1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons sugar to one quart of warm water and mix thoroughly.

When putting baby mammals into a homemade nest box, make sure that the towels or cloths that you use have no strings or frayed areas that they can get tangled up in and choke or cut the circulation off in a leg. In about two or three weeks after the babies open their eyes, they should be placed into a larger cage with a nest box, so that they will have enough room to exercise and behave as they would in the wild. Periodically the nest box should be cleaned out. I usually leave one of the old towels with the clean ones so that their smell remains in the box. Cages should be made as natural as possible depending on the animal you have. Squirrels and raccoons should be in elevated boxes, foxes in a makeshift den and rabbits should have something resembling a brush pile. This keeps the stress level much lower if they do not have to contend with unnatural surroundings. Most important of all is to NOT let people and pets around the cages. It adds a dangerous stress level to adult animals and may make babies trusting of what will be a dangerous or deadly situation when they are released. They need peace and quiet in their surroundings.

Proper nutrition is extremely important to raising a healthy baby or rehabbing an adult animal back to health so that it can be released into the wild, which should be the single purpose of your efforts.

Baby mammals should be fed Esbilac or Kitten Replacement Formula with a liquid multi vitamin added. Deer should be fed goat’s milk. It’s usually a good idea to add yogurt or sweet acidophilus to the milk. This adds the lactobacillus bacteria that can aid digestion and prevent diarrhea. You can also buy this at health food stores in capsule form, open the capsule and sprinkle the powder into the milk. It’s called a pro biotic. When there are several babies being fed in one litter it is impossible to keep track of who’s been fed and who has not. It makes things much simpler to keep two of whatever you’re using to house them and as you finish feeding each one, put it into the empty container until they’re all fed, then the next feeding, put them back into the other empty container as they’re fed. This also allows you to clean their containers and change the bedding.

At the point of weaning it is time to give careful consideration as to what the natural food for the growing and adult animal should be and make sure you provide a balanced diet. This will avoid problems down the road with metabolic bone disease. This results when there is not enough calcium in the diet to sustain the animal’s metabolic needs. The bones become so weak that they break easily. The legs will begin to curl up and become useless. They cannot walk and as the disease progresses they will become unable to swallow. Unless this disease is caught at the first sign of symptoms it is not reversible and the animal will eventually die or have to be euthanized. It’s very simple to prevent this disease by making sure the animal is given a completely balanced diet and adding powdered bone meal or another phosphorus/calcium source to their food. Keep an eye on their general appearance. If they do not look like healthy specimens should, then re-evaluate their diet and make any changes necessary. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

When it’s time to release the animal you’ve successfully raised or rehabilitated, check out the release area thoroughly. Consider the surrounding areas. Can it get into any trouble with humans or pets in the surrounding areas? The further away from civilization you can get the better. You can never guarantee 100% that any animal you release is going to live a long life, but it’s your responsibility to give it the best chance you can.

As with all wildlife, there are health concerns and one should take precautions when handling mammals. Of minor concern, but annoying anyway, are fleas. Most all animals will have them, some more than others. If a baby mammal is severely infected with them, it can endanger their life. I use a kitten flea medication, spraying lightly, leave on for approximately five minutes, then use a warm wet cloth and wipe the excess off. Dry them off the best you can and place them in their warm bedding.

If you find a very young mammal that has fallen from the nest and been on the ground for a time, it is extremely important to check thoroughly for maggots or maggot eggs. Check under the tail, in the ears, eyes and nose. Maggot eggs resemble clusters of rice and will hatch within a matter of hours. Once hatched you have a much larger problem, because if not removed immediately, they will eat their way into the body cavities and eventually kill the animal. Warm soap and water will remove the eggs easily. Live maggots take a lot of diligence and patience and if they have already eaten their way into the body the only humane thing to do is take the animal to the vet to be put down. This will prevent much suffering for the animal.

The most common form of mange is Sarcoptic. If you suspect mange, a veterinarian should be consulted to determine if it is and what type it is and the proper treatment. Sarcoptic mange is spread by mites usually in the den and can be treated with Ivermectin.

