Watch the baby animal before you pick it up

You are walking past a hedge, or mowing the lawn, or letting the dog out, and there it is: a small bird on the grass, a rabbit nest in the lawn, a fawn curled in the leaves. Nobody is with it. It looks helpless, and the urge to scoop it up and do something is strong. The urge is kind. It can also take a healthy young animal away from parents that were close by.

Before you pick up a baby wild animal that is on its own, watch it from a distance: if it is not hurt and not in danger, leave it where it is, and call a wildlife rehabilitator (a trained, usually licensed person who cares for hurt and orphaned wild animals) only if it is injured, in danger, or its parent does not come back.

This page is about wild animals. If the one you found is a kitten, a puppy, a farm animal or a bat, read the end of the page first.

Why a baby on its own is often being looked after

Many people say the same thing: wild parents, deer, rabbits and birds among them, leave healthy young alone for long stretches while they look for food, and that is not abandonment. The US Fish and Wildlife Service says leaving the animal alone is usually the best thing to do, unless it is visibly hurt, bleeding or shivering, or you know a parent is dead.

A young bird on the ground is one case. Many people say a young bird on the ground can be a fledgling, a young bird that has left the nest and is learning to fly, with its parents close by. The RSPCA and the RSPB say the same about a bird that is fully feathered: it left the nest on purpose, it can hop and perch, and it should be left where it is, with pets kept away.

A rabbit nest in the lawn is another. Some people say a mother rabbit visits her nest only to nurse, about once a day, to avoid disturbing it, so a nest that looks empty can be perfectly normal. A fawn is a third. Humane World for Animals, a US animal-protection charity, says a fawn lying calmly and quietly has its mother nearby, and that she visits only to nurse so she does not draw predators.

What touching does and does not do

Touching a baby bird does not make its parents reject it. Some people say this is a myth, the US Fish and Wildlife Service says your scent will not put the parents off, and the RSPCA agrees. Some people also say birds have a poor sense of smell.

That is not a reason to pick the animal up. Some people say handling still stresses a young animal and can injure it, and one person says that moving a baby can separate it from its parent for good. With a rabbit nest, look and do not touch: Humane World for Animals still advises against touching the young, because a strange smell may make the mother abandon them.

Which kind of young bird is it

The stage decides what to do, and the authorities agree on it.

A bird with no feathers, or only fluffy down, is a nestling. It cannot survive for long outside the nest. The RSPB says it can be put back only if you are sure which nest it came from and it looks strong and healthy, and that if the nest has fallen or been damaged, a basket or plant pot with nesting material, fixed firmly to the nearest tree, can stand in. Humane World for Animals adds that a nearly featherless chick gets too cold in a makeshift nest, so the original nest is the one to use if you can reach it. If neither is possible, call a rehabilitator. Some people warn that a chick may have been pushed out of the nest because it was unhealthy, and that putting it back may not save it.

A bird that is fully feathered, hops and flaps is a fledgling. Leave it. If it is in the road or in some other danger, the RSPCA says to place it in a sheltered spot a short distance away, so its parents can still find it.

Watch from far enough away

Stand back, or watch from a window. One person warns that a parent will not come back while you stay close to the animal, so leave the area and check later.

How long to wait depends on the animal. For a young bird, the RSPCA says to contact a rehabilitator or vet if you have watched from a distance for more than two hours and the parents have not returned. One person says to wait about an hour; another points out that an hour may be too short and suggests at least four. For a rabbit nest, some people suggest laying string or sticks across it in a tic-tac-toe pattern, and Humane World for Animals says to check again 24 hours later: if the pattern is untouched, call a rehabilitator.

Cats are the other thing to manage. Some people say cats are a major threat to fledglings, and that keeping your cat indoors while young birds are on the ground is an important step. The RSPB also says to keep pets away from a fledgling. One person adds a small habit: check the lawn for burrows before you mow.

When to step in

Humane World for Animals lists signs that a young animal needs help: a cat or dog has brought it to you, it is shivering, a parent is dead nearby, it cries without stopping and wanders, it has a visible injury such as a broken limb or bleeding, or it is a featherless bird on the ground that you cannot return to its nest. For a fawn, the sign is lying on its side or crying all through the day. If the animal is in immediate danger, such as in a road, some people say to move it to safety first and then call a rehabilitator.

To lift it, wear thick gloves and use a towel (see the safety note above). Put it in a box with air holes, somewhere warm, quiet and dark if you can, and call for advice. Give it no food and no water. Do not give milk: one person warns that milk can kill a baby bird, another that cow’s milk can kill a baby hedgehog, and one person warns against giving a fledgling water by hand because it can breathe the water in.

Do not try to raise it yourself. Some people say survival is low for wild young raised at home. Some people also say a young animal taken in can imprint on people, which can leave it unable to live in the wild again and, they say, often ends in its being put to sleep. One person describes raising five found baby rabbits as a child by bottle. Some people replying say the rabbits were probably close to weaning, and that newborn rabbits do not survive on milk replacer.

Who to call: a wildlife rehabilitator first. Some people say to call one when concern persists and not to handle the animal beyond what is needed. In the US, Humane World for Animals suggests an animal shelter, humane society, animal control, a nature center, your state wildlife agency or a vet if you cannot find one, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service says licensed rehabilitators are the people to hand an animal to, because most states require permits. In the UK, the RSPCA says to take a small injured animal to a vet and to ask the RSPCA about a larger one. One person says a vet is not obliged to treat a found animal for free, so be ready to pay.

Different animals, and when this is the wrong page

If you find a bat, do not touch it with bare hands. Bats can bite without leaving a visible mark, and the US CDC says that if you woke with a bat in the room, you should assume you may have been exposed and see a healthcare provider straight away. The UK guidance is the same: all bat contact should be assessed by a health professional.

If the animal is large, give it distance. One person warns that the mother of a bear cub is probably watching, and another that a moose cow guards her calf aggressively. Both say to stay away. One person warns against touching or photographing seal pups on a shore, because contact can lead to the pup’s death.

If it is a kitten or a puppy, this is the wrong page. Wild-animal advice does not carry over cleanly: some people say a stray kitten’s mother may just be out hunting or resting, and that you should not hover or pick it up, while one person says a cat with a clipped ear tip or collar belongs to a managed colony. A local animal shelter can say what applies where you live. A farm animal alone, such as a goat, may really be distressed, according to one person. The same goes for a turtle: what is right depends on the species and where it is, and this page does not cover it.

If the animal is already injured, skip the watching and go straight to the section on stepping in. If you have already picked up a healthy one, one person says to put it back where it was.

Leaving it alone can feel like doing nothing. When the animal is healthy, it is the help.