After Hours Help

Most bird species can be wrapped in a towel and placed in a box. Never handle a bird with your bare hands. Use gloves and a towel folded in half. Be careful when handling parrots, bird of prey and seabirds with pointy beaks as these animals can inflict serious injury. If in doubt, call a 24 hour veterinary hospital for handling advice for these species. If you are able to safely capture the bird, place it in a box or pet carrier and leave it in a warm, quiet room away from pets and loud noises. If you are unable to find it help after hours, keep it warm and quiet and take it to your nearest veterinary hospital or wildlife rehabilitation centre as soon as possible. DO NOT offer food. A shallow dish of water can be left in the box.

To reduce unnecessary stress on the bird and possible death/shock, avoid the following:

• loud noises (including car radios, talking, laughing etc.)
• foreign smells (perfumes etc.)
• extreme temperature changes
• sudden movements
• being handled by humans
• domestic animals
• bright lights

In spring and summer you often see young birds sitting or jumping on the ground, with no parent in sight. This is normal behaviour and is not a cause for concern. As tempting as it is to ‘rescue’ a young bird on the ground, in most cases it is not necessary, and may, in fact, drastically reduce its chances of survival. Only remove a baby bird as a last resort when you are certain it needs your help, such as if it is injured, definitely abandoned and/or definitely orphaned.

Fledglings

If the bird on the ground has feathers, leave it alone and watch it from a distance. It is likely to be a fledgling, and usually the parents are not far away and will return with food. They may be a while—possibly hours—but it is perfectly normal for young birds to leave the nest before they can fly.

Nestlings

If it is a nestling with fluffy down and no feathers, it is likely to have fallen accidentally. If it looks healthy and uninjured, place it back in the nest if possible. If this is not possible, make a makeshift nest (such as from a hanging basket or small shallow box) and carefully place it as high in the tree as possible, on a nearby branch or somewhere off the ground and out of danger.

Contrary to popular belief, parent birds will not reject their young if you pick them up—birds generally have a very limited sense of smell. Again, the parents won’t be far away. If you are unable to place a healthy chick back in its nest or out of danger nearby, then you need to get it to an expert rehabilitator as soon as possible if it is to survive.

It is very unlikely for parents to abandon their young. However, sometimes parent birds will reject young if they are unhealthy or if there is not enough food available – they concentrate their efforts on the strongest and healthiest ones.

If you think the baby bird is sick or injured and you are able to safely capture it, place it in a box or pet carrier and leave it in a warm, quiet room away from pets and loud noises. If you are unable to find it help after hours, keep it warm and quiet and take it to your nearest veterinary hospital or wildlife rehabilitation centre as soon as possible. DO NOT offer food. A shallow dish of water can be left in the box.

To reduce unnecessary stress on the baby bird and possible death/shock, avoid the following:

• loud noises (including car radios, talking, laughing etc.)
• foreign smells (perfumes etc.)
• extreme temperature changes
• sudden movements
• being handled by humans
• domestic animals
• bright lights

Most reptile species can be wrapped in a towel and placed in a box. Never handle a reptile with your bare hands as many reptile species have SOLMONELLA on their skin/scales.

Always use gloves and a towel. This section only covers information on how to handle lizards, turtles and frogs.

DO NOT HANDLE SNAKES unless you are trained to do so! WA is home to many venomous snakes species and even the experts have difficulty identifying them.

If you are able to safely capture the lizard, turtle or frog – place it in a box or pet carrier and leave it in a warm, quiet room away from pets and loud noises. If you are unable to find it help after hours, keep it warm and quiet and take it to your nearest veterinary hospital or wildlife rehabilitation centre as soon as possible. DO NOT offer food or water.

If you have found a turtle or frog, gently spray them with warm water but to not place them in water as this could put them into shock!

To reduce unnecessary stress on the reptile, turtle or frog and possible death/shock, avoid the following:

• loud noises (including car radios, talking, laughing etc.)
• foreign smells (perfumes etc.)
• extreme temperature changes
• sudden movements
• being handled by humans
• domestic animals
• bright lights

Most marsupial species can be placed into a pillow case. Possums, bandicoots and small marsupials can be scooped up with a pillow case. Place the pillowcase in a box and keep it in a quiet, warm place. Do not offer food or water.

If you have found a joey marsupial, please the animal in a pillowcase and keep it warm. Do not let it overheat. Take the joey to a 24 hour veterinary hospital immediately. Veterinary hospitals have the equipment/formulas required to keep the animal stable until it can be transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator.

DO NOT HANDLE BATS unless you are trained to do so! Bats are potential carriers of Australian Bat Lyssa Virus (ABLV) which is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease if left untreated. If you have been bitten or scratched by a bat go to the Emergency Department immediately for urgent treatment.

To reduce unnecessary stress on the marsupial and possible death/shock, avoid the following:

• exposure to humans (i.e. not being contained in a pillowcase / pouch)
• loud noises (including car radios, talking, laughing etc.)
• foreign smells (perfumes etc.)
• extreme temperature changes
• sudden movements
• being handled by humans
• domestic animals
• bright lights

If you have found a female kangaroo that has recently been killed please check the pouch for joeys. If the joey is still attached to the teat (usually with furless joeys) do not rip the joey from the teat. Cut the teat from the dead other and remove the joey from the pouch. The joey may choke on the remaining teat so place a safety pin through the teat so the joey can’t swallow/choke on the teat.

Additionally, check surrounding areas (near the dead mother) as the joey may have been thrown from the pouch, or it may be scared and hiding in nearby bushes.

If you find a sick, injured or orphaned joey be sure to keep it in a warm, dark, quiet place and transport it to the nearest 24 hour veterinary hospital asap.

DO NOT attempt to feed/hydrate the joey unless you are trained to do so! Joey marsupials can aspirate on milk/water if fed incorrectly and incorrect formulas (even 1 drink) can lead to severe digestive issues which may result in severe illness.

To reduce unnecessary stress on the marsupial and possible death/shock, avoid the following:

• exposure to humans (i.e. not being contained in a pillowcase / pouch)
• loud noises (including car radios, talking, laughing etc.)
• foreign smells (perfumes etc.)
• extreme temperature changes
• sudden movements
• being handled by humans
• domestic animals
• bright lights

Adult kangaroos with broken legs, broken arms, serious injuries and/or suspected spinal injures require euthanasia. DO NOT approach any injured adult kangaroo. Only rescuers with specialist training should approach injured adult kangaroos.

Whilst the WA Wildlife Ambulance can attempt rescue of kangaroos with these injuries if they are within the Perth metro region and during daytime hours, the Ambulance is not available after hours.

For this reason, if you find a kangaroo with these injuries afterhours it is best you try and find someone to euthanise the animal to ease its suffering.

Contact your local Police station (not 000) for all injured kangaroos after hours.

Wildlife rehabilitators are not trained to deal with domestic animals. Contact your nearest 24 hour veterinary hospital if you have found a sick or injured domestic animal.