Of course, one of the most serious problems in dealing with mammals is rabies. It can infect any warm blooded animal, but the worst carriers are bats, foxes, raccoons, and skunks. Rabbits, hares, and squirrels are far less likely to be infected with the virus. Opossums are even less likely to be infected. I don’t believe there has ever been a documented case of an Opossum with rabies. I suspect it is because, being a marsupial, its body temperature is much lower than mammals. Distemper is the most common disease afflicting most mammals, especially raccoons, and foxes. The early symptoms are green nasal discharge, excessive salivation and respiratory problems. It may seem to improve and lie dormant for two or three weeks, then reappear as a neurological disease that steadily progresses to tremors, convulsions, coma and death.

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Baby squirrels open their eyes at approximately 21 days, so if they still have their eyes closed, you can easily determine their age once they do open their eyes. Pinkies, or babies without fur, are going to be fairly difficult but not impossible to raise. They should be re-hydrated, then fed every three hours, preferably through the night, but since we don’t live in that perfect world, that may not be possible, so feed them as late at night as possible, then as early in the morning as possibly and regularly through the day. Baby squirrels are the most difficult baby mammals to feed because they suck so hard they can easily suck the milk into their lungs resulting in pneumonia. If their breathing becomes labored and they are gasping for air they must get an injection of one of the amoxicillin drugs to ward off pneumonia or they will surely die. It’s important to keep them on heat, or they will not survive. If they already have fur you can add baby cereal to the formula. This fills them up and you have to feed them less often, although they still should be fed about every four hours but not through the night, just first thing the next morning.

As long as their eyes are closed all baby mammals MUST be stimulated to urinate and defecate. The mother licks their little bottoms; you can use a tissue or soft cloth, before and after each feeding. It also stimulates them to nurse. Once the eyes are open you can dispense with that. They will begin to be more active. At this point they will need to be put into a small cage that they cannot get out of, or you will spend a lot of time crawling around the house trying to find them under the furniture .You can also begin putting solid food in their cage, so that they can begin to nibble on it when they’re ready. I usually start them out with shelled walnuts or pecans because they are soft. You can also offer them nutty cereal, even cheerios, and shelled sunflower seeds. At this time, start cutting back their bottle feedings to one or two a day. Try putting the formula and cereal on a slice of bread in a saucer and let them try eating it on their own. At first they will make a really big mess and their cage will need to be cleaned afterwards, but they soon get the idea. When they are eating well on their own you can wean them altogether. I usually continue to put the formula in a jar lid or something small and offer it to them until they stop eating it on their own and prefer adult squirrel food. They enjoy dried fruits, raisins, cereals, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds. Since they’re rodents, their teeth continue to grow their whole life. As long as they’re in a cage I keep large dog biscuits in the cage for them to gnaw on to help keep their teeth trimmed down. They seem to enjoy chewing on them. As soon as they are eating well, they should go into an outside cage to begin adapting to the outdoors and life on their own. The wire on the cage must be predator proof. Chicken wire will not do. If your back yard is not safe to release squirrels, then you should find a safe place to release, such as someone who lives on acreage or near a park. You are doing the young squirrel a great disservice by allowing them to trust humans or your dog or cat. It may be cute when they are young, but will surely end in disaster when they are released. As they mature, they will become more wary of humans and that is as it should be. In the wild they usually venture from the nest at about 14 weeks old, but their mortality rate is quite high. The high mortality rate can be partly attributed to adult male squirrels that will attack them. They bite them in the spine and paralyze the young squirrels rear legs, resulting in death. I keep them in outdoor cages until their tail is quite bushy and they are nearly adult. Then they can fend for themselves.

When I feel they’re ready for release, I open the door of the cage and allow them to come out when they’re ready. Many times they will come back to their cage at night. They might do this for a week or two until they are acclimated to their freedom. Open the door in the morning and close it again at night; always be mindful of predators.

