The Animals at Rocky Springs

Rocky Springs Wildlife Rehabilitation Center cares for a variety of wildlife. We presently care for woodchucks, squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, cottontails, raccoons, fawns, fox, bats and birds, including songbirds, waterfowl and occasionally raptors. We’d like to introduce you to some of our patients and how they come to be under our wing.

Cottontail Rabbits, Squirrels, Deer, Raccoon

Cottontail Rabbits
Cottontails are often first noticed in the spring when they become more active, and/or when they have a litter. Mating season is February through September, but baby rabbits are not generally seen until spring. There is an average litter size of 5, and they nest in places such as lawns and under shrubs. They can leave the nest at 3-4 weeks of age to fend for themselves, and just like adult rabbits, eat mostly at dawn and dusk. Predation by animals such as fox, cats and dogs is the major cause of death in areas such as ours, but humans may also unwittingly cause their injury or death as well.
We care for many cottontails every year. Reasons vary and include injuries by other wild animals, by dogs and cats, lawn mowers, to name a few. To read more about how to protect Cottontails and how to help, please read our FAQ’s.

The Grey Squirrel

The grey squirrel, an animal in the rodent family, is a creature most familiar to everyone. It is at home in the city, suburbs and the woodlands. Living high up in trees, they construct their large nests of leaves and twigs.
With an average litter of four or five little ones, grey squirrels are born hairless, pink, and with their eyes closed. Their eyes don’t open until approximately seven weeks of age. Their fur begins to appear on their backs at about 2 weeks of age. The youngsters are not usually self sufficient and ready to leave the nest until 12 weeks of age or older.
Their main food sources are nuts of all types, corn, soybeans, fruits, berries, seeds and tree bark. Fungi and insects are also important to the squirrels’ diet.
Squirrels communicate through various vocalizations to express alarm, desire to mate, and distress. They also use their tail to communicate as well as for balance and warmth.
The average lifespan of a squirrel is 10-12 years. Common causes of death are disease and automobiles. They are also prey for larger wildlife, but many are killed by dogs and cats.

Please read our FAQ’s to learn more about squirrels.

Deer

Acorns, grasses, twigs, roots, fruits, leafy greens, and agricultural crops are some of the foods consumed by this familiar herd animal. The white tailed deer possesses an uncanny ability to choose the most nutritious foods available each season has to offer.
A familiar sight enjoyed by many is that of a doe (mother deer) and her fawn (baby deer). Fawns are born in May, the product of a late fall (November) breeding. Until a fawn is able to keep up with mom, the doe will leave her fawn in a place she deems safe while she goes off to graze. The doe locates her baby by following her own scent back to the resting fawn. She will visit the fawn to nurse once or twice during the course of the day. She will also change the fawns’ location every 24 hours. As the fawn grows and becomes stronger, it ventures out with mom to