So i'll preface this by saying that our house had raccoons in the attic for a good while, we called people out and they did an extrusion and we thought the issue was resolved (this was 2yrs ago). Anyway fast forward a bit and we still heard scratching in the attic but it wasn't as loud as when we had the raccoons so we assumed maybe just birds or squirrels. We don't have a lot of money so we couldn't afford to have these people come out again. We already spent a good amount having the extrusion done and the company sealing off any obvious points of re-entry. After all this was done I taped off the attic door (it's a pull down door with a ladder that comes down diagonally). Fast forward to a couple days ago and the tape around the front part of the door started leaking something. Now the foolish things that I did from this point on... I took a paper towel and caught some of it and gave it a sniff (didn't touch my nose to it) and it smelled of urine, so this was likely raccoon urine. Then I cut away the tape (some of the liquid ended up getting on my hand and arm when I did this) and climbed up in the attic to investigate (should've left well enough alone). Didn't notice any pooled urine but did notice a small amount of wetness along the edge of the opening where the leak was coming from. Noticed a fairly decent sized pile of raccoon feces of unknown age (probably from the raccoon I heard some months back, more than likely at least old enough to be infectious) about 2 feet from the door opening that was definitely not there after the extrusion took place (so it happened at some time between then and now). Also noticed a small, what appeared to be bird skull that probably fell down from the attic. I picked this up with a paper towel and disposed of it. Anyway, after all of this I put the attic door back up, washed my hands and clothes (although my shirt I was wearing couldn't be put in the dryer) and took a shower. I had a mask on when I went into the attic to investigate but probably not as tight as it should be. Didn't have gloves but washed hands afterwards. I am very worried about this, I was worried enough to go to the ER and have them start me on a rabies vaccine series just to be safe in that department. Anyway worried about the inhalation or spread of dust when opening the door that might contain raccoon roundworm eggs causing it to contaminate stuff around the area below the door such as clothing and light switches, as well as of course the interaction with the urine as far as Leptospirosis goes.

The bird skull was also concerning because I don't know where it came from, and it wasn't there before I opened the door to the attic, and it looked really old and dirty which is why I used a paper towel. I tried to see if I could get a RX for albendazole as a prophylaxes since that was noted on the cdc website following exposure with latrines, but they didn't seem to keen on this idea. Anyway not sure what I should do, am I just being overly paranoid? Still kinda worried that some contaminated dust from the attic made its way down to the area below the door, but we don't have any real way to cleanse the area and it's already been a while so anything that might have come down has already been tracked all over the house from people walking. Sorry for the trouble, I do have an anxiety disorder so this makes all this stuff worse, but even if I didn't i'd likely still be concerned here. Location is southern NJ. The doctors around here probably don't know squat about this disease and im terrified that I am now gonna become mentally disabled or blind or something if somehow the feces near the door had eggs fly off it and end up in our living space as the force of the door coming down does cause a decent amount of shaking. Or from my shoes when I got off the ladder and walked around the house. Also kinda worried about the clothing that was put in the washing machine because the water doesn't get hot enough to kill off anything (realized this after the fact). In a perfect world I didn't get anything on my clothes or person or kick up any eggs from the feces just by going up in the attic for a couple minutes to look around (I didn't even get off the ladder, just went up to the top few rungs to look around), but this isn't exactly a perfect world.

In my Central Virginia city possoms are the defacto mascot, and we just did election stickers with a Possom on it!

However, this opossom we got in my hood is a bit of an asshole and keeps coming for our poultry. Anybody got advice on catching and relocating? We want to be humane and give the possoms all the advantages it can get despite it's transgressions on our flock.

We have fairly secure structures to lock up the poultry and depending on the structure it works but it's an all strategies approach at this point if that makes sense to deal with the root problem for us.

It’s alive—it moved a bit when I tried picking it up. But seems very weak so I’m worried about it. What’s crazy is I had a thought or (premonition?) yesterday about a baby bat and today I woke up and it was in my breezeway outside my door. Same thing happened one day with a snake. I had a dream about a snake and I stepped outside to find a very dehydrated rat snake that I gave water and helped a bit.

