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Understanding Baby Mammals
By Elena Fox, Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator
Baby mammals should be regarded in much the same way as birds -- remember
that mammal moms can leave their nests unattended for many hours.
Unless you see obvious injuries or know for a fact that a nest of
baby bunnies, or squirrels, or other small mammals has been orphaned,
leave them undisturbed. Their best chance of survival is to be cared
for by their mother. If their nest has been destroyed, place the babies
in a box in a safe place near where they were found and let their
mother find them. You may never see her, but check on them in 24 hours
and if they are warm and plump, she is doing her job. Remember, their
mother's milk is vastly different than anything we can use to substitute,
and it changes composition each day, as the babies get older. A mother
hare can feed her young once in 12 hours, but we must feed orphans
every 45 minutes around the clock to approximate her rich milk.
very special cases cause a great deal of confusion in the spring --
fawns and seal pups. In nearly all cases both should be left alone.
Both species of babies are routinely left unattended for 6, 10, even
15 hours at a time. A fawn may lie for hours beside a busy road and
even fail to respond to your approach. This is completely normal.
The mother is likely nearby watching for you to leave.
The same applies to seal pups; a pup alone in a small tidal pool for
a day could appear to be cause for concern. The pup may even seem
lethargic or "sick," but, as with the fawn, this is normal behavior
and the mom will likely return to care for her baby. With seals, an
added incentive to help you resist interfering is the law. Marine
mammals are protected and individuals can be fined into the many thousands
of dollars for "molesting" them, which can mean coming within 100
YARDS. Give them a wide berth for both your sakes.
You can help most by educating other people. You can also help keep
dogs and children away from the area, and you can talk yourself into
staying away too. Your attentions can place the baby in danger by
frightening the mother and attracting predators. It is hard to do
nothing when we suspect an animal needs help. But, we should err on
the side of caution when a misread of the situation could put us between
a wild mother and her baby.
If you have concerns or questions -- If you find a baby and you aren't
sure if you should do something, call us for assistance. We care about
them too, and together we can give wildlife the greatest chance of
living a free and vigorous life.
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