Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center
Always call us first if you can: (267) 416-9453. Use this guide when we're closed or you can't reach us. Do not give food or water to any wildlife.
What did you find?
Unless an injury is clearly visible, leave it be. Mom will be back. She returns between dusk and dawn to nurse — her absence during the day is intentional. Do NOT feed baby rabbits; they require a highly specialized diet.
After 3–5 weeks, baby rabbits leave the nest and are fully independent.
The mother returns quietly between dusk and dawn to nurse. She stays away during the day because her size and odor can attract predators — this is normal behavior, not abandonment.
When in doubt, call us: (267) 416-9453.
If your dog or other outdoor pet keeps interfering with the nest, place a lawn mower over it during the day — this prevents the pet from reaching the rabbits. From dusk to dawn, remove it so the mother can return to feed.
Do not feed the rabbits. Do not relocate the nest. When in doubt, call us.
Do not feed or water the rabbit. Baby rabbits require a highly specialized diet — giving them anything else will harm them. Food can easily enter their lungs and kill them.
Contain the rabbit gently in a ventilated box in a dark, quiet place and call us immediately.
Adult deer are protected game animals and are unsafe to transport. We are not equipped to handle them.
Call the Pennsylvania Game Commission: (833) 742-4868
A baby deer alone — even a tiny, just-born fawn — is almost certainly not orphaned. This is what fawns are supposed to do. Mom will return to feed it at regular intervals. She may move it tomorrow, or she may keep it right there.
Fawns only get hydration through mom. Making it walk around when it should be stationary can easily dehydrate it. That means don't disturb it. Checking on it to "see if it's okay" may very well be counterproductive.
Keep children and pets away. Do not approach it. Do not move it. Let it be.
Do not approach or move the fawn. From a safe distance, take a clear photo of the animal and its injuries.
Then call us at (267) 416-9453 and describe what you're seeing. We'll advise on next steps.
Look for blood, flies on the animal, or signs it was attacked by a pet.
- Place the baby squirrel(s) on the ground next to the nearest tree.
- Wait out of sight for one to two hours, then return to check.
- If the mother retrieved them, you're done.
- If not, call us.
Do not give food or water. We must restore stable temperature and hydration before the animal can eat — improper feeding causes irreversible damage.
You may be providing a home for a mother and her young. If that's acceptable, simply leave them alone.
If you need to evict them: Never trap and relocate — it's often illegal, can separate a mother from her babies, and the animal may starve in unfamiliar territory.
Instead, make the space uncomfortable. Because they thrive in the dark, try:
- Introducing a bright light
- Playing loud music
- Placing ammonia- or vinegar-soaked rags (in coffee cans with holes) near the entrance
Once they leave, secure the opening — but first confirm no babies remain inside.
Never feed a baby bird. Birds have a hole in their tongue that leads directly to their lungs — the wrong food can kill them quickly.
Nestling: Naked or barely fuzzy, cannot stand or hop — comparable to a newborn.
Fledgling: Fully feathered but looks "babyish." Stands, hops, and jumps. Learns to fly from the ground up, not from the nest down. This is a normal developmental stage.
This is the time baby birds are at highest risk of being "kidnapped" by well-meaning people who assume the bird is orphaned.
Even if you cannot see them, the parents are returning every few minutes to feed the fledgling. If the bird is not obviously injured, leave it alone. It is crucial to keep kids and pets away to allow the baby bird to develop naturally.
If the fledgling is in a genuinely dangerous spot (where it might get stepped on), you may gently move it a short distance to a nearby bush — but only a short distance, as its parents must be able to find it for the next feeding.
Parents will not reject a baby because of human contact. Gently place the nestling back in the nest.
Watch from a distance for 30–60 minutes. If a parent returns, you're done. If no parent appears after an hour, call us.
- Place the bird in a cardboard box with a towel at the bottom. Close the lid.
- Leave the box in a quiet place for one hour.
- Bring it outside and open the lid.
- If the bird flies away — great! If not, bring it to us.
If birds frequently strike your windows, search "bird strike window stickers" for effective, affordable prevention options — or call us for advice.
If it's a raptor (hawk, owl, etc.), please call us first — raptors require special handling. For other birds with visible injuries, gently box it in a towel-lined container and bring it in. Call us with any questions about transport.
Any animal caught by a cat requires emergency care. Cat bacteria are lethal to birds within hours — even birds that appear fine often die without treatment.
Gently place the bird in a towel-lined box, close the lid, and bring it to us as soon as possible. Even if the bird is gravely injured, bring it in so we can administer palliative care.
- Do not try to pull the animal off the trap.
- Do not use oil on the animal or trap — oil destroys feathers or fur and causes hypothermia.
- Use paper towel to cover the remaining exposed sticky parts to minimize further injury.
- Place the animal and trap together into a cardboard box and close the lid.
- Bring it to us immediately.
If the animal is a bat, use leather gloves.
A bird consistently attacking a window almost certainly mistakes its reflection for a territorial intruder. This is harmless to you but exhausting and dangerous for the bird.
Cover the outside of the window in the area being attacked — paper, cardboard, or fabric will work. If you cover the inside, the reflection remains. Call us for more permanent solutions.
From a safe distance, photograph the snake and email the photo to: [email protected]
Then call us at (267) 416-9453. Do not handle the snake.
Always move a turtle in the same direction it was heading. If you reverse its direction, it will simply turn around and cross the road again.
Grip smaller turtles with both hands on either side of the shell, between the front and back legs. For snapping turtles (which have long bite reach), grasp from the rear third of the shell, or carefully slide the turtle onto a piece of cardboard to pull it across safely.
Never relocate a turtle to a "better" location. Turtles — especially Eastern Box Turtles — have an extremely strong homing instinct and remain within a small home range for their entire lives. Relocating them is a death sentence: they will exhaust themselves trying to return to their home range and likely starve.
A healthy turtle in your yard is doing turtle things. It will move on.
Never relocate it to a "better" location. Turtles, especially Eastern Box Turtles, have a very strong homing instinct and remain in a small home range for their entire (long) lives. Relocation will place them in harm's way — their "home range fidelity" ensures they will constantly try to return and will likely die of starvation in the attempt.