Unfortunately, when an adult squirrel is found it is because it has a serious injury or disease and the prognosis is usually not very good. Neighborhood cats and dogs take their toll. Once bit, there is usually very serious damage done and the best thing for the animal is to take it to a veterinarian to be put down. If, however; you find the rare lucky one that has a minor bite, it will need an immediate antibiotic. Saliva in cats and dogs will always cause a massive infection and eventually kill the animal. Squirrels require amoxicillin. Again, you must find a vet who will treat wildlife. Keep them dark, quiet and warm. Place nuts or sunflower seed and water into the cage or pet carrier and let it recuperate in peace. Do not handle it or allow people to stress it any further than it is or it will die from the stress long before it will die of the injury. Sometimes it may simply have a concussion and will need to be kept in the same manner as above and given time to recuperate. During the summer months, especially in the southern states you may see squirrels in your yard with large lumps on their body. This is called Cuterebra or Warbles. It is the larvae of the blow fly and can infect a large variety of birds and mammals. Squirrels are probably the most visible to humans. The female lays her eggs on the host animal and when they hatch the larvae burrow into the body of the host where they live until they emerge as an adult blow fly. The larvae or maggot is the size of the lump and there can be several inside the body. During the time the larvae are inside the body of the host it is eating the flesh of the animal. It most surely kills many of the hosts, depending on what part of the body it attacks and how deeply it burrows into the body and organs. Unfortunately there’s not much that can be done to remove them from adult animals living in the wild. Some do survive and at the very end of summer or early fall you will see dried up scars where the larvae had once been. You may also see many that are covered in these lumps and nearly dead. They should be taken to the vet and euthanized because there is absolutely nothing that can be done at this point and they are definitely suffering. When baby mammals come in they should be checked thoroughly for any suspicious lumps with an air hole in the center. The larvae must have that air hole to survive. If one is found, you can use tweezers or forceps to pull the larvae out through the air hole. The sooner this is done the smaller the larvae will be and the less damage it has had time to do. Keep in mind that there can be several larvae in that one lump, so if the hole refuses to heal up and keeps opening there is yet another one inside. If you don’t have the stomach for this, you can call around until you find a vet that does wildlife and is willing to help you.

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Unlike the tree squirrel, flying squirrels are nocturnal, so you may have them in your yard and not be aware of it, especially if you have a tree with a cavity or even a dead tree, which is their favorite. On a summer night you can hear their very high pitched whistle-like call and if you sit quietly near your bird feeder you will probably see them gliding from tree to tree. They have very large eyes so that they can see in the darkness. They are very shy so it’s important to keep them dark, quiet and warm. Follow the same instructions as you would for all other baby mammals. Breeding season is usually May and June, and again in August and September. They are tiny, so they can easily escape a cage unless the mesh is very small. If one does escape you will have to put food out and wait until late at night to find where it is hiding. Several years ago, I had one come down my fireplace chimney and run across the kitchen floor. We had no idea where it was, so every night I would put out a food and water bowl so it wouldn’t starve to death. Eventually I found that it had been sleeping behind a toss pillow on the couch in the living room during the day and coming out to dine on my food at night. Once I discovered where it was, I simply opened the window by the couch a couple of inches that evening and by morning it was gone, leaving quite a mess of peanut shells behind the pillow. I have found that a ten gallon aquarium with a screen top is best. Hamster bedding and a small birdhouse to hide in should be placed in the aquarium. They love all kinds of nuts as well as meal worms. They should be released after dark into a heavily wooded area, once again, away from neighborhood cats and dogs.
 

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The natural diet for fox is small rodents, rabbits, nesting birds and eggs. The gray fox eats vegetables and fruits as well. The red fox will scavenge for carrion when times are lean.

The average litter size is four to five cubs. The cubs are blind and deaf at birth. After about two weeks both parents may forage for food and bring back food for the cubs. The parents tear the food into small pieces for the cubs to eat or regurgitate it for them. Their eyes open in about 11 to14 days.

By four weeks of age the cubs will begin to venture outside the den. By five or six weeks of age they are eating whole food and are completely weaned by 8 to 10 weeks of age and look like miniature versions of their parents. They begin hunting with their parents and are fully independent by about six months.

Cubs should be fed one part Esbilac and two parts water until weaned, then feed Hill’s Science Diet Canine Growth formula and a good quality canned dog food.. Supplement with fruits earthworms, sliced sweet potato, nuts and berries. A vitamin mineral supplement can’t hurt. As with any other mammal, this balanced diet of dog food is necessary to prevent metabolic bone disease. Once they are weaned, killed mice, rats and chicks should be introduced into the diet. At about two to three months of age, live prey should be introduced into the diet so that they can practice their hunting skills. If introducing live animals is something that you cannot do (I personally can’t do it), then simply put a dead animal, even road kill, on a string and pull it around the cage. It’s the movement that triggers the instinct to kill.

Foxes can be released anytime after about six months of age if they have demonstrated skill in catching and killing prey and have a healthy fear of humans. It is always disastrous to release any wild animal that has no fear of humans. If this is the case then it is very important to take the animal as far away from human contact as possible and still release them into an environment suitable to the species. An important aspect of responsible rehabilitation is to make every effort not to allow the animal to imprint upon you. It may be tempting, but for the welfare of the animal, keep it as wild as possible. Whenever possible, foxes should be raised with another baby fox. This is true with any animal that is social within its family group, such as raccoons, squirrels, as well as foxes. They will bond with a sibling rather than a human. You can always call around to area rehabilitators that might have another young and turn yours over to the person with experience.

