Wildlife Assistance > Wildlife in Need > Mammals in Need
Native Missouri Mammals
Because our permit for rehabilitate and release is restricted to native Missouri animals, Lakeside Nature Center can not accept any animals found out of state. Our partners at Operation Wildlife can assist with animals found in Kansas.
If you find injured or potentially orphaned native Missouri mammal, please contact the Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Please leave a detailed message and someone will return your call as soon as possible. The Wildlife Hospital is open daily from 9 am – 4:30 pm. Volunteers on night call duty will return calls between 5 pm – 9 pm.
Please do not email for animals that are in need of assistance.
For information on these mammals in need, please scroll down.
Rabbit
Squirrel
Raccoon
White-tailed Deer
Opossum
Other
For more information on the following mammals in need, go to these sites from our partners at Operation Wildlife, and/or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Armadillo
Badger
Bat
Beaver
Bobcat
Chipmunk
Coyote
Groundhog
Mink
Muskrat
Otter
Skunk
Rabbit in Need
Cottontails nest in shallow, hand-sized depressions in the ground. The mother rabbit pulls fur from her belly to line the nest and covers it with dried grass, so you may not even notice the nest in your yard. Cottontails also like to nest in tall grass. If you haven’t mowed for a while, you may uncover nests when you mow.
Cottontails are prolific, producing as many as six or seven litters between early spring and late fall. Females can become pregnant while still nursing. Although each litter can be up to 12 babies; litters of 4 to 8 are more common.
Babies open their eyes at 7 to 10 days and leave the nest at 3 to 4 weeks. Mother rabbits come to feed their babies at dawn and dusk, but otherwise stays away so she doesn’t attract predators to the nest. She sits on top of the nest to nurse for only a few minutes, and then she is gone again. If you are not looking for her, you may never see her feed the babies.
If cottontail babies have their eyes open, ears upright and are tennis-ball size or larger with fluffy/fuzzy fur, they are around 3-4 weeks old and are weaned and on their own.
For more information on found bunnies, go to this site at Operation Wildlife, Cottontails or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Do not move or relocate a bunny nest.
You can’t successfully relocate a rabbit nest. The female will not go looking for the young in a new nest. She will just abandon the young and they will starve to death or get taken by predators.
Do not give food or water to a baby bunny.
Because all wildlife have specialized milk and nursing specific to their species, it is not advised to give a baby bunny milk or food. Sometimes even offering water can cause unintended side effects such as aspiration.
If You mowed over nest or dog or cat found a nest.
If you mowed over a nest or your pet found a bunny nest, first inspect the babies. Remove any dead ones. Healthy ones should be returned to or remain in the nest. The mother is the bunny’s best opportunity for survival. Injured bunnies can be brought into the Nature Center.
Your scent (from being near or touching the animals) will NOT be a problem. Your scent is all over the yard so mom will have no problem taking care of bunnies you handle.
Put all fur back into the nest and cover with a small amount of grass clippings. Keep your pets inside, away from the nest. Then leave it alone and stay away so you do not frighten the mother. Flag the location to help avoid it. When the bunnies are about 3 weeks old they will leave the nest and you can resume mowing of that area.
Continue to be aware as they will be moving about in the yard. They are learning to hide and perceive what danger is. They may ‘freeze’ and not move when a mower or weed eater approaches. Give them time to move away on their own.
Create a barricade around the nest to keep dogs out.
• Cover the nest with a milk crate or laundry basket during the day. Weigh this down with bricks or rocks. Remove before nightfall after the dog is in for the evening. Place over nest again in the morning before you let the dog out. Mother rabbits only feed their young at dusk and dawn so make sure the babies are accessible and you stay away at these times.
• Place wire fencing around the nest. Make sure the gaps in the wire are big enough for the mother to fit through.
• Place a wheel barrel, kayak, fire pit cover or some similar object over the top. Make sure there is a space big enough to allow the mother to come and go.
• Place cinder blocks, with the openings on the side, around the nest. This will allow the mother to move in and out. You can place a wire or mesh covering over the top to keep dogs/cats out.
• Keep you dog(s) inside unless they are tied up, away from the nest.
• Keep your cat(s) inside.
