The Critter Hunter

I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately about people finding baby birds on the ground.  The people on the other end always ask if I could come out and rescue these baby birds. The truth is they are not in need of rescue at all.  I usually ask first if the baby bird looks injured or wounded.  I then ask if the baby birds have feathers and are mobile.  Nine times out of ten the answer is yes.  I begin to explain to them that this is a natural occurrence.  The nest is only designed to hold the babies for so long.  The baby birds get too big for the nest and start over powering one another for space. Eventually they will start jumping from branch to branch and eventually land on the ground.  Some can actually fly right out of the nest, maybe not so well at first but they will learn.  The adults know exactly where the baby birds are at all times.  They are in constant communication with one another through many different vocalizations.

My advice is always if the baby bird does not looked distressed to leave them be.  I absolutely stress that nine times out of ten these baby birds do not need to be rescued.  We as humans think we are always doing good by helping out but unknowingly you could be doing more harm than good.

If the baby birds are still in a nest, then absolutely leave them alone. For most birds, from hatch to fledge it will take approximately 28 days and the baby birds will be on their way.  This does not include any Birds of Prey.

If you are unsure about a situation please give All That’s Wildlife, Inc. a call.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

Attached are some pictures of Robin Parents and their babies. When they were big enough to fly out of the nest the Parents were always close by taking care of them. This all took about 26 days for them to grow and leave. (Photography by Debbie Wilberschied)

Raccoons breed in the month of January and sometimes even as late as May or June, this can depend of the region of the United State.  Their gestation period is about 60-64 days.  Most litters are born in April and May but some may be born later depending on the breeding.  There is only one litter of young born each year. They can have one to six but the average size litter is between three and five.  To find out more, visit our website at All That’s Wildlife and look under animal facts.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

This female had 4 babies

In another situation regarding squirrels, the customer is having problems with squirrels getting into a dormer of the roof for at least 4 years. Her husband had been completely ignoring what was going.  She wasn’t about to stand for it anymore. They have 3 small children at home and she was no longer willing to be patient.

She called All That’s Wildlife, Inc. to trap these animals.  When I got to the house I inspected the site. I found the squirrels were using their attic as a breeding site for some time. I set my traps and caught the female the same day.

The next day I got a call that the trap doors were closed. When I arrived at the house and got up on the ladder and looked in the traps I was completely blown away by the size of the baby squirrels. I could not believe they could actually trip my traps. They were so small that I opened the trap and reached in and pulled them out with no effort. I took both of the baby squirrels and put them inside one of my leather gloves where they both fit neatly inside. When I brought them home that evening my wife instantly fell in love with them. They readily ate and quickly fell asleep. They are doing very well and will be reunited with the mother.  See attached pictures of the digs my wife made up for them.

Read more about Squirrels at All That’s Wildlife, Inc.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

I don’t know if it was the harsh winter that we had, but animal litters have been a little later this season. As of last week I am now just starting to get more squirrels calls. For a while they have been nonexistent.

The calls from customers start out, “we are hearing scurrying sounds in the attic”. Once I am at the customers house I do a thorough assessment. I will then set a couple of traps in strategically placed areas. Within a few hours I will usually have the female, that’s the easy part. They are always slaves to their stomachs. They absolutely cannot resist a grocery store by their front door. The babies on the other hand can be a little more difficult. Right now I am noticing the different sizes of the young. Some have been ranging from 4 inches up to 10 inches. Depending on the size of the litter it can take from 2-5 days to capture the babies because they are very cautious. They haven’t experienced the outside world as of this time; they depend on the mother for food.

Most recently I trapped a solid black gray squirrel that was living in a wall of a church. I set two traps very close to the hole which happened to be in a real bizarre place and involved a little ingenuity when it came to setting them up. The female mother squirrel was caught within about 2 hours. She was released on my property and for the next 4 days one squirrel per day came out and ventured into the trap where they were caught. Since they were separated from the mother and still too young to fend for themselves, they are currently being fed by hand and doing very well.  When they are old enough they will be released on my property where the mother was released.

Read more about Squirrels at All That’s Wildlife, Inc.

Stay tuned for more stories on Baby Squirrels.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter