Found an Animal?
Many well-meaning people rescue an orphaned mammal or bird that does not need to be rescued.
DO NOT rescue wildlife and then keep (kidnap) the bird or animal for a possible pet. State and federal laws protect nearly all wild mammals and birds. It is against the law to possess the animal or bird or the nests, feathers, or eggs of a bird without special permits.
In addition, dietary needs of each species of bird and animal are different and it is almost impossible to duplicate their needs in captivity without special training. TWRC receives many irreparably damaged birds and animals because the rescuer tried to keep it as a pet and did not know how to provide for it properly.
It is not true that mammals or birds will always reject their young once they have been handled by humans. Nonetheless, the handling of wild babies should be avoided or kept to a minimum. Handling by humans can be stressful to the animal. Also, the human scent can sometimes attract predators seeking food.
Below are things you can do to help a wild creature in trouble:
Temporary Care Instructions for All Animals:
- Never pick up any wild animal/bird with your bare hands. Only adults should handle a wild animal. Wear gloves and use a stick, broom or rolled up newspaper to push the animal into an appropriately-sized, secure box with a blanket, t-shirt or paper towel on the bottom. Make sure the box has holes in the lid. DO NOT put the animal into a plastic bag.
- Do not give the animal any food or liquids. Feeding an animal an incorrect diet can result in injury or death. Also, a captured animal will get food and water stuck in its fur/feathers potentially leading to discomfort and hypothermia.
- If an animal or bird has been caught by a cat, please take it to the Center immediately. Even if wounds are not visible, the animal or bird needs to be given antibiotics.
- Keep the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place. Darkness makes the animal feel more secure. The box can be placed half on and half off a heating pad set on low. If the animal gets too warm it can move to the other end of the box.
- Leave the animal alone. Remember human noise, touch and eye contact are very stressful to wild animals.
- Keep children and pets away. BE CAREFUL! An animal that is hurt or frightened may bite.
- Take the animal to the Center or call TWRC at 713-468-8972 for further assistance.
- Can I raise it myself?
- Can I keep it as a pet?
More information on rescuing a specific animal:
Armadillos
The nine-banded (Texas) armadillo is a mammal, its closest living relatives are sloths and anteaters. The Texas armadillo is about the size of a large cat; its overall length is about 2½ feet, and adults weigh from twelve to seventeen pounds.
The most easily recognized feature of an armadillo is its shell. All armadillos have shells, made of bone, that cover their backs. They rely on speed or their digging ability to escape danger.
Armadillos are built to dig. They have short, strong legs that are well suited to rapid digging, either for food or for shelter. They have strong claws and while they are generally non-aggressive, their claws can be dangerous.
Armadillos are basically a nondestructive animal except in yards, gardens, and under decks. Generally, damage is temporary since once the armadillo has exhausted its food supply, it usually moves on. The armadillo's diet consists chiefly of insects, grubs, and spiders, though it also eats such foods as earthworms, small amphibians, and reptiles. Fortunately for us, like its cousin the anteater, armadillos are one of the few animals that will take on fire ants and may help remove them.
Mature females mate in late summer and autumn and give birth the following spring to identical quadruplets which are born fully formed with their eyes open.
Armadillos are not considered a high-risk species for rabies.
When rescuing an armadillo:
- If you find a baby armadillo, the best thing you can do for it is to leave it alone. Odds are that most of the time the armadillo's mother is nearby and she will take care of the baby herself.
- If you know for sure that the mother is not there to help that is, in cases where the mother has been killed by a car or if it is an adult armadillo that is injured:
- Always use gloves, a towel or a rolled up piece of paper. Scoot the animal into a box.
- Call TWRC for assistance (713.468.8972)
Also see Found An Animal
Keeping Armadillos Out of Your Yard
Trapping is not a long-term solution, as another armadillo will just move in. Armadillos will attempt to dig out of traps, ruining their feet. And a homeowner may successfully trap and get rid of an adult armadillo, only to leave behind baby armadillos that will die under the porch, house or deck.
To eliminate unwanted armadillos:
- Ask a lawn and garden expert for advice on how to get grubs out of your garden or flowerbeds.