Hello I need help, my husband found a starling bird that fell out of his/hers nest and maby a week away from flying. Can I feed the bird soften dog food and scrambled eggs?

Like the title says I found a pigeon with a broken wing yesterday around 3pm, not sure how long he was there but judging by how alert and otherwise healthy he looked I don’t think it was very long. Bird rehab in NYC was closed because it was nighttime. I put him in a box and set him up to be as comfortable as he can be in this situation. Today I took the pigeon to the bird rehab around noon. Any chance this guy has a shot at flying again? I guess I’m wondering if going a day or possibly more without the bone being set, does that ruin the chances of his healing process? I’ve been thinking about this pigeon since the moment I dropped him off. The rehab told me they will update me if I’d like. I’m just preparing to be told they couldn’t help him out. I hope he doesn’t get put to sleep but it may be the case.

I work at a wildlife rehabilitation Facility on the Gulf coast of Florida. There have been reports of Brevetoxis (Red Tide) in our area, and we anticipate getting an influx of shorebirds/seabirds coming in affected by Red Tide (happens pretty much every year here).

Our facility has a pretty high success rate with Red Tide cases. But, I'm curious, for any other rehabbers who have experience treating birds, what were/are your Red Tide treatment protocols?

Our primary treatment methods are providing SQ fluids along with Cholestyramine (orally). Hand feedings/EmerAid Piscivore formula are also provided until the patient is self-feeding.

Deer mouse, very tiny. Found our stray cat playing with it. I don't see any injuries , a little pink by the eye. I am not sure what to do. I don't want to put it back if cat saliva would kill it but I don't see teeth marks. Right now sleeping in the box.what do I do, how do I know if injured? In NJ

I found a baby raccoon earlier today and I looked everywhere for his mom and even left him there for a few hours hoping the mom would come back for him. Sadly it never happen and it looked like his leg was injured because he was limping. I took him to my local wildlife hospital and they just called me telling me they will test him for rabies and I should get a rabies shot just in case I had any contact with it. But I’m extremely upset because the only way animals can be tested for rabies is by killing them. I don’t want that. I want to help the baby! Not send him to his death. I’m devastated right now. Is there anything I can do to change the outcome for the baby raccoon

Thanks to all the comments on various bird subreddits I’ve found a rehab to deliver this little guy tomorrow and set him up more suitably in the meantime. :)

For those catching up this bird was brought in by my cat. We got him without fuss but he’s injured.

He has a jank wing and twisted foot but appears otherwise unharmed. Of course he needs antibiotics asap to avoid fatal infection but theres nothing to do about that till he gets to the vets at the rehab. He’s a dark eyed junko from North America in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Id done a lot of things wrong in my initial attempts to help as you can see in the pictures but I’m happy to say he’s now in a small dark box with a little chick bedding inside and a gentle heating pad under to keep him warm.

It terms of the cat issue- i really don’t want him to be an outside cat but I live with my parents and unfortunately for the local wildlife they get the final say. In light of this most recent incident I’ve bought a really loud bell for his collar so hopefully that helps a bit in foiling him

In conclusion I know he’s likely going to die, despite the internets best efforts cats are lethal when they want to be. But for such a brave little bird thats still full of energy after surviving a cats jaws TWICE I think he deserves some sort of name.

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With migration season upon us we've had an influx of Canadian Geese coming in with really severe crop impactions, any advice on whether it's something we can rehab or if euthanasia is the most humane route? Thanks!

An armadillo has been visiting me every night (even coming to sniff the porch where I sit at night before bed). I make sure he’s not harassed and let him do his thing but tonight he got VERY close unbothered and even started tilling my garden before winter (what a little helper lol) I’ve decided tonight to call him Brightside because of the pink/white patch on his side and because he always shows up during times I’m feeling down and cheers me up. (Don’t worry I know better than to try to touch or feed him and I put my other animals up when I spot him coming over.) but I can’t help but wonder, what causes these strange pinkish markings? Is he a piebald or was he maybe burned/scarred? Has anyone seen these markings before on a 9 banded armadillo?