Bunnies open their eyes after 1 week and are completely out of the nest after 3 weeks (tennis ball sized). Mom only feeds at dusk and dawn so make sure the babies are accessible and you stay away at these times.
If children found a nest.
Make sure the babies have been returned to the nest and then cover with grass. The mother will be back to take care of them. Instruct everyone to stay away from the nest for a few weeks so as not to frighten the mother away.
If the nest flooded.
If the babies are OK, take them inside and warm them up. Warming items might include a water bottle, rice or bean bag (socks work well as bags) or hand warmers. If, by nightfall, the water has receded, return them to the nest. You can also help dry the nest by physically removing standing water and patting the nest dry with paper towels or rags.
If the nest is at the bottom of a slope or hill, you can construct a wall or barricade around the side of the nest that receives the rain run-off. Plastic landscaping border works well in these situations.
To help keep the nest dry during heavy rains/storms, you can implement temporary cover over the nest. Place a wheel barrel, kayak, fire pit cover or some similar object over the nest. Make sure there is a space big enough to allow the mother to come and go.
If a bunny is found out of the nest.
When babies are weaned and leave the nest, they are often mistaken for being abandoned. Remember, if they have their eyes open, ears are upright and are tennis-ball size or larger with fluffy/fuzzy fur they are independent and no longer rely on mom for care.
If they are smaller, find the nest (should be close by) and return them and cover with grass. Mark off the nest and wait a couple weeks. Stay away from the nest so as not to frighten mom. Your scent (from being near or touching the animals) will NOT be a problem. Your scent is all over the yard so mom will have no problem taking care of bunnies you handle.
Squirrels (Gray and Fox) in Need
Squirrels are a common backyard wild animal – gray squirrels and fox squirrels are native to Missouri.
In years with mild winters, squirrels are born as early as the last weeks of February. Females have one litter their first season and two each season thereafter. The second round can arrive as late as the last week of November.
Newborn squirrels are hairless and about the size of a mouse. Eyes open from 21 to 28 days depending on the subspecies.
Most people have a difficult time identifying neonate squirrels and might think they’ve found a baby mouse. A squirrel’s head is about the same size as the body, the hands are quite large, and the tail is very thick compared to a mouse, which has a tiny head, hands, and tail. Also, a squirrel’s muzzle is thick, not tapered like that of a mouse.
The weaning process begins at eight to 10 weeks and squirrels are independent at 16 to 18 weeks.
Offspring of late litters sometimes stay with their mother until the following spring. Grey squirrel females may live with their mothers their entire lives in an extended family, raising their babies alongside their mother’s subsequent offspring.
Squirrels are very good mothers, and mom should retrieve the baby, even if she detects human scent. Mother squirrels make extra nests as a backup if the nursery nest becomes overcrowded, damaged, or infested with parasites. Just because one nest has been destroyed doesn’t mean that they don’t have a home. If the babies did not get injured from a fall (no bruises/scrapes/cuts/head injury), the mother should retrieve them. She often has another nest to which she can move them.
Baby squirrels are best off with their mother. Their survival rate under the care of a human, even someone properly trained, is significantly lower than if left with mom.
Baby squirrels are best off with their mother. Their survival rate under the care of a human, even someone properly trained, is significantly lower than if left with mom.
For more information on found squirrels, go to Operation Wildlife, Squirrels or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Do not give food or water to a baby squirrel.
Because all wildlife have specialized milk and nursing specific to their species, it is not advised to give them milk or food. Sometimes even offering water can cause unintended side effects such as aspiration.
Found baby squirrels. What best matches your situation?
- Baby on the Ground
- Check the baby for signs of injury (blood or bruising) or presence of flies and fly eggs. If baby appears healthy, the first step is to warm the baby up. This is very important as a mom may perceive a cold baby as dead or dying and will not retrieve.Warming items might include a water bottle, rice or bean bag (socks work well as bags!) or hand warmers. Items should be warm to the touch. If it is too hot it may cause burns.
- Affix a box or tub/container as high up as you can. It does not need to be on a limb, it can be affixed directly to the tree trunk. Place it in the nearest tree where baby was found. Place the baby in the box/tub with a heat source (such as a warming item from above) and towel. Leave until nightfall.