- Simply make the areas they dig in smell bad to the armadillo. Armadillos have very sensitive noses. Placing mothballs around the areas or a rag or old socks soaked in ammonia and placed in the burrow area will keep them away.
If these methods prove unsuccessful, please contact TWRC for dimensions of exclusion devices.
Fun Facts About Armadillos
- Contrary to popular belief, the nine-banded armadillo can not roll itself into a ball to escape predators. Only one of the twenty-odd varieties of armadillos - the three-banded armadillo- is able to roll up. The other types are covered with too many bony plates to allow them to curl up.
- Armadillos are not blind, but they do have poor eyesight. They rely on their ears and noses more than their eyes to detect food or predators.
- Nine-banded armadillos always give birth to four identical young—the only mammal known to do so.
- The armadillo is the only animal, aside from humans, known to carry leprosy. For this reason it is illegal to sell a live armadillo in the State of Texas.
- The armadillo was designated the official small state mammal by the 74th Legislature
- Armadillos like to swim, and they are very good at it. They have a strong dog paddle, and can even go quite a distance underwater, walking along the bottom of streams and ponds. They can hold their breath for four to six minutes at a time. Because their heavy shell makes it hard for them to float, they gulp air into their intestines to make them more buoyant.
- Armadillos make grunting sounds as they eat, and if they feel threatened they will make screaming and squealing sounds.
- Like most insect eating mammals, armadillos have a very long, sticky tongue to slurp up bugs as quickly as possible.
- Armadillos have a very low metabolic rate, which means they don't produce much body heat. This also means that they are not good at living in cold areas, because they can't keep warm very well. Just a few cold days in a row can be deadly to an armadillo.
- Baby armadillos have soft shells, like human fingernails. They get harder as the animal grows, depositing bone under the skin to make a solid shell. The process of laying down bone is known as "ossification".
You Found a Baby Squirrel - What to Do
Just because a baby squirrel fell out of the nest doesn't mean is orphan.
Pick up the baby and examine it. If it is cold, but appears otherwise healthy, first warm it up. Put the baby in an old t-shirt in a shoebox. Warm up a water bottle in the microwave, wrap it in another t-shirt and place it in the box. Never try to feed the baby or give it milk.
When the baby is warm, place the box at the base of the tree from which it fell down so mom can come to pick it up. Or even better, tide the box as high as possible to the tree, to avoid possible predators on the ground. Mom squirrel will not come back if there are pets or people near the babies. Nobody knows how to raise a baby squirrel better than a mother squirrel, please give her a chance to retrieve her babies.
If she did not return by dusk, take the babies inside for the night and keep them warm. You can place half the box over a heating pad set on low. Call TWRC Wildlife Center to assess the situation and determine the next step. Sometimes, moms come back the next day.
If the baby is injured in any way, you rescued it from a pet's mouth, its mother is dead, or it's covered with insects, please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
You Found a Baby Bunny Rabbit - What to Do
A rabbit nest is only a small depression on the ground cover by fur and grass. Mother rabbits sometimes make their nest in yards. If you found a nest, it's better to leave the nest alone. You're not going to see the mother near the nest during the day, she stays away to avoid predators and feeds the bunnies only at night.
If you think the mother has been killed, place twigs or yarn lightly atop the nest making a cross. If the twigs or yarn have been disturbed by the next morning, the mother probably has been there during the night and fed them.
If the nest got disturb while mowing put the bunnies back in the nest (if they are not injured) and cover them up with their same nest material. It's an old wives tale that if the young are touched, the mother won't return.
Baby rabbits are independent at three weeks of age and about five inches long. At this age, they don't need our help.
Bunnies are extremely difficult to raise in captivity, and their chances to survive are much greater if they stay with their wise mother.
If the baby is injured in any way, you rescued it from a pet's mouth, its mother is dead, or it's covered with insects, please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
You Found a Oppossum - What to Do
Many opossums become orphaned after the mother is killed. Others become orphaned when they fall from her back or are somehow separated.
Infant opossums are carried in the mother's pouch. If an opossum has been hit by a car, check her pouch. Only females have pouches. If her babies are still alive, remove them, keep them warm, and bring them to TWRC Wildlife Center. If they are still attached to the nipples, and you don't want to pull them out, you can bring mom and babies. If there are no babies, you can at least remove the body from the road to keep it from endangering the life of another animal that may utilize it as food.
If a baby opossum is found alone check the surrounding area. There may be more. Be very quiet and listen for "sneezing" sounds that the babies would make to call the mother. If the opossum is 7 inches long from nose to rump, not including the tail, it's on its own, and do not need your help.
If the baby is injured in any way, you rescued it from a pet's mouth, its mother is dead, or it's covered with insects, please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
You Found a Baby Bird - What to Do
Before you pick up an orphaned bird (and if it is not in immediate danger from pets or traffic), watch it from a distance for an hour or two to see if the mother will return.
Replace a fallen, featherless, baby bird to its nest. It is a myth that once you touch a baby bird the parents will not accept it. Birds do not have a well-developed sense of smell.
If you can't locate or reach the nest, use a small, plastic berry basket or margarine container. Cut drainage holes, add grass or pine straw, and use wire to attach to the shady side of the closest tree or bush. Gently place the baby bird in the new nest and, from a distance, check it periodically to make sure the parents return.
Some fledglings (teenage birds with feathers and short tails) may hop around on the ground in a covered area near their nest for several days while parents feed them. Fully feathered birds with short tails hopping around should be left there. Don't put them back in the nest; they will only jump out again and could injure themselves. The parents protect and feed them on the ground until they can fly.
If parents do not return within two hours or if the baby is injured, place it in a small, covered box with air holes punched in the lid. Keep it warm and quiet and do NOT attempt to give it food or water. Birds breathe through a hole in their tongues. Water placed in its mouth will be inhaled. Each species requires also requires specialized food and care. Take it to TWRC Wildlife Center as soon as possible
Confining cats and dogs and educating children is the best way you can help. Wildlife's natural parents are always better at caring for them than human foster parents.
Chimney Swifts
If chimney swifts have already moved in, push a styrofoam ice chest up into the flue to muffle their noisy calls as well as cushion any falls. And don't worry, they'll be on their way to South America long before you start chopping firewood.
What you can do to help baby birds
Before you cut down or prune trees and shrubs, check very carefully for active nests or cavity residents. Avoid cutting dead trees or snags. They provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.
Properly managed birdbaths and feeders are good, but planting native trees, bushes, and flowers supplies natural food, water, and cover for wildlife.
Many birds depend on insects in and around our backyards. Replace chemical insecticides and fertilizers with organic products to help protect our wildlife and water resources too.
You Found a Fawn - What to Do
Fawns spend many hours alone. The mother stays away so that predators are not attracted to the helpless baby. Fawns do not have a scent. If the fawn is not by the mother's dead body please leave it alone.
If you picked up a healthy fawn only because it was alone please return it to her mother. Take it back where you found it and let the mother care for it.
If the baby is injured in any way, you rescued it from a pet's mouth, its mother is dead, or it's covered with insects, please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
You Found a Bird of Prey - What to Do
Baby Bird of Prey
Adult injured birds of prey
You must wear heavy gloves when attempting to catch birds of prey. These birds use their powerful feet and sharp talons (claws) as weapons.
The safest way to capture one of these birds is to place a box or a laundry basket over it. Then, slide a flat item under it, tape both, and transport to Sr. Francis Wildlife.
Another way is to throw a blanket, jacket or any other handy lightweight item, large enough to cover the entire bird, over it. Approach the bird from the rear if possible. When close enough, carefully place the blanket over the bird. Cover the bird completely. Quickly restrain the bird under the covering. Grasp the tops of both legs, holding the feet away from you. Gently fold the bird's wings in a normal position against its body. Place the bird in a cardboard box into which you have cut ventilation holes, and bring to TWRC Wildlife Center. Keep the injured bird warm in cold weather and out of direct sunlight when it's hot.
You Found a Bird that collided with a window - What to Do
Reflections from windows can confuse birds. They may cause them to fly into the glass or repeatedly peck at what they see as their competition.