As with all wildlife foxes DO NOT make good pets. They also emit an odor similar to a skunk, which should discourage anyone from wanting to keep them longer than need be.

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Adult females killed on the road in early spring will probably have babies in the pouch. Somehow they often manage to survive the impact of the car and will need to be taken from the pouch and hand raised. If they are still not fully formed when taken, their chance of survival is very slim to none. The older they are, obviously, the better their chances of survival. It is difficult to get a baby opossum to nurse from a bottle because they are used to being attached to the nipple. You may think they are getting enough milk, but many times it is just running out the sides of their mouth. Start them out on two hour intervals and adjust the schedule as you go, using your own judgment as to how much formula they are getting. It is best to tube feed them, but this is not something for an inexperienced person to attempt. This is why it is much better to get really small ones to a rehabber whenever possible to give them a better chance of survival. If they are fully furred and eyes open, looking like miniature adults, then cage them. Take care to give them a warm towel or blanket to hide in, with canned cat food and a little formula mixed in left in the cage over night and chances are you will find that they came out when all was quiet and ate on their own.

Even though Opossums are marsupials, the rules for general care of mammals apply to them also.

When adults come in with severe injuries, they should of course be checked out by a veterinarian to determine if there are broken bones, etc.. Opossums have remarkable recuperative powers. Many of the injuries are bloody head injuries, which should immediately be cleaned and medicated to prevent fly infestation and ultimately maggots. If maggots or their eggs are already in evidence, they must ALL be flushed out before medication or the eggs will hatch in a matter of hours and then you have a real problem. An injection of Dexamethezone, a steroid, aids in rapid healing and given quiet time with food and water available the opossum should eventually be ready for release. Find a remote place away from civilization whenever possible.

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Being a prey animal, they die very easily from stress, so if a young healthy, self sufficient rabbit is put into a cage in a stressful environment, you will likely find it dead in a short time. If it needs to be taken to a safer environment away from neighborhood cats and dogs, do it as quickly as possible with as little stress as possible. If you have no alternative but to take babies from their nest, take a portion of their nesting material if possible so they will recognize the scent , and place it in a towel in a box tall enough to keep them from jumping out. Place the box on a heating pad on low. Place only about one third of the box on the pad so that they can move away from the heat if they need to. Too much heat will kill them in short order. Keep them in a very quiet place to reduce stress. A bale of dried Bermuda or Alfalfa grass makes a very good bedding as they begin to grow. Even tiny baby rabbits can jump and if not careful they will jump out of your hand and onto the floor while you’re trying to feed them, so never relax your grip and sit where they will not fall far if they do get away from you. As will all babies, it’s easier to hold them in a washcloth as shown in the picture of the baby squirrel being hand fed.

A good formula is one part powdered Esbilac, two parts Pedialyte or distilled water and about one quarter multi milk or heavy cream and yogurt. Be careful not to feed too rapidly or they can suck the milk into the lungs and get pneumonia. This is true with all infant wildlife. As they grow, gradually increase the amount of formula and decrease number of feedings to about six hours apart.

Put clover, or grass in the box and eventually they will begin to nibble on it. Be sure to change it often so that it does not mold and get rancid. Make sure their bedding is always dry and clean. Eventually you can add some birdseed and commercial rabbit pellets to their diet. It is very important to keep their food clean and dry to avoid digestive problems that can quickly kill them. As soon as they are no longer being hand fed they should be placed into an outside cage with a roof to keep them dry and protected from predators at night. Keep in mind that even if a predator cannot get to them they can literally scare them to death by climbing around on the cage. This is also true for all birds and mammals kept outdoors at night. If you are fortunate enough to raise a healthy baby rabbit to the age of release it should be in a place away from humans, cars and household pets, near water with lots of ground cover.

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Young deer or fawns are much easier to rehabilitate, but great care should be taken to make sure that the fawn is indeed orphaned and in need of attention, or if the mother is in the area and taking care of it.

