Hands Off!

I get phone calls this time of year asking me what to do with wild animals; bunnies, baby birds, salamanders, frogs, turtles, baby raccoons, fawns and the like. The calls usually come from well-meaning people that have either found a young animal that they think was abandoned by their parents or their kids have brought home an animal to try and keep as a pet. They ask me what to do with the animals, how and what to feed them, where to put them. My answer is always reluctant because I don't want to seem mean or harsh, but the best thing to do in most cases is put the animal back where you found it and leave it alone!! 9 times out of 10 if the animal is young, its parents know where it is and are taking care of it, even if you don't see them doing it. A lot of animal parents have a hands-off approach during the day so as not to attract attention to their young and then they do all their main care during the night.
If you are take an animal out of its natural habitat and try to make a "home" for it in your home- it's just not a good idea. Wild animals need specific food, water, temperature, moisture, etc. You cannot provide an optimal habitat for a wild animal in your home. I try and explain it to kids like this...How would you like some giant to come into your neighborhood, take the roof off your home and pluck you out of bed and take you to his home and put you in a container that looks nothing like your house? And then the giant throws some old stinky blankets in with you (not YOUR blanky from YOUR bed) and then tries to feed you stuff that he guesses you might like to eat like grass and leaves and rotten apples? (then I remind them there is no such thing as giants, I'm not trying to scare them, just help them relate).

The point it, wild animals should be in the wild and kept there if at all possible. They should be enjoyed by humans, but unless they need help (like the animals Tanglewood houses or ones that wildlife rehabbers work on), then HANDS OFF is the best policy.