If you found a bird that hit a window, and appears to be stunned, gently place it in a shoe box with small holes punched in the lid for ventilation, and paper towels or an old t-shirt on the bottom for the bird to grasp. Put the box in a quiet, dark, warm area.
Many times, it just takes some time for the bird to recover on its own. Wait about an hour, or until you hear the bird fluttering, take the box outdoors, and open the lid. The bird should bolt for the nearest tree. If it doesn't, put the lid back, keep it for a few more hours, and try again. If the collision happens at sunset, keep the bird overnight.
If the bird doesn't fly away, is bleeding, a wing is hanging, or you see any other obvious injury, please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
To detract birds from "attacking" a window or glass door, you can cover it with newspaper until the bird looses interest and no longer shows aggressive behavior. Also, strips of colored plastic flapping in the wind, balloons with big eyes painted on them, falcon silhouettes, or spider web decals are effective remedies.
Print a falcon silhouette and attach it to a window or glass door to deter birds.
You Found a Turtle crossing the street - What to Do
Like everybody else, turtles need to cross the street sometimes. They are very slow and there's a good chance that they would be hit by a car. You could help them out though. Making sure you're not putting yourself at risk on the road, you can pick the turtle up and take it to the side of the road where it's going. You must take it to the side where the turtle is going, otherwise, it will try to cross the road again. They have to go where they have to go.
There's no reason to bring the turtle to TWRC Wildlife Center if it's not injured. Leave it where you found it.
If injured please bring it to us. Again, do not risk your life or the life of others to help a turtle, or any other animal.
You Found a Turtle crossing the street - What to Do
Like everybody else, turtles need to cross the street sometimes. They are very slow and there's a good chance that they would be hit by a car. You could help them out though. Making sure you're not putting yourself at risk on the road, you can pick the turtle up and take it to the side of the road where it's going. You must take it to the side where the turtle is going, otherwise, it will try to cross the road again. They have to go where they have to go.
There's no reason to bring the turtle to TWRC Wildlife Center if it's not injured. Leave it where you found it.
If injured please bring it to us. Again, do not risk your life or the life of others to help a turtle, or any other animal.
You Found an Orphan Turtle?
There's no such a thing as an orphan turtle. Female turtles lay their eggs and leave. The babies are on their own as soon as they hatched.
If you find a baby turtle please leave it alone. Do not take it home or to another area with the intention of protecting it. You can do more harm than good. Turtles carry specific turtle diseases from their area. If you take them somewhere else, you're taking new diseases to the new area as well, and that can be devastating for the turtles that live there.
If the baby is injured in any way please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
You Found a Raccoon - What to Do
Always avoid handling a raccoon. If you must handle it, never do it without heavy gloves. If you don't wear gloves you would be at risk of exposure to rabies, and the raccoon would have to be put to sleep to be tested.
Baby raccoon
Seeing a baby raccoon alone is cause for concern. Raccoon babies stick to their mother like Velcro. They don't venture out of the den in the daytime as baby skunks do. If a raccoon mother has been forced to move her young to a new den, she may be in the process of carrying the babies to this new location. If this is the case, she should return within the hour. Stay as far away as possible and watch for her.
Sometimes a baby is separated from its mother and siblings by falling or getting trapped somewhere that it couldn't get out of the previous night. The mother will check the area the following night to attempt rescue again.
Attempting to reunite the baby with its mother is the best first course of action unless the animal is injured. If a single baby raccoon, with eyes closed, is found, it must be kept warm.
Attempting to reunite a mother and baby raccoon is done by putting the baby in a container that it cannot climb out of, but the mother can easily tip over. Depending on the size of the baby, a box or plastic garbage can works well. Place the container as close as possible to where the baby was stuck or found, and concealed as well as possible from human view. Someone may think the baby is being tossed out' and foil the reuniting. Place a towel that has the baby's scent on it outside the container to help the mother find the baby if it's not crying to draw her over. Mother raccoons almost always return to the separation site for one or more nights to look for their young.
If the baby is injured in any way please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
Adult raccoon
Raccoons are mostly nocturnal. However, it is quite common, especially in urban areas, for a healthy animal to venture out during the day if it is hungry or its den has been destroyed. Frequently, mother raccoons that are nursing babies will be forced to search for food night and day.
