Found an injured or orphaned animal?

First, check for feathers. A fully feathered fledgling hopping on the ground is learning to fly — leave it alone and keep cats and dogs inside; the parents are usually feeding it nearby. A featherless or barely feathered nestling should be gently placed back in its nest if you can reach it. Do not feed it. If it is injured, cold, or the nest is gone, place it in a warm, dark box and call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682.

Gently place the bird in a dark, ventilated box with a soft cloth and keep it somewhere warm and quiet. Do not give food or water. Many stunned birds recover within one to two hours and can then be released right where they were found. If it cannot fly after two hours, or has a drooping wing or other injury, keep it boxed and call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682.

Yes — urgently, even if you see no wound. Cat and dog saliva carries bacteria (Pasteurella) that are fatal to birds and small mammals within 24 to 48 hours without antibiotics. Any animal caught by a pet needs to see a wildlife rehabilitator the same day. Keep it warm, dark, and quiet, do not feed it, and call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682 right away.

Watch quietly first — a single duckling or gosling will often reunite with its family if they are nearby, so give them time before stepping in. If it is truly alone, injured, or in danger from traffic or predators, gently contain it in a warm, ventilated box. Do not offer bread or water to drink. Call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682 for next steps.

Usually leave them. Mother cottontails only visit the nest a couple of times a day, at dawn and dusk, so a nest of warm, quiet babies is almost never abandoned. If a dog or mower disturbed the nest, rebuild it with the grass and fur and leave it. A rabbit the size of a tennis ball that is hopping is independent. Never feed a baby rabbit — cow's milk and kitten formula are deadly. If one is injured or cold, call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682.

Almost certainly not. A doe hides her fawn and stays away for hours so predators won't follow her to it — a fawn lying quietly, curled up, is normal and should be left alone. Do not touch or move it. Call for help only if the fawn is crying nonstop for hours, is lying on its side, covered in flies, or you know the mother is dead. In those cases, call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682.

Not always. If the baby is uninjured and warm, a mother will often retrieve it within a few hours, so watch from a distance first. But if it is cold, bleeding, covered in fly eggs, or its nest tree was cut down, it needs help now. Place it in a warm, dark box with no food or water and call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682 the same day.

Nothing — please do not feed it, and never give water or milk. Liquids can go into a bird's airway and cause fatal pneumonia, and the wrong formula kills baby mammals. Cow's milk, kitten milk replacer, bread, and worms are all dangerous. Improper feeding kills more orphaned wildlife than going a few hours without food. Keep the animal warm and quiet and call Spicy Paws at (860) 222-5682.