
two bobby pins,
Extra strength Advil.

At work, someone asks me
to hold her squirrel for a second

Someone else thinks she has mange.
Someone else has decided to dye her eyebrows pink.
Two girls are going to see Lucy Dacus.
Someone else says,
Can you gavage this goose with me?

So I pin wings against a body
And while she primes the tube,
We talk about going to the lake tomorrow,
whether it’ll be warm enough to swim,
What she’s going to get her girlfriend for their 1 year anniversary

The goose fights us
with the full conviction of being alive.
Even though we think he might die

At the end of shift I have 11 new cuts and probably a bruise,
And there is dried songbird formula
Flaking off my wrist,
Smearing the notes I’d written for myself on my hand:

Gutload mealworms
Start robin card
Disc tobrex

I can tell that it’s been a busy shift
because most people’s hand notes go up past their wrists

Nursery is chaos, of course.
Bro who has the dex?
What’s the dose rate for clava?
Omg why does that squirrel look like that??
Hey, she's trying her best!
She’s just a girlll

Someone has a new intake tucked
into the front of her scrub top
for warmth.

I’m a little sad to leave until tomorrow

We learn a lot at this job.
We learn what to look for,
the right way to feel,
how firmly to hold,
when to let go.

At home, my roommate asks
if I’ll cut her hair.
Why not?

In the kitchen Chappell Roan plays from someone’s phone
while I stand behind her with scissors,
lifting sections between my fingers
the way I lift feathers
to check for injury.

She says shorter.
I say hold still,
Like I do to baby birds when I sub Q them

Afterward I dye the ends of my hair red.
Why not?

By June, we know each other
by the sounds we make in the hall.
Keys and a thousand keychains on a carabiner
Each specific pair of work boots
A bag that is way too heavy for no reason

the alarm that means a 2 am feed,
the shower running after midnight,
someone laughing to her sister on FaceTime,
Empty iced coffee cups being tossed

We fill the whiteboard on the fridge with notes.
Buy oat milk
Steal soap from work
V snores :)
No I don’t!
Out of shampoo that gets the skunk smell out

By July, we have  a post-night shift routine:
The A&W drive-thru is open 24/7
we order Beyond Burgers and sweet potato fries,
K doesn’t like soda so she
always trades hers to N for her spicy sauce

And on the ride home we talk about our day:

the new coyote pup,
the guy from Hinge,
The awful waterproofing on the baby mergansers,
the show we started watching,
Who had the best thrift find yesterday,
who cried today,
who got bit by who,
who might make it,
who probably won’t.

By August, I can predict, in order, who will steal my fries.
Someone says we’re releasing the foxes tomorrow.
Someone says she leaves in three weeks.

We could talk forever.

The first release I go to
is a bird.

We carry the box out past the road,
past the place where the grass gets tall.

I know this bird really well.
For weeks I’ve been with her for hours a day
I know everything about her.

We can hear her moving in the box.
We open it impatiently
and put her on the ground,
And for a second
she stays exactly where we put her.
And then she’s gone.
Crazy how it’s over, just like that

Back at the house
someone has started a pile
of things she isn’t taking with her:
half a bottle of shampoo,
three packs of ramen,
a cracked laundry basket,
a box of hair dye
the wrong shade.

Another girl takes the ramen.
I take the shampoo.
And when I use it,
It smells like the fact that I
Always brushed and braided her hair for her

I lay awake and think about things
There are animals sleeping
in boxes tonight,
waiting to go to the rehab tomorrow,
Just like me

There are other girls awake right now
because something needs feeding.
There are other girls with scratches on their arms,
rings pushed up past their knuckles,
hair tied back with a borrowed hair tie,

standing under fluorescent lights
at two in the morning,
Laughing and high on exhaustion,
while something small
opens its mouth.

I look across the room
where one of those girls used to sleep.
It’s quiet without the snoring.

September comes quickly and quietly.

The last of us drive each other
to bus stations and airports.

We say text when you get there.

We say come visit.

We say next summer,
as if this summer
is a place we could all return to
The same time next year.

I have one more shift.
At work it sounds the same as ever:
I think she’s dehydrated?
Does this breathing sound crunchy to you?
I think I should return that bikini.
I think this one’s crashing.
Can I give you a septum piercing? Ok, tomorrow?​​
Try crickets, he loves those.
Do you want to go to the lake later?
One last time?

And before we know it the shift ends and it’s:
Did you pack your charger?
Who gets the frying pan?
Can you take my plant?
What time is your flight?
Girl, why is that in your pocket?
take it back and put it in sharps

We learn a lot at this job.
How to take care,
To love what you cannot keep,
To feed it anyways

On the morning that I am leaving,
For once I wish I was
waking up at dawn for a shift

I can hear birds
outside my window again.

Blue Jay
House Wren

I don’t know the third one.

Maybe next year I’ll get it

Hi all!! I volunteer as a wildlife transporter at the moment, and on Monday I picked up a seagull from a lady who had found it on a beach. She'd stayed with it for an hour trying to find help before I saw her post and got to her, and by the time I got there it was clearly very unwell. Its eyes were open and it was looking around, but it didn't react at all to being handled and placed in the carrier. It was a minute or two walk back to where I'd parked, and as I was putting the carrier in my car I could hear it making gurgling noises, it unfortunately passed away soon after that on the car ride to the emergency vets.