Another reason why these animals may come near your neighborhood is cat food. When people leave cat food outdoors they are attracting other animals, not only cats.
The old assumption that if they are seen out in the day time they are rabid, it's not true.
Distemper is a very common disease in raccoons. Distemper symptoms closely resemble rabies symptoms. Both are related to the nervous system and may include paralysis, self-mutilation, circling, and lack of fear of humans. Distemper cannot be transmitted to humans. Care should be taken when a raccoon looks sick or acts strangely, but overreaction against all raccoons is unwarranted.
If you see an injured or sick raccoon that can't walk/run away, give us a call, and if you're in our area, we will go to pick it up. If the animal is sick but walking/running it would be very difficult to catch and probably, it will not be there by the time we arrive.
Trapping usually doesn't work. If you set a humane trap, you would probably be catching all kind of animals except the one you want. Also, you would have to check the trap several times per day, to let the trapped animal go as soon as possible, before it dies of stress, cold, heat, etc.
You Found a Raccoon - What to Do
Always avoid handling a raccoon. If you must handle it, never do it without heavy gloves. If you don't wear gloves you would be at risk of exposure to rabies, and the raccoon would have to be put to sleep to be tested.
Baby raccoon
Seeing a baby raccoon alone is cause for concern. Raccoon babies stick to their mother like Velcro. They don't venture out of the den in the daytime as baby skunks do. If a raccoon mother has been forced to move her young to a new den, she may be in the process of carrying the babies to this new location. If this is the case, she should return within the hour. Stay as far away as possible and watch for her.
Sometimes a baby is separated from its mother and siblings by falling or getting trapped somewhere that it couldn't get out of the previous night. The mother will check the area the following night to attempt rescue again.
Attempting to reunite the baby with its mother is the best first course of action unless the animal is injured. If a single baby raccoon, with eyes closed, is found, it must be kept warm.
Attempting to reunite a mother and baby raccoon is done by putting the baby in a container that it cannot climb out of, but the mother can easily tip over. Depending on the size of the baby, a box or plastic garbage can works well. Place the container as close as possible to where the baby was stuck or found, and concealed as well as possible from human view. Someone may think the baby is being tossed out' and foil the reuniting. Place a towel that has the baby's scent on it outside the container to help the mother find the baby if it's not crying to draw her over. Mother raccoons almost always return to the separation site for one or more nights to look for their young.
If the baby is injured in any way please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
Adult raccoon
Raccoons are mostly nocturnal. However, it is quite common, especially in urban areas, for a healthy animal to venture out during the day if it is hungry or its den has been destroyed. Frequently, mother raccoons that are nursing babies will be forced to search for food night and day.
Another reason why these animals may come near your neighborhood is cat food. When people leave cat food outdoors they are attracting other animals, not only cats.
The old assumption that if they are seen out in the day time they are rabid, it's not true.
Distemper is a very common disease in raccoons. Distemper symptoms closely resemble rabies symptoms. Both are related to the nervous system and may include paralysis, self-mutilation, circling, and lack of fear of humans. Distemper cannot be transmitted to humans. Care should be taken when a raccoon looks sick or acts strangely, but overreaction against all raccoons is unwarranted.
If you see an injured or sick raccoon that can't walk/run away, give us a call, and if you're in our area, we will go to pick it up. If the animal is sick but walking/running it would be very difficult to catch and probably, it will not be there by the time we arrive.
Trapping usually doesn't work. If you set a humane trap, you would probably be catching all kind of animals except the one you want. Also, you would have to check the trap several times per day, to let the trapped animal go as soon as possible, before it dies of stress, cold, heat, etc.
You Found a Raccoon - What to Do
Always avoid handling a raccoon. If you must handle it, never do it without heavy gloves. If you don't wear gloves you would be at risk of exposure to rabies, and the raccoon would have to be put to sleep to be tested.
Baby raccoon
Seeing a baby raccoon alone is cause for concern. Raccoon babies stick to their mother like Velcro. They don't venture out of the den in the daytime as baby skunks do. If a raccoon mother has been forced to move her young to a new den, she may be in the process of carrying the babies to this new location. If this is the case, she should return within the hour. Stay as far away as possible and watch for her.
