Baby season is underway!
Here are a few helpful reminders if you find a baby you believe to be orphaned:
Avoid kidnapping! Many wild mothers (especially deer and rabbits) leave their little ones unattended for long periods of time. The mothers are out foraging, and their babies are often safer in a den or nest rather than with her. Unless a baby is obviously injured or has fly eggs or maggots on it, call us before intervening and we'll help determine if Mom is still caring for her young.
Always choose reunite over rescue. Even though we try our best, wild babies are always better off being raised by their mothers. Many situations can leave them separated from their parents but not truly orphaned. Consult your local rehabber for advice on reuniting baby birds, squirrels, goslings, and more with their mothers before bringing them in.
DO NOT FEED or give water. Unfortunately the majority of babies we take in that are fed by finders before coming to us don’t make it or require significant medical care to recover. Improper feeding methods can lead to deadly aspiration pneumonia. Incorrect diets cause bloating, diarrhea, and nutritional deficiencies. Feeding babies that are hypothermic or dehydrated can lead to death as their bodies are unable to digest the food in that state.
So what should you do?
Place the baby in a warm, dry, quiet place and call your local rehabber immediately.
Give them a little time to respond - we're all stretched thin during baby season.
Welcome to SPRING! It came hopping along early this year with (so far) 18 neonate bunnies. Also 15 baby raccoons, a couple baby squirrels, and a few baby birds have been trickling in. All of these babies are cute, but very time-consuming. The raccoons are bottle fed every four hours, including all night long. While the baby bunnies only need fed two to three times a day, they can be slow eaters and each feeding can take over an hour.
The best part of an early spring is getting to release a lot of critters that we had to keep over the winter. Everything from raptors (hawks, owls, and eagles) to a muskrat, squirrels, and a young female red fox I had the privilege of nursing back to health. The fox came to us in December after being hit by a car on I-70 near Palisade. Some kind people picked her up and brought her to us late one evening. She was unconscious and was suffering from head trauma, but luckily didn’t have a lot of other major injuries. Dr. Bingham had me do an IV drip, pain meds, and anti-inflammatories for brain swelling. By the next day, she was semi-conscious so I could assess a little better. Being hit in the head left her with jaw issues, so she was syringe fed a special soft diet for debilitated mammals. By the fourth day, she could sit up some. Unfortunately, she was blind and deaf from the severe head trauma. I continued to hand-feed and Dr. Bingham had me go back to drug therapy for the brain swelling. This went on for about two weeks before she started to markedly improve. Eventually she was standing, walking, and able to eat on her own. I moved her out of the ICU and into a large cage inside a semi-heated room. With the head trauma, she still needed to be kept temperature regulated, not in the frigid outdoor winter temps. By March, her hearing, eyesight, and all other behaviors had returned to normal. On a beautiful sunny day in mid-April, she was released. She jumped down out of the carrier in the bed of the truck, went around smelling the ground, and then took off into the brush. Yeah!!! This is why we do what we do!
I hope everybody’s spring started as happy as mine!
SAVE THE DATE! Our annual 5K is set for Saturday, October 18th.
Exciting news on that front as well, Rifle Recreation and EcoPoint have resurrected our local charity race series! There are awesome prizes for people who participate in at least 5 races, check out the schedule below!
Our busy beavers need a place to go!
Beavers are amazing! These hard-working rodents are a keystone species, creating water, food, and habitat for other wildlife. Their dams protect and preserve waterways in the face of runoff and drought. Unfortunately, beavers are much maligned by some, and that makes it hard for us to find great spots to release them. If you or someone you know is willing to have beavers released on your property, please contact us!
What we look for in a beaver release site:
· Large acreage and/or bordering public lands so the beavers can find the perfect dam site without ending up at an unwilling neighbor’s house
· A water source that runs at least a little bit mostly year-round
· Willows, aspens, cottonwoods, etc. near the streamside that are okay to be felled
Stay connected with PSSWF!
Website: www.psswf.org/
Facebook: /PSSWF
Bluesky: @psswildlife
Instagram: @pss_wildlife
Email: psswildlifefoundation@gmail.com
Phone: call or text (970) 896-6895
Board of Directors
Executive Director: Nanci L. Limbach
Chairman of the Board: Al King
President: Nanci L. Limbach
Vice President: Dr. Paul Bingham
Secretary: Karen Roberts
Treasurer: Nanci L. Limbach
Director of Vet Services: Dr. Paul Bingham
Member: Walt Geister
Member: Cat Martin
Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation
Home of the Western Colorado Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
PSSWF is a Not for Profit 501 (c) 3 dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation. Our mission is to provide quality, professional care to injured and orphaned wildlife, in conjunction with educational programs on wildlife and the environment. The Foundation relies solely on public funding. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please donate at www.psswf.org/donate.
Annual contributions of $100 or more add you to our mailing list for quarterly newsletters. Your contributions are tax deductible and a letter of 501 (c) 3 verification is available upon request. No contribution is too small or too large! THANK YOU!!!