Wildlife Rehabilitation

If you have a BAT in your house:

In the summer--- you can isolate the room the bat is in by closing doors to the rest of the building. Open a window and leave the room making sure all pets are out of the room too. Bats sleep during the day and fly in the evening . If you find the bat hanging somewhere in the room during the day and do not wish to wait until evening, you can gently cover the bat with a small container and slide the lid underneath it.  NEVER handle a bat with bare hands, both for your protection and for the safety of the bat. Be cautious of not catching delicate toes or wing tips in the lid when you close the container. Take the container outside and release the bat on a tree trunk as high as you can to protect the bat from predators like cats. It is prudent to wear gloves.

Most bats in MA have difficulty taking off from a horizontal surface on the ground, if you find a bat on the floor attempting to fly but not getting off the ground, it does not mean it has an injury. However, if you suspect an injury or the bat looks excessively thin please call us so we can examine the bat first. Bats that are found in a room with a sleeping person, an unattended child, or any person who can not reliably report if they have had contact with the bat should be tested for rabies. Please call your local Animal Control Officer or your town's Board of Health for how to get the bat tested. You can also call the State Rabies Lab for instructions 617-983-6385. If you have any question that your dog or cat ,or any other pet mammal, could have had contact with the bat please consult your veterinarian about a rabies booster. We are happy to consult with you if you have any questions. 

In the winter bats cannot be released outdoors. We take any bat found in the winter and will care for it for the rest of the season until it can be released back into the wild.  If you find a bat, please call 413-768-8928.

Bats that are found in a room with a sleeping person, an unattended young child, or any person who can not reliably report if they have had contact with the bat should be tested for rabies. Please call your local Animal Control Officer or your town's Board of Health for how to get the bat tested. You can also call the State Rabies Lab for instructions 617-983-6385. If you have any question that your dog or cat, or any other pet mammal, could have had contact with the bat please consult your veterinarian about a rabies booster. We are happy to consult with you if you have any questions.

If you find an injured or a grounded bat that seems debilitated please carefully contain the bat in a small container that has a few little air holes. Be cautious of not catching delicate toes or wing tips in the lid when you close the container. The bat will appreciate a piece on non- terry cloth fabric or even a paper towel to hold onto inside the box. It is prudent to wear gloves and please, NEVER handle a bat with bare hands, both for your protection and for the safety of the bat. If you use any kind of tape to seal the box please make certain that the bat cannot come in contact with the tape's adhesive side.  Please call us as soon as possible at 413-768-8928.

If the bat is a pup, i.e. has little fur, please keep the pup warm and dry and covered by placing a clean, non-terry piece of fabric inside the box that will help the pup to feel safe and give it something to hide in. Adding a heat source to the container can save lives as long as it is not too hot, and it allows the pup to move away from the heat if it wants to. You can put warm water in a soda bottle but it must be secured so that it cannot roll onto the pup and the water temperature will have to be monitored because the water  will cool down and need replacing. Remember bats can squeeze through a 1/4 inch gap so the container must have a secure lid! Call us at 413-768-8928 ASAP and we will further advise you as to what steps to take if there is a delay in getting the pup to us.

WATERFOWL

Every spring and summer the public finds orphaned ducklings and goslings with no parents in sight. If you find what appears to be orphaned waterfowl please look carefully in the area for adult birds of the same species in case the parents are in the vicinity but hiding. It may be necessary to protect the orphans in a safe container and leave them in the vicinity of where they were found so that the parent birds will return to their calling offspring. It will be necessary to observe from a distance and to make sure that no harm comes to the babies. If after an hour or two, no parent birds appear to claim their babies it will be necessary to locate a trained waterfowl rehabilitator to take the orphans. Please keep the babies warm, dry, and quiet ,and although you can offer water by tipping their bills into a shallow dish, do not leave the dish of water in the container with the babies. They will get wet and chilled. Please call 413-768-8928 as soon as possible for detailed instructions on how best to care for these babies until they can get to a trained rehabilitator. There are only a handful of rehabilitators in MA that take these species and we can help you locate the rehabilitator nearest you. We can also help coordinate transportation if we are the closest.

If you find an injured adult duck, goose, swan, loon, coot, or grebe please call Tufts Wildlife Clinic at 508-839-7918 or call us at 413-768-8928. Please be advised that adult birds will perceive you as a predator and will , if able, try to defend themselves. Herons, grebes and loons have very sharp bills and stab at the face, swans and geese may use their wings in defense. It is imperative that these frightened birds be handled cautiously to avoid further injury. Do not attempt to rescue without consulting someone knowledgeable in capture and restraint for the bird's sake and your safety . Never go into the water with these birds, you risk serious injury and may further injure the bird. Call someone for help.

DONATIONS

Wildlife rehabilitators are not compensated by either the state or federal government for the considerable expense that is incurred caring for wildlife. This includes all the caging, the physical space, the medications and supplies, or any other operating expenses. It costs us thousands of dollars to provide care for all the animals we take in each year.

We depend on support from the general public and from fund raising that we must do in order to continue caring for wildlife. Can you help us help them?  If you can make a tax deductible donation please visit our online store  and scroll to the end for an option to make a donation via Paypal or send a check to CCCWR 107 Hillman Rd. Colrain, MA 01340

Thank you for caring for wildlife.