Sometimes a baby is separated from its mother and siblings by falling or getting trapped somewhere that it couldn't get out of the previous night. The mother will check the area the following night to attempt rescue again.
Attempting to reunite the baby with its mother is the best first course of action unless the animal is injured. If a single baby raccoon, with eyes closed, is found, it must be kept warm.
Attempting to reunite a mother and baby raccoon is done by putting the baby in a container that it cannot climb out of, but the mother can easily tip over. Depending on the size of the baby, a box or plastic garbage can works well. Place the container as close as possible to where the baby was stuck or found, and concealed as well as possible from human view. Someone may think the baby is being tossed out' and foil the reuniting. Place a towel that has the baby's scent on it outside the container to help the mother find the baby if it's not crying to draw her over. Mother raccoons almost always return to the separation site for one or more nights to look for their young.
If the baby is injured in any way please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
Adult raccoon
Raccoons are mostly nocturnal. However, it is quite common, especially in urban areas, for a healthy animal to venture out during the day if it is hungry or its den has been destroyed. Frequently, mother raccoons that are nursing babies will be forced to search for food night and day.
Another reason why these animals may come near your neighborhood is cat food. When people leave cat food outdoors they are attracting other animals, not only cats.
The old assumption that if they are seen out in the day time they are rabid, it's not true.
Distemper is a very common disease in raccoons. Distemper symptoms closely resemble rabies symptoms. Both are related to the nervous system and may include paralysis, self-mutilation, circling, and lack of fear of humans. Distemper cannot be transmitted to humans. Care should be taken when a raccoon looks sick or acts strangely, but overreaction against all raccoons is unwarranted.
If you see an injured or sick raccoon that can't walk/run away, give us a call, and if you're in our area, we will go to pick it up. If the animal is sick but walking/running it would be very difficult to catch and probably, it will not be there by the time we arrive.
Trapping usually doesn't work. If you set a humane trap, you would probably be catching all kind of animals except the one you want. Also, you would have to check the trap several times per day, to let the trapped animal go as soon as possible, before it dies of stress, cold, heat, etc.
You Found a Raccoon - What to Do
Always avoid handling a raccoon. If you must handle it, never do it without heavy gloves. If you don't wear gloves you would be at risk of exposure to rabies, and the raccoon would have to be put to sleep to be tested.
Baby raccoon
Seeing a baby raccoon alone is cause for concern. Raccoon babies stick to their mother like Velcro. They don't venture out of the den in the daytime as baby skunks do. If a raccoon mother has been forced to move her young to a new den, she may be in the process of carrying the babies to this new location. If this is the case, she should return within the hour. Stay as far away as possible and watch for her.
Sometimes a baby is separated from its mother and siblings by falling or getting trapped somewhere that it couldn't get out of the previous night. The mother will check the area the following night to attempt rescue again.
Attempting to reunite the baby with its mother is the best first course of action unless the animal is injured. If a single baby raccoon, with eyes closed, is found, it must be kept warm.
Attempting to reunite a mother and baby raccoon is done by putting the baby in a container that it cannot climb out of, but the mother can easily tip over. Depending on the size of the baby, a box or plastic garbage can works well. Place the container as close as possible to where the baby was stuck or found, and concealed as well as possible from human view. Someone may think the baby is being tossed out' and foil the reuniting. Place a towel that has the baby's scent on it outside the container to help the mother find the baby if it's not crying to draw her over. Mother raccoons almost always return to the separation site for one or more nights to look for their young.
If the baby is injured in any way please bring it to TWRC Wildlife Center.
Adult raccoon
Raccoons are mostly nocturnal. However, it is quite common, especially in urban areas, for a healthy animal to venture out during the day if it is hungry or its den has been destroyed. Frequently, mother raccoons that are nursing babies will be forced to search for food night and day.
Another reason why these animals may come near your neighborhood is cat food. When people leave cat food outdoors they are attracting other animals, not only cats.
The old assumption that if they are seen out in the day time they are rabid, it's not true.