- If mom has not retrieved before dusk, bring back inside and try again first thing in the morning. If still there at noon, bring into the center.
- Nest / Tree Cut or Fell Down
If the nest has fallen or the tree limb has fallen or been removed, check the baby for signs of injury (blood or bruising) or presence of flies and fly eggs. If baby appears healthy, follow the same steps:- Affix a box or tub/container as high up as you can. It does not need to be on a limb, it can be affixed directly to the tree trunk. Place it in the nearest tree where baby was found or the tree that the limb came off of. Place the baby in the box/tub with a heat source (such as a warming item from above) and towel. Leave until nightfall. If mom has not retrieved before dusk, bring back inside and try again first thing in the morning.
- Nesting in House
Squirrels are very adept at getting into attics, gutters and other roof areas of the house. Blocking off the area of entry or repairing a hole is the best means of keeping squirrels out. If they do end up nesting in an area of the house, you have several options.- Simply let mom raise the babies and once they are out of the nest, repair or block the area so she does not use it again.
- Install a reunion box near the point of entry to the nest. Put the babies in the reunion box and install an exclusion door at the point of entry. Mom will not be able to re-enter the nest site and will take the babies to one of her back-up nests. For more information and to obtain a reunion box contact Lakeside Nature Center
- See our critter eviction page for information on removing the animals safely.
- Critter Control Removed Mother
If you had a professional remove a nuisance animal, you need to contact that same company to remove any of their offspring. - Other
If you have questions, please contact the Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Raccoon in Need
Raccoons have adapted and probably even profited by human encroachment on their habitat. Their opportunistic and intelligent nature has helped them flourish in suburban and urban settings. Raccoons should be regarded with caution as they can carry diseases harmful to people and pets. In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hiding places and raid nests for tasty eggs. Raccoons also eat fruit and plants including those grown in human gardens and farms. They will even open garbage cans to dine on the contents. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log, or a house’s attic.
NOTE: The raccoon is classified as a rabies vector species (RVS), which means it’s an animal that can carry and transmit rabies. Technically, any mammal can do so, but raccoons are a higher risk. Thus, the animal is subject to certain laws by the state. Raccoons can carry rabies without exhibiting any signs of the disease. They are contagious to other susceptible animals. Because of this, their offspring can be born with the disease as well.
Distemper: Raccoons can carry both the feline and canine forms of distemper. While this is not transmittable to humans, it is fatal to the animal. Distemper is highly contagious and mothers can pass it to their young.
Females have one to seven cubs in early summer. The babies are born furred and blind and similar in size to domestic kittens. Their eyes open at three to four weeks, and by eight weeks, the kits are nearly one-third grown. They are weaned at 10 to 12 weeks and begin traveling with their mother at this time. The young raccoons often spend the first two months or so of their lives high in a tree hole. Later, mother and young move to the ground when the cubs begin to explore on their own.
Baby raccoons can survive on their own when they are about the size of a football. Mother raccoons will begin bringing them down from denning areas in June/July when they weather gets hotter. She will often leave them unattended under bushes, near trees or sometimes against concrete foundations. Raccoons typically have more than one den site and babies may be moved if one den becomes damaged or is unusable.
Baby raccoons are best off with their mother. Their survival rate under the care of a human, even someone properly trained, is significantly lower than if left with mom.
More Information
For more information on found raccoons, go to this site at Operation Wildlife, Raccoons or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Do not give food or water to a baby raccoon.
Because all wildlife have specialized milk and nursing specific to their species, it is not advised to give them milk or food. Sometimes even offering water can cause unintended side effects such as aspiration.
Found baby raccoons. What best matches your situation?
- Found Baby Outside
Baby raccoons uncovered in outdoor dens should be left alone if they appear healthy. Mom will come back and move them if the den has been damaged beyond repair. Sometimes moms get interrupted while moving babies between den sites and will drop or leave them. Give mom a chance to retrieve babies.Check the baby for signs if illness, injury or appearance of flies or fly eggs. If the baby appears cold but otherwise healthy, take inside and keep warm for the day. At dark, put back where you found them in a box with a towel or heat source such as water bottle, rice or bean bag (socks work well as bags) or hand warmers. In the morning, check box. If they babies are still there, they can come into the center for an assessment. If the babies appear healthy, a second reunite may be attempted. - In House
Raccoons are very adept at getting into attics, chimneys and basements. Blocking off the area of entry or repairing a hole is the best means of keeping raccoons out. If they do end up nesting in an area of the house, you have several options.- Babies found in an attic, chimney or basement should also be left alone to allow the mother to finish raising them and then make the necessary repairs after she has exited with them.