In the first few weeks of life the fawn has no scent. It lies quietly in one place and the mother only comes near when it is feeding time, then goes away again so that she does not attract predators or her baby. When people come upon a fawn alone they assume that it is abandoned and their first instinct is to pick it up. Unless you have found the dead mother or the baby is obviously sick, injured, or dehydrated IT SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE. Once again, the mother can do a much better job of raising it than we can.

If you do, however; end up with a fawn in your care, there are two things that are somewhat different from other mammals you have raised. One is the formula. The best is goat’s milk straight from the goat, second is goat’s milk usually found in the baby food section or baking section of the supermarket.

Although it is not like the mother’s milk it does not cause diarrhea. Esbilac and KMR are totally unacceptable and will cause severe diarrhea in a matter of hours. Unlike other baby mammals that do not need to be stimulated once their eyes are open, fawns will need to be stimulated as long as they are nursing. Use a tissue or cloth and rub under the tail before and after each feeding to stimulate their bowel movements. The mother licks them to achieve this. Once they are about a month old they become very active and you should find a proper facility for them to be raised with other deer so that they can be successfully released back into the wild. If they become used to humans they will not last very long on their own. The same is true for your pets. DO NOT allow them to become used to your dogs. You will be dooming them to a very short life in the wild.

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If you find an orphaned pup he must first be warmed up just as you would any other baby mammal. Wrap it in a towel and place in a cat carrier or box on a heating pad, low temp. Once warmed, you can rehydrate with Pedialyte and feed either of the following formulas, Multi-milk, Esbilac, or KMR. Any of these can be bought at a pet shop or farm supply. Add to these, whipping cream, egg yolk, Karo syrup and ½ dropper of multi vitamin. Make fresh formula every day. Cow’s milk for all baby mammals just does not have enough fat content to keep them healthy and should not be used except as a temporary, emergency measure until you can get the proper diet. Once they become active you can buy minnows or cut up pieces of fish and offer it in a bowl. When they are ready the will eat it.

Infants open their eyes at about one month of age and begin learning to swim at about three months. Once they get to this age they should also go to a facility that can give them the proper environment to allow them to grow up wild and be releasable.

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Baby bobcats are seldom found simply because the dens are in remote areas. I have had only two in twenty years of rehabilitation and both were eating on their own. One was caught in a trap, the other was hit by a car, but only slightly injured, so it was just a matter of allowing them to grow to releasable age. If you do get one that has to be bottle fed, KMR (kitten replacement formula) is the best formula to use. Add a little unflavored yogurt to the milk. Feeding should be every four hours, day and night until it is about three weeks old. Isolate a baby as much as possible so that it does not become imprinted on you and therefore doom it to captivity. Have as little contact with it as possible. Keep yourself concealed as much as possible when hand feeding. At about three months of age it should be put into a large outdoor cage and given live mice. This is very distasteful to most people so if you cannot do this, find a rehab facility that can feed live prey. They HAVE to learn to hunt or they will not survive. Bobcats should be released at about nine months of age. If this occurs during the winter months, keep it until spring when food is plentiful. When time comes to release it, place a trap inside the large cage with bait. You should have little trouble catching it. (You might want to put a feeding inside the trap for a few days before actually setting it) Then cover the trap to reduce stress and transport to the release site. This should be in as remote an area as possible, wooded and near water.

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Even when they are very small it is extremely important to wear gloves when feeding and handling them so that you do not get saliva into a wound on your hands. Infant raccoons can carry rabies in the dormant stage for as long as two years. Needless to say, do not let children handle them. Baby Raccoons are extremely cute and cuddly, but you are putting human lives in jeopardy if you do.

Refer to the mammal care chapter to raise young raccoons. Keep in mind a balanced diet is important to raise them healthy enough to be released back into the wild. To keep them wild, have as little contact with them as possible. The only contact you should have with the animal is to change their bedding and feed them. At least two babies should be raised together, preferably three or four. If you cannot do this yourself it is best to contact a rehabilitator in your area that can put yours with other babies. To raise it alone makes it much harder to release it. They learn from one another as they grow.

Baby raccoons open their eyes at about three weeks old and begin to be very active at about six or seven weeks. If you get a baby that has its eyes open and is pretty active, then they are probably ready to eat on their own. Put a small bowl of canned cat food made into a slurry with a small amount of formula mixed in, into their box along with a small weighted bowl of water.