Distemper is a very common disease in raccoons. Distemper symptoms closely resemble rabies symptoms. Both are related to the nervous system and may include paralysis, self-mutilation, circling, and lack of fear of humans. Distemper cannot be transmitted to humans. Care should be taken when a raccoon looks sick or acts strangely, but overreaction against all raccoons is unwarranted.
If you see an injured or sick raccoon that can't walk/run away, give us a call, and if you're in our area, we will go to pick it up. If the animal is sick but walking/running it would be very difficult to catch and probably, it will not be there by the time we arrive.
Trapping usually doesn't work. If you set a humane trap, you would probably be catching all kind of animals except the one you want. Also, you would have to check the trap several times per day, to let the trapped animal go as soon as possible, before it dies of stress, cold, heat, etc.
Can I raise it myself?
There are many reasons why raising wildlife in your own is not a good idea:
- Wild animals carry diseases transmissible to people and their pets. External parasites, internal parasites, and many infectious diseases can be passed to humans from animals. Bubonic plague, rabies, hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, visceral larva migrans, leptospirosis, to name a few, can all be found in wildlife populations.
- If you try to raise a raccoon or a fox, or any other rabies vector species, you would be exposing yourself and your family to rabies. Also, if the baby bites you, the animal will have to be put to sleep in order to be tested for rabies, even if it didn't show any symptoms of disease. Some wild animals can have rabies without showing symptoms for long periods of time.
- Orphaned wildlife need to be cared for by people who understand their special needs, in order to grow physically and mentally healthy. Wildlife rehabilitators have the training and knowledge necessary to do so. Also, in wildlife rehabilitation centers, the only persons allowed to handle rabies vector species are the ones that had their rabies vaccinations.
- Animals spend much of their early growing period leaning what is "normal" for them. They learn from their experience and associations in the wild. If they are raised in protective custody they do not learn the skills they need to survive, and may learn dangerous behaviors such as seeking food from humans, and "friendships" with domestic pets which are normally natural predators.
- If a baby is alone and is raised alone, it will grow up thinking is human. When it grows up it will become a nuisance to humans. Nuisance animals usually get killed. In wildlife rehabilitation centers the babies are raised with others of its kind and human contact is kept to a minimum.
- Also, it is illegal to harass, harm or possess wildlife, their nests or their eggs. Wildlife rehabilitation centers have state and federal permits.
Wildlife rehabilitators have been trying to raise the standards on how to properly care for wildlife for many years. Let them do their job.
Can I Keep it as A Pet?
There are many reasons why keeping a wild animal as a pet is not a good idea:
- Wild animals carry diseases transmissible to people and their pets. External parasites, internal parasites, and many infectious diseases can be passed to humans from animals. Bubonic plague, rabies, hantavirus, salmonellosis, tularemia, visceral larva migrans, leptospirosis, to name a few, can all be found in wildlife populations.
- Baby animals may seem tame now, but they will grow into aggressive and unpredictable adults. They will defend themselves with teeth and claws. A squirrel can bite a finger to the bone; a raccoon's bite can equal that of a much larger dog. If the raccoon bites you, the animal will have to be put to sleep in order to be tested for rabies, even if it didn't show any symptoms of disease. Some wild animals can have rabies without showing symptoms for long periods of time.
- When they grow up they will consider the area part of their territory. They can be territorial and dangerous to you and your kids, as well as very destructive of what you may consider to be your home.
- Once you or your kids lose interest on the grown up animal, you will let it go outdoors. The animal will not be able to survive on its own, and it will become a nuisance to other people. Nuisance animals usually get killed.
- If you domesticate a wild animal you're responsible for it and its well being its whole life. Not even zoos are capable of keeping up with that responsibility sometimes. Can you?
- Also, it is illegal to harass, harm or possess wildlife, their nests or their eggs
Wild animals were born to be wild. They were not born to be inside a house. There are plenty of dogs, cats, bunnies, and other domestic animals needing a home at local animal rescue centers.
Bats
Bats are nocturnal and may be seen at dusk and dawn. Some bats live in colonies, while others roost singly in trees. There are eleven species of bats in the Houston area, all of which are insectivores (feed solely on insects).
