FAQs
What to Do If You Find an Animal
• Found a baby animal and not sure whether it needs help?
• Most "orphans" aren't orphans at all — parents are often nearby, watching from a distance.
• Before you pick anything up, take a minute to observe. Then call us!
If the Animal Is Injured, Acting Abnormal or in Distress — Call Us Immediately
• No matter the species, if an animal is hurt or acting strangely, don't wait to figure out whether it's orphaned — call Critter Corner right away at 518-303-2926
Call immediately if you see:
• Visible injuries: bleeding, wounds, a broken leg or wing, or an animal dragging a limb
• It can't stand, walk, or fly normally, is lying on its side, or is unresponsive
• Labored breathing, gasping, tremors, or seizures
• Circling, staggering, head tilt, or partial paralysis
• It was attacked by a cat or dog — even if you can't see any wounds
• It's covered in fly eggs, maggots, or swarming flies or ants
Time matters: shock, infection, and internal injuries get worse fast, and cat-caught animals need antibiotics quickly. While you wait for us, contain the animal quietly in a dark, warm box (see "Containment" below), don't offer food or water, and keep children and pets away.
First steps for any animal:
• Observe from a distance. Keep children and pets away.
• Look for obvious injuries, blood, or immediate danger (road, cat, dog).
• If the animal is cold, limp, or injured, it needs help now
• If it looks healthy and uninjured, read the section for that animal before deciding.
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BUNNIES
Rabbit mothers only visit the nest at dawn and dusk, so an empty-looking nest is often normal — it does not mean the babies are abandoned.
To check whether she's returning, lay string in a tic-tac-toe pattern over the nest and check the next morning to see if it's been disturbed.
Leave them alone if:
• They’re warm, plump, and quiet in the nest, even if you haven't seen mom.
They need help if:
• They’re injured, cold, crying nonstop, scattered outside the nest, the nest was destroyed and can't be rebuilt, the baby was in a pet’s mouth or mom is known dead.
Already on their own?
• If a bunny's eyes are open, ears are up, and it's about the size of your fist and hopping well, it's independent (around 3 weeks old) — leave it be.
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SQUIRRELS
Squirrels are most often found after storms, high winds, or tree work, or when mom has been killed.
Try reuniting first, if the baby is warm and uninjured:
• Place it in a small open box at the base of the tree it fell from, with a warm (not hot) heat source, and watch from a distance for an hour or two.
• Mothers will often come to retrieve a crying baby.
• Keep pets and children away.
• Don't leave it out overnight, in rain, or in cold weather — if mom hasn't come by dusk, bring it in and call us.
They need help if:
• They're injured, cold, limp, dehydrated (wrinkled skin, sunken eyes), covered in ants or fly eggs, or found late in the day with no sign of mom.
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OPPOSUMS
One thing that makes opossums different: Mother Opossums DO NOT COME BACK!
• A joey found alone is orphaned, not waiting for mom.
They need help if:
• They’re smaller than about 7 inches from nose to base of tail (not counting the tail) and alone, injured, or cold.
Leave them alone if:
• They’re larger (roughly cat-sized or bigger), healthy, and moving normally — they're old enough to be on their own.
Found a dead opossum?
• Check — with gloves — whether babies are clinging to her or in her pouch and call us immediately.
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BIRDS
Nestlings (few or no feathers, eyes may be closed, can't hop or grip):
• If you can find the nest and reach it safely, put the baby back.
• Parents will not reject a baby because it smells like a human — that's a myth.
• If the nest is destroyed, make a substitute from a small container with drainage holes, lined with dry grass, and place it as close to the original spot as possible.
Fledglings (fully feathered, hopping around, short tail):
• It's normal for these to be on the ground for a few days while parents keep feeding them.
• Leave them alone unless they're injured, in immediate danger, or you've seen no parents for hours.
• If they're in danger, move them a short distance to a nearby bush or low branch — not far away.
They need help if:
• They're injured, cold, or were caught by a cat — even with no visible wounds, cat saliva carries bacteria that can kill a bird without antibiotics, so call right away.
Window strike:
• Place the bird in a dark, quiet box.
• If it recovers and flies off within an hour or two, great — if not, call us.
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HOW TO CONTAIN AN ANIMAL
• Wear gloves and use a ventilated cardboard box lined with soft cloth or paper towels (avoid terry cloth — tiny claws and toes get caught in the loops).
• Keep the box warm, dark, and quiet. A heating pad on low under half the box, or a warm water bottle wrapped in cloth, lets the animal move away from the heat if needed.
• Don't peek, handle, or let children hold it. Stress alone can kill a wild animal.
• Keep the car quiet on the way and get it to a rehabilitator as soon as possible.
What NOT to Do
• Don't feed it — nothing! No food, no water, no snacks!
• Don't try to raise it yourself. It's illegal in New York to keep wildlife without a permit, and wild babies need specialized care.
• Don't handle wildlife with bare hands, don't bathe it or put it in water.
• Don't leave it in direct sun, a hot car, or out in the cold.
NEED MORE HELP? Contact Us
• Call or text Critter Corner Wildlife Rehabilitation at 518-303-2926 for wildlife emergencies.
• For non-emergencies, email crittercornerrehab@gmail.com.
• Be prepared to tell us where you found the animal, what it looks like, what it is doing and whether it has any visible injuries —
a photo helps tremendously!
• If you can't reach us or you're outside our area, visit Animal Help Now at https://www.ahnow.org to find a rehabilitator near you.