If you have animals in your attic, 99% of the time it is spring time and the animal is a mother, preparing to give birth, or already nursing her young. Most Mothers choose a spot to rear young during January or February and approximately 60 days later they give birth. Typically they have a litter […]
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Baby Groundhogs
Groundhogs and woodchucks are the same species. They are just called by both names. Groundhogs in Missouri and Illinois live just about everywhere. They often are in medians of highways, at highway exit ramps, in the grassy areas around shopping plazas, and people just don’t notice them. They live underground and eat mostly grasses, clover, […]
Baby Birds
If you have found a wildlife baby of ANY kind, first assess the baby’s well being with the following questions: Does Baby feel cold and lethargic? Is Baby covered with parasites (fleas, fly strike or ticks)? Has Baby been in a dog or cat’s mouth? Does Baby have a broken limb or other obvious injury? […]
Turtles
The Wildlife Hotline doesn’t get many calls about turtles or frogs on an average day. No one is calling the hotline with “Help! There’s a turtle in my attic.” or “These frogs keep getting in my trash.” Normally, frogs and turtles don’t cause us much trouble. However, there is a time period in early summer […]
Snakes
A lot of people are absolutely terrified of snakes. Thankfully, we have some really great wildlife specialists at the Hotline that absolutely adore these critters, and are very good at talking the rest of us down from a tree when we see a snake. The Midwest is home to many snakes, but very few of […]
Raptors
Raptors are birds of prey that primarily hunt prey or scavenge for carrion. Raptors include diurnal (chiefly active in the daytime) birds as well as the nocturnal owl. Raptors have three physical characteristics that set them apart from other birds. These include strong grasping feet with sharp talons used to seize prey, a hooked or […]
Owls
Raptors are birds of prey that primarily hunt prey or scavenge for carrion. Raptors include diurnal (chiefly active in the daytime) birds as well as the nocturnal owl. Raptors have three physical characteristics that set them apart from other birds. These include strong grasping feet with sharp talons used to seize prey, a hooked or […]
Geese
From March through May this is our most common call into the hotline concerning waterfowl. Most callers say that the goose is injured, or sick, because why else would a goose sit there and let you approach it so closely? Why else would a goose sit in a traffic lane in a busy parking lot […]
Frogs
The Wildlife Hotline doesn’t get many calls about turtles or frogs on an average day. No one is calling the hotline with “Help! There’s a turtle in my attic.” or “These frogs keep getting in my trash.” Normally, frogs and turtles don’t cause us much trouble. However, there is a time period in early summer […]
Ducks
From March through May this is our most common call into the hotline concerning waterfowl. Most callers say that the goose is injured, or sick, because why else would a goose sit there and let you approach it so closely? Why else would a goose sit in a traffic lane in a busy parking lot […]
Birds (Songbirds)
Backyard birding has become America’s favorite pastime. Americans have more bird feeders than cable television. In part, because of this, we meet our bird friends in every possible capacity. Sometimes conflicts occur and we are left struggling to find humane options for a solution. Below you will find a list of our most common songbird […]
Squirrels
Found a Baby Squirrel? Click here for detailed instructions. Squirrels are America’s favorite wild animal to watch, feed, and be entertained by. Simultaneously, they are also hated by gardeners, bird feeders, dogs, cats, and grumpy old men everywhere. There are devices to deter squirrels from eating your bird seed, and other devices designed to entertainingly […]
Skunks
Find a Baby Skunk? Click Here! The striped skunk is one of the most feared animals in the Midwest. Studies have shown that grizzly bears, mountain lions, and coyotes stay FAR away from skunks, and that no species really hunts the skunk. Skunk versus anything – Skunk wins. The thing to remember is that they […]
Raccoons
A lot of people love the raccoon, with their little black burglar masks, and their shiny silvery fur, and their little baby hands that they touch everything with. They are cute little things, but they can cause a heck of a lot of trouble! Most wildlife species do everything for a reason. Squirrels chew on […]
Rabbits
Found a Baby Bunny? Click Here for Instructions. Annually, rehabs across the Midwest take in thousands of baby cottontails. Most of these are not really orphaned, but were “kidnapped” from their nests by well-meaning people. Cottontails are the most challenging animal for rehabilitators to care for because of their delicate physiologies, and so it is […]
Otters
The playful North American river otter is equally at home in the water and on land. It makes its home in a burrow near the water’s edge, and can thrive in river, lake, swamp, or estuary ecosystems. Otter abodes feature numerous tunnels—one of which usually allows them to come and go from the water. These […]
Opossums
A lot of people who call the hotline have the wrong idea about opossums. No, they do not have rabies. In fact it is EXTREMELY rare if even POSSIBLE for opossums to get rabies because their body temperature is too low for rabies to survive and replicate well. The usual reason people think they have […]
Muskrats
Many people who live on or near a lake, creek, river, or body of water are very used to seeing our little ‘river rats’. Muskrats played an important role in the settlement of this country, providing food and fur for the people who came here. Nowadays, they live in our bodies of water, really tick […]
Mountain Lions
A cat by many names – Mountain Lion, Cougar, Puma, Mountain Cat, Panther and Catamount. This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a Cougar, Puma, Mountain Cat, Panther and Catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests. They can […]
Mink
Every call the hotline gets regarding mink starts with “I think there’s a ferret or a weasel in my yard/shed/garage/etc.” No one ever thinks that what they are looking at is a mink. Most people think they only live in Russia, or somewhere equally as cold, snowy and remote. Mink actually live right near where […]