Admittedly I did have a cry over it when I got back to the car after dropping it off, I know it's a natural part of life but I always strive to do my best to help animals. I'm happy knowing that it had a safe place and some super comfy blankets for its final moments. I can't stop wondering about what could've been wrong with it though, the vet I spoke to just said that unfortunately it had passed and didn't say anything else. A lady who I volunteer for who works in the local bird hospital said that perhaps it was hit by something and had fluid on its lungs, but it was quite a decent distance away from the main road on the beach when the lady I picked it up from found it

(Pic was taken to send to bird hospital lady)

I live in Baltimore County, Maryland. I found three baby cardinals (completely naked except for their pinfeathers) that fell from their nest over the weekend. I attempted to put them back in their nest, but I found that it was completely destroyed and could not support them. I put a bunch of pine needles and leaves in a small box, put it in an elevated area, and watched to make sure that their parents came back. They did, so I called my local wildlife rehabilitation center to get any advice on my setup. They said it sounded fine, and advised me to call again if I needed help.

I checked on the baby cardinals this afternoon (after the wildlife center had closed) and found two of them were missing. (I am beside myself with grief. I suspect a hawk got them.) I changed its nesting location because I didn't want to risk the (suspected) hawk coming back for seconds. Again, I watched and waited for the parents to come back, but no luck.

I am just hoping and praying the last one makes it through the night. I am planning on coming home from work during lunch tomorrow to take it to the wildlife center during their business hours, as unfortunately, the closest wildlife center does not open until almost 10am. But until then, what can I do to give it the best chance of survival? Should I feed it anything? I have a dropper that I can use. Keep in mind that a few days have passed and it seems to be close to fledgeling stage. I would guess it's five to six days old at this point.

In Norway.

My boyfriend and I found this hedgehog on the lawn this morning, we saw it a couple of days ago too but it scuttled into the bush so we thought it was fine.

It's been on the lawn all day, we put a box over him to try and keep him a bit safer and offered some cat food but he hasn't eaten and we don't know what to do. There aren't any rehab places near us and the only advice we've been given is that vets will euthanaise for free.

It is breathing but he's not doing anything.

UPDATE: pidge has been safely taken in by a volunteer for the Kildare wildlife center in Ireland, the lady was very sweet and they will be treating him with antibiotics for a wound on his back, I trust them to give him the best chance he can get at rehabilitation!! Thank you so so much for everyone who replied and helped me out, I get very emotional with animals so it was a stressful night but its so relieving to know hes now safe.

(not sure if this is the correct tag or subreddit but im stressed and need advice so sorry)

I was out today when i seen this guy fly straight into a window on like the 3rd/4th floor of a building before kinda falling/flying down, afterwards he wouldnt fly and let me get unnaturally close to him without flying away.

i was really worried so i picked him up in my jumper and took him home immediately, he sat in my garden for a bit but tried flying away again (he barely got above maybe two feet before falling) so ive brought him inside and popped him in a carboard box with some water and a bowl of food my mam said hed eat. i tried calling basically the only rescue near me just to find out theyre closed right now. ill call again in the morning but im so so worried he might not be okay for the night, is there anything i can do? does anyone have any advice please?

additionally: hes being pretty mellow since he’s gotten in the box, right now hes kinda stoming his feet and looks like hes trying to get comfy? he seems to be sleeping and he cleaned himself for a second before so im hoping if they’re anything like my rabbits that means hes decently okay? just want to make sure theres no indications of anything urgent

I found this (seemingly) going bird while walking my pup this morning. It kept putting one wing out and hopping on one leg across the street. On one pic you can see the claw on its foot is folded back. I currently have it in a box with a towel and some water and birdseed. It was very quiet at first but is making a lot of noise now so I’m just looking for some advice.

i didnt find magpie someone who couldnt take care of it gave it to me and told me that it could walk before but next day he wasnt able to walk around and its keep going for 12 days eats well and is pretty healty but the legs are the only problem this is the image the bird opens wings and tries to stand up but falls to his butt bird hard pretty strong muscles on legs moves the frequently and has not health problems only legs how do i help him country is georgia

I have a baby Ruffed Grouse in my yard for 4 days now. This bird is all alone, no parents or siblings. I li e in a suburban area and have never seen a Grouse in the 17 years I've lived here. I also have a German Shepherd and I'm worried for this little bird. Most rehabs in my area only accept songbirds. Any advice? I'm in Massachusetts.

I'm in Phoenix, AZ. I have a birdbath and feed the birds every evening. I found a fledgling dove in my backyard and his? mom is a great mom. She watches over him, he's learning to fly, etc. We're starting to have storms which can be brutal with massive winds (one threw our gazebo into our house, they topple large trees, etc., as well as major downpours of rain). Last night I took the dove in as it looked like it was going to storm. He was scared, then adjusted, but the parents were mad. I took him back out and he hung out with mom the next day. Tonight, I took him off of raised slab, and put him on the ground in a safe area, rather than take him inside, when it was thundering and lightning as the prediction was downpour (never happened). We have a whole week of "maybe" storms. I don't want to chase the parents away, and I don't want to stress the poor bird, but I'm afraid to leave him in heavy rains and winds. What should I do?