I understand d it’s likely bunting, or starting to hibernate. It’s cold and taking about one breath a minute. I want to put it back into the wild but want to do so replicating a normal hibernation burrow. Should I find a crack in the log and it will figure it out?

Found a zebra dove baby on the floor with noticable feathers from dead siblings. It couldn't have been two days old. Didn't see any injuries.

I have had it for almost two weeks. I have been hand feeding it formula and making sure it's okay. It has gotten bigger, more active, and is trying to fly. No issues until last night. It decided to stop eating. I woke up every three hours to try to feed it and it ate as long as I opened it's beak. Normally it's excited to eat.

I noticed that it didn't want to use one of its legs. It was clenched up right and claws in a fist. There was no pain when I opened it up. Now it is moving like it's dizzy and an hour later the other leg started to do it. I don't know what's wrong or what happened but I'm afraid it doesn't have much time. Any suggestions?

Update: bird is using its legs again. We gave it vitamins, water, some sunlight, and food. After an hour it just bounced back. Seems a little sluggish but it's walking normally and isn't wobbly.

I have a pigeon who I regularly feed that lives in my garden. He has been injured quite badly (he has a sizeable open wound on the back of his head and neck, as well as injury to one eye and part of his wing). He ate a little and is able to walk/fly fine which means I can’t catch him…but I’m afraid he won’t survive if his wound isn’t treated. Is there anything I can put in his food maybe to help treat the wound? I’m struggling to find info on what to do so any help would be appreciated.

I’ve also contacted a local wildlife rescue, who asked I bring him in, but as I said I can’t catch him so I’m stuck.

Many thanks.

apologies if the flair isn’t quite correct since i’m just asking a question- but this rabbit has been hanging out behind my apartment for a bit now, like a few weeks i’d say? it always runs off but today i found out where it’s been running to- i guess it’s hanging out under here. it’s always by itself- i’m just wondering if this is normal or if it might be sick or something? i don’t know much about rabbits!

Last night my cat brought in a fletching that was still alive, appears to have no visible injuries and is fully conscious with open eyes but unable to fly. There are no trees on our property so finding the nest is unlikely, the poor little guy is looking pretty healthy though.

I decided to keep it in a soft-lined bird cage in a quiet room with a towel over it and a heating pad underneath, it's the next morning and i've been trying to feed it liquid cat food through a syringe but it doesn't seem to be wanting it or opening it's mouth to feed, it does wanna try and peck me though.

So what do i do? I'm unable to take it to a wildlife rescue today so in the mean time i'm pretty lost as to how to care for it or why it isn't accepting food.

I have it in a 20 gallon tank but I'm unsure how to take care of it what food should I give it until it hopefully heals enough to be released?

I’m writing this with a possum in the back seat of my car. Drove past Liam and he was in the middle of the road. Went back and tried to shoo him away onto the curb, only to realize his front feet look broken. Went back again and caught him in a box. There are rehabbers in the city, but it’s midnight. Until I can get Liam to someone tomorrow, what do I do for now? I have a dog cage and plenty of animal foods, but should I offer a water or food dish, or just leave him covered?

This is urgent. This fledgling was fine 2 hours ago. I think he got cold. He's stiff and not moving. Do I have any chance of saving him? I looked up online and apparently some birds look dead and frozen but can come back. Please let me know. I should have taken him in when I had the chance and I'm beyond upset. I really want to try to save him. Thanks.

Sorry about the poor photos, I was trying to get images without causing too much stress. This is a young elk in my field in Washington State. There is zero movement other than eyes. The officer I reported it to was not helpful and I would just like some reassurance and/or advice.

Update: Unfortunately when I checked on her again (about 20 minutes after this post) she had passed. The elk are still hanging around her. I greatly appreciate the advice and will definitely call rehabbers instead of the injury hotline.