When it is quiet for a time, they will more than likely sneak out and eat. They WILL make quite a mess, so you will have to change their bedding often. For the animal’s well being and the sake of your sanity, put them into a well sheltered, warm outside cage as soon as possible. Raccoons love to climb to high places for safety, so when you put them in an outside cage make sure they have a box or hammock at the highest corner of the cage for them to sleep in and to feel safe and secure in. My first few litters I did not do that and I always lived to regret it. They can trash your house in no time. As cute as they are and tempting as it may be, they DO NOT make good pets. When they become sexually mature they will become aggressive and begin to bite everyone. All state wildlife agencies have stringent rules against endangering the public with wildlife and you can create a lot of problems for yourself. With all wild mammals the wild instinct never leaves them until they are bred for several generations in captivity. They should be left to live as they were meant to live, WILD.

In the wild, young will stay with their mother for nearly a year. Before they can be released on their own they should be at least eight months old, aggressive and wild. The animals should be kept in a holding cage large enough to house a small trap. To get them into a trap for transport and subsequent release, bait the trap inside their large cage for several nights. Then set the trap when you’re ready to take them to a secluded place, wooded with a good water source far away from humans.

If you come across an injured adult raccoon, do not attempt to pick it up unless you have heavy gloves, a large blanket to throw over it or you will probably get a severe bite for your efforts. It is best to call your local animal control or a wildlife rehabilitator in your area. They have the proper equipment to deal with an aggressive animal and the experience.

Besides rabies, raccoons are susceptible to distemper and provirus. Symptoms are listlessness, mucous in the eyes and nose, a rash or open sores on the feet and in the final stages they begin to convulse. It’s difficult to distinguish between the two diseases, but it doesn’t matter because by the time they get sick enough to be caught there is very little you can do but to have them humanely put down so that they do not suffer further. They will most surely die anyway and you are not helping them by prolonging it.

The adult raccoon diet consists of grain, mice, birds, eggs, insects, and almost anything they come across - they are very adaptable.

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If however, you can find no one in your area to take either a sick or orphaned bat you may have no choice but to try it yourself. Unfortunately, many adult bats may eat insects that have been poisoned with insecticides thus making them sick or killing them. An injection of Atropine can be given by a vet to counteract the poison, but many times it is too late by the time it comes in contact with humans and will die despite our best efforts. If an adult female carrying a baby is poisoned, the baby will also be poisoned through nursing. All bats can carry rabies, so needless to say, be very careful when handling them Always wear gloves. When trying to feed a small baby bat, use a new eye shadow applicator dipped into the formula. This allows the baby to suck the milk off the sponge tip. This method can be used for any very small orphaned mammal. Put the baby into a box or container lined with a soft cotton cloth so that it can climb around, cling to the cloth and not escape or injure itself. Feed it about every three hours and at about eighteen days the baby will begin to eat decapitated mealworms on its own. You can offer one on tweezers, squeezing it into the mouth of the baby until it gets the idea to eat it on its own. Once they seem to get the idea, leave a dish of worms in the cage at night along with a small dish of water. It is imperative to find a facility with a large flight cage to adequately prepare the young bat for release. If no facility is available you will have to substitute a flight cage with a large screened room or screened tent. Upon release, make sure you release it into a known bat colony and place a hack board (familiar food board) at the release site for several nights, until it becomes familiar with the area and is feeding with the colony.

This chapter is just basic information. You will need to get expert advice from the many organizations that can walk you through the entire process.

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Box turtles prefer rather low, swampy land with perhaps a stream and ground cover. The gopher tortoise has to have a high dry habitat because they dig their burrow in the ground and it can be as long as 30 feet, and of course the desert tortoise will need a dry, sunny, and sandy environment. It’s best to take them to an area that will be protected from development; otherwise they run the risk of being buried alive by the bulldozer. The box turtle will eat fruits and vegetables as well as moist dog or cat food. The gopher tortoise will only eat green leafy vegetables but most of them seem to like bananas. Normally, neither will drink from a bowl, but an injured turtle that has lost fluids will naturally be dehydrated. Place them in a shallow pan filled with warm, not hot, water to a depth about half way up their body that allows them to put their head into the water and drink. Sometimes it will take them several minutes, but they will almost always put their head into the water for a long period of time and drink. This should be done every day until they begin to show signs of recovery.