They are never aggressive and are extremely beneficial, as a single bat can consume thousands of mosquitoes in just one night!
Many bats must have a vertical drop to start flying, so often times many have fallen to the ground and are unable to fly away. Also, babies born in May to June may weigh mothers down so much that the mother may not be to get off the ground.
Bats are considered to be high-risk for rabies. However, since the presence of rabies can only be determined in a laboratory. NEVER handle any bat with your bare hands!
When rescuing a bat:- Always use gloves, a towel or a rolled up piece of paper.
- Scoot the animal into a box.
- Call TWRC for assistance (713-468-8972)
Also see Found An Animal
Removing Bats From Your Home
To eliminate bats from roosting in your house, seal off the access points. Permanently—and humanely—evicting bats from buildings is not particularly difficult, but it requires patience and attention to detail.
You can do it yourself with the detailed instructions in this free download, courtesty of Bat Conservation International:
Dealing With Unwanted Guests
Or you may prefer to contact a bat-exclusion professional. You'll find a state-by-state listing of professionals who pledge to use safe and effective exclusion methods at www.batcon.org/excluders.
Houston's Gone Batty
If you walk along Buffalo Bayou near the Waugh bridge at dusk, you might spot company overhead. A squadron of small mosquito-eaters takes off this time every night. The Mexican free-tailed bats, possibly as many as 250,000, nest year round under the Waugh bridge over Buffalo Bayou.
Of course, some people hope the little bats will stir up big tourist business and do for Houston what Austin's colony did for the state capitol.
You can even spend the evening viewing and learning more about these magnificent flying mammals while touring on a Buffalo Bayou Partnership pontoon boat.
For more information about bayou boat tours call 713-752-0314 ext4 or the Waugh Drive bat colony, see www.houstontx.gov/parks/bats.html.
source: Office of the City Controller's Newsletter
Fun Facts About Bats
- More than 1,100 bat species have been discovered worldwide. The United States is home to 47 bat species. Texas has the highest bat diversity of all the states - 31 bat species.
- The largest bat in Texas is the Western Mastiff bat, with a wingspan of 20.9 to 22.4 inches. The smallest Texas bat is the Western Pipistrelle, with a wingspan of 7.5 to 8.5 inches. Both of those bats reside primarily in western Texas.
- Greater Houston is home to 11 bat species, all insect-eaters. Those species are: Mexican free-tailed bat, big brown bat, evening bat, Eastern red bat, Northern yellow bat, Eastern pipistrelle, hoary bat, Seminole bat, Southeastern myotis, silver-haired bat, and Rafinesque's big-eared bat (state threatened species).
- Bats are NOT blind! They have average vision, but have excellent senses of hearing and smell.
- Bats in Houston eat insects. They find their insect prey using "echolocation," which is the use of ultra-high frequency sounds for navigation. Bats and dolphins are mammals known to use sound to see! The bat sends out a pulse of sound from its mouth. The sound bounces off an object, such as a moth, and then echoes back to the bat's ears. Because they can sense objects in front of them so well, they don't become tangled in people's hair or land of people with specifically-colored shirts, contrary to popular myth.
- The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) is a medium sized bat with a wingspan of 11 to 13 inches. Its life span is approximately 13 years. Mexican free-tailed bats live in large caves, bridges, buildings, tunnels, and bat houses all across Texas.
- Baby Mexican free-tailed bats are known as "pups". A female bat gives birth to one pup each spring and temporarily leaves it behind when she emerges to hunt. Each mother is able to find her pup among the thousands in the colony each day by remembering the approximate location where she left her pup, and by recognizing her pup's unique voice and scent.
- Mexican free-tailed bats love bugs! Bats are important for pest control since they eat insects and agricultural pests. Favorites on the bat menu are moths, ants and beetles. The estimated 100 million Mexican free-tailed bats living in the Texas Hill Country could eat up to 1,000 tons of insects each night. Here in Houston, the estimated 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats at Waugh Drive bridge could consume almost 2 ½ tons of insects each night.
For more information and fun facts, visit Year of the Bat.
source: Houston Parks and Recreation Department