- Install a reunion box near the point of entry to the nest. Put the babies in the reunion box and install an exclusion door at the point of entry. Mom will not be able to re-enter the nest site and will take the babies to one of her back-up dens. For more information and to obtain a reunion box contact Lakeside Nature Center.
- See our critter eviction page for information on removing the animals safely.
- Pet Killed Mother
Bring babies in or contact the Nature Center for instructions at (816) 513-8960. - Dead Adult Found Nearby
If the dead animal is a female and appears to have been feeding recently, you may want to look for a nearby den. If found, contact the Nature Center for instructions at (816) 513-8960. - Critter Control Removed Mother
If you had a professional remove a nuisance animal, you need to contact that same company to remove any of their offspring.
Deer in Need
More Information
For more information on found deer, go to this site at Operation Wildlife, White-tailed Deer or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Virginia Opossum in Need
Opossums are North America’s only marsupial – they carry their babies in a pouch on their belly, just like a kangaroo. They have 52 teeth, 13 nipples, an opposable thumb, and prehensile tail that is capable of grasping.
These slow, non-aggressive animals have poor eyesight and are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. An adult opossum has an average life span of approximately two years. They are omnivores and eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes slugs, insects (including ticks), worms, fish, small rodents, eggs, wild berries, nuts, and rotting fruit. About 75% of the diet of urban and suburban adult opossum is carrion (dead animals).
Female gives birth to the first litter of the season in late January through March, with a second litter in late June through August. The young are born about 13 days from conception in an embryonic form and crawl directly into the mother’s pouch. They find and attach to a nipple and do not come off the nipple for the next two to three months. By that time, their eyes are open, and they are fully furred. The young opossum will travel outside the pouch onto the mother’s back, clinging to her fur, going back into the pouch to nurse. They do this until they reach independence at about five months.
Because of how opossums are raised, it is not possible to reunite a pouch young or one that is not independent with it’s mother.
Baby Opossum – To rescue or not to rescue.
- Baby on Dead Mother
Most baby opossum are found when someone stops to check an adult opossum lying on the street or highway. They may see a baby crawling on the female opossum’s belly or see something moving in her pouch. Any young opossum found with a dead mother or in a dead mother’s pouch needs to contact Lakeside Nature Center as soon as possible.Important: Do NOT attempt to take the babies off the mother’s nipple. The nipples extend all the way into the baby’s belly and often must be surgically removed. If forcibly removed, the nipple could completely detach, and the baby could swallow it. It may seem difficult or distasteful, but when bringing to a rehab faciility, it is critical to transport the babies (injured or not) still attached to the dead mother’s body. Lay her in the trunk on a towel or trash bag in a box with the lid on or box closed. We will remove the babies from her nipples and check for injuries. - Baby Alone in Yard
If you see a baby opossum alone in the yard and it is less than nine inches long from nose to the end of its butt (not including the tail), it is probably an orphan or has been left behind.Sometime during the third month, as the babies get bigger, they ride along on Mom’s back and sides, hanging on to her fur as she walks around. Occasionally one of the babies will fall off unnoticed by mom. It is not old enough to fend for itself at this age and can be preyed on, may be unable to find enough food, or may become dehydrated. These babies will need rehabilitation before they are ready to go off on their own. - Older Baby in Yard
A young opossum about nine inches long (not including the tail) has reached the independent stage and should be left alone unless it is showing signs of injury or illness.
For more information on found opossums, go to this site at Operation Wildlife, Opossums or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Other Mammals in Need
More Information
For more information on the following found mammals, go to these sites from our partners at Operation Wildlife, or call Lakeside Nature Center at (816) 513-8960.
Armadillo
Badger
Bat
Beaver
Bobcat
Chipmunk
Coyote
Groundhog
Mink
Muskrat
Otter
Skunk