Terrapins are water turtles. They too fall victim to the automobile, usually during mating season when they attempt to move from pond to pond, nature’s way of keeping the gene pool pure, but in the heavy traffic of most roads today they don’t stand much of a chance. If the crack on the shell is not too severe, it can be repaired in the same manner as the tortoises. One paralyzed leg is not as detrimental to a water turtle as it is the land turtle for obvious reasons. They can still swim around eating aquatic plants and small aquatic crustaceans. They will adapt to their handicap. Water turtles cannot swallow their food unless they are under water and in twenty one years of rehabilitation I have never had a water turtle eat while confined to a tub of water, so it’s best to patch it up, give it an antibiotic and release it as soon as possible. Turtles can go for some time without eating, so they can be safely kept for a few days without harm to them. The gopher tortoise, on the other hand must have both front legs functioning 100% so that it can dig its burrows and keep it clean, it must have both rear legs working so that it can get back out of it’s burrow. If the rear legs are paralyzed, it will be unable to pull itself up and out of the hole and will be doomed to die in it. Even if you attempt to keep a paralyzed tortoise as a pet, it will eventually die anyway because as with paralyzed humans, the digestive tract will not function properly and the tortoise will eventually die.
There are many times that the injuries are just too great and the most humane thing to do is take it to a veterinarian and have it euthanized.

One important note: The box turtle rarely bites, the gopher tortoise and desert tortoise never bite, but the water turtles are very aggressive and will bite with very powerful jaws. Cover its head whenever possible and if it has swallowed a fish hook which happens all too often it is best to take it to a veterinarian to have it removed. At best it’s a two person job. The Soft Shell Turtle and Snapping Turtle should be handled very carefully. They have extraordinarily long necks and can come around to get your hand if you’re not careful. The best way to handle them is to throw a blanket over them, then grab hold of both sides of the shell at the lower half of the body.

Keep your hands at a safe distance at all times, especially when you uncover their head.

 
Hatchling soft shell turtle is a miniature version of the adult identified by the long snout and leathery shell.
 
Florida Box Turtle

Florida Gopher Tortoise

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At this age they will be about 6-7 inches long. Begin by adding Hi Protein baby cereal to the formula. Place it in a shallow bowl so that it can learn to lap its food. Slowly begin to add softened Purina Kitten Chow to the formula. You can also add pureed banana, cooked sweet potato and chopped hard boiled egg to the diet.

The outside cage should have a top on it because they are very good climbers. The cage should not be more than two feet high so that when they climb to the top they will not fall far enough to injure themselves. It should also have a nest box for sleeping and hiding. The box should have natural bedding such as leaves or grassy material. The bottom of the cage should have several inches of dirt. Place meal worms and other insects in the dirt so that it can readily find its natural food on its own. It also eliminates in the dirt, so it should be turned every couple of days and changed every week. Feed in the late evening and remove any uneaten or spoiled food every day, Place a large litter pan with water for swimming and bathing. Change the water every day. When the armadillo has reached 8-10 inches long it will be ready for release. Release at dusk into a wooded area with tall grass and brushy ground cover. It’s also important to release into an area away from automobile traffic or you efforts will have been for nothing.

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When frightened or threatened they both aim their rear end at you and let fly. The Striped Skunk postures, turns it’s backside toward its target and shoots. The Spotted Skunk is particularly unique in that it does handstands, literally standing on its two front legs, rear end in the air. Quite a sight!

Baby skunks are in my opinion, the cutest of all the wild babies. It is very intelligent and easily adapt to being handfed. It should be raised in the same way you would other baby mammals, but as it get s older it will most assuredly spray when excited or frightened, so it’s best to put it in an outside cage as soon as it is weaned. Cage as you would any other baby mammal with a nest box, water bowl, softened or canned cat food and a steady supply of mealworms and grubs. When it’s time for release, close up the door to the nest box, take the box to the release sight around dusk and place in a well hidden brushy area, open it up and leave them to come out on their own, leaving the box there to retrieve later if you wish. Their only enemy is the owl, so it’s important to release it into a site with plenty of ground cover to hide in.

If, however, you’re dealing with an adult skunk in a trap, you can cover the trap with a large plastic trash bag, take it to a release site, open the door and get out of the way !! An injured adult should only be approached with a heavy blanket or piece of plastic shielding you from it. Hold it in front of you, walking slowly closer until you can lay it over the skunk, wrap it up and place it in a box or pet carrier, then cover the container with a piece of plastic. Be prepared to discard anything that you have used to cover it because it will be ruined. If at all possible, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator in your area that has had experience dealing with these problems. It will make your life a lot simpler.

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