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? […]
Birds
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 […]
Squirrel Proofing Your Home
Great News!!! Though they may be cute from a distance, squirrels can be quite bothersome when they reside in your gutters. Oftentimes, squirrels will use tree branches as bridges to get to your home’s roof. They’ll then make nests in the gutters, soffits, eaves, fascia, chimney, or even chewing through part of the roof to […]
Orphaned Infant Wildlife Do’s & Don’ts
What species of baby did you find? Wildlife baby season is officially upon us here in the Midwest, and while they are adorable to watch out of a window, they also can be quite a problem for many of us. Sometimes it is difficult to see the logic in Mom’s decision to have her babies […]
Baby 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 […]
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 Coyote or Fox
Many of the calls we receive regarding coyotes and foxes are not technically help calls. They are much more like general education calls more than anything else. When you live in a busy metro area, or a major city, you do not expect to see coyotes/foxes out your back window, but in reality our coyotes/foxes […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Coyotes
*If you are looking for our Mange by Mail Program, click here. Many of the calls we receive regarding coyotes and foxes are not technically help calls. They are much more like general education calls more than anything else. When you live in a busy metro area, or a major city, you do not expect […]