Did you know that feeding a cold animal can kill it?  It is very important that an animal is warm before feeding it, especially babies.  Besides the fact they are unlikely to want to eat if they are below their normal body temperature, the added stress of digestion activity beginning can be the final and fatal blow to a weak and cold animal.  As a rehabilitator I carry chemical and electric heating pads with me.  Getting an animal up to normal body temperature is always the first step in rescue work.  My rehabilitation teacher, Carol Smith use to put baby rabbits, opossums and squirrels in her shirt to warm them up on occasion.  She tells of getting some funny looks sitting in the stands watching her son play soccer as the animals came around and started moving.

Did you know that giving the wrong kind of milk to a baby animal can make it very sick?  Cow milk is not suited to most other animals and can cause diahera and illness.  Orphanned deer need goat or deer milk. Motherless squirrels do best on puppy replacement milk.  Raccoons kitten replacement milk.  In addition to the milk many of these animals also need additives and vitamin suppliments added to their formula.  Even though most babies will take what is offerred and may even appear to do fine on the wrong milk, bone deformaties, weakness, general health  and stunted growth are all possible side effects of getting the wrong formula.  Many of these problems do not manifest themselves until adulthood.  It is always best to get orphans to licensed rehabilitators as soon as possible for proper care.

Did you know that trying to feed a bird water with an eye dropper can kill it?  A birds wind pipe is so close to its throat it is very easy to get water in a birds lungs drowning it.  Most meat eating birds, Owls, Hawks, Falcons etc. get most all their fluid intake from the prey they eat and do not even drink water except on rare occasions.

Did you know rattle snakes (and many others for that matter) can accurately strike their prey even if blindfolded?  Of course you don’t see that many blindfolded snakes around here but in laboratory studies it has been proven they can locate prey using their highly developed heat and smell sensing organs.  Most snakes have very poor eyesight.

Speaking of eyesight, Did you know many birds of prey have a telescopic image in the center of their field of vision and more normal sight around the perimeter?  This allows them to see tiny animals from great heights while at the same time having broad vision.  It is a lot like those magnifying glasses that have a super close-up lens set inside a weaker lens.  You can see two different magnifications at the same time.

Speaking of blindfolding, Did you know bats can catch insects totally blindfolded?  Unlike snakes that use heat and smell, bats use a type of sonar.  They emit a clicking sound and as it bounces off insects the bat can tell from the echo exactly where the prey is.  One of the reasons bats are so hard to catch or strike with a broom is that they have that extra sense that allows them to avoid obstacles even at a high rate of speed.

Did you know  many animals including wolves are born blind and deaf?  This helps to limit fear and stress while they are dependent upon a mother for nursing.  It also keeps them from reacting to noises and moving which could attract the attention if a predator  snooping around the area.

Did you know that a bird captured by a cat can die from the bacteria in the cat’s mouth even from a tiny scratch.  Rescude birds with any kind of laceration are given antibiotics to fight off infection.  Birds have much less blood in their system compared to other animals and are effected much sooner by blood loss or infection.

Did you know dried corn is not good for deer?  Deer are Rumens, like cows and goats they have multiple stomachs. They eat primarily leafy vegetable matter, acorns, twigs, buds and bark while browsing or grazing which goes into their first stomach.  They later regurgitate and re-chew  their “cud” at which time prior to it being processed through their other stomachs.  Although they will eat dried corn it is not good for them and too much can make them very sick as it does not process easily.

The also have trouble with sweet grain.  The molasses in the grain contains too much sugar and can also seriously upset their stomach.

If you feed deer the best food for them is a mixture of Rolled Oats, Rolled Corn (much easier to digest) and Barley.  It is available locally at the Farmers Co-op in Fayetteville.

There are also “Deer Chow” mixes available that are pellets that  contain a balanced diet of processed food for deer.  It is available at local fed stores but be careful to check the label to make sure it is not simply dried corn often sold to Hunters to bait deer.  The deer chow mixes will generally have many other ingredients.

Did you know that too many nuts can give squirrels brain seizures?  Squirrels love nuts but in the wild they comprise only a portion of their diet.  They eat bark, leaves, seeds, fruit, berries and acorns in addition to nuts.  If a squirrel gets too much protein in their diet they can have brain seizures which can be fatal.  Sunflower seeds and nuts both contain high amounts of protein and should comprise only a portion of a squirrels diet.

If you like to feed squirrels try to include dried corn is better for them than sunflower seeds.  Acorns are better than nuts. They will also eat fruit, bread, berries, spinach, apples and grapes.

Did you know opossums can become cannibalistic?  It is not uncommon for opossum  babies to nibble on each other if they do not get enough protein.  Their is a fine line in rehabilitating opossums between too much and too little protein in their diet.  They can get a metabolic bone disease if they get too much and they might turn on each other if they get too little. 

In the wild protein comprises only a portion of an opossum's diet.  They will eat almost anything.

A study authored by David D. Hopkins and Richard B. Forbes performed on road-killed opossums. showed their diet was 27% mammals, 11% leaf litter, 10% fruit, seeds, bulbs, etc., 10% gastropods, 9% garbage, 9% earthworms, 9% pet food, 8% grass and green leaves, 8% insects, 3% birds, and 1% misc. animal tissue.

Another study conducted in New York State in 1951 analyzed the stomach contents of 187 opossums. The study was conducted by W.J. Hamilton, Jr. and published the The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 15, No. 3.  It found Fruit 18.0%, Amphibia 17.2%, Mammals 14.2%, Insects 13.4%, Grasses 6.6%, Worms 5.4%, Reptiles 5.3%, Birds 5.0%, Carrion 4.8%, and misc. or Undetermined 6.7%

Did you Know Opossums rarely live beyond 1 year in the wild?  They are killed by  predators: humans (and cars), dogs, cats, owls, an larger wildlife.  They also have trouble surviving harsh winter weather.  In captivity there are rare reports of living 5 to 10 years.

Did you know a small songbird in the wild has less than a 50% chance of surviving more than two years?  As a general rule, larger birds tend to live longer. Parrots in captivity have been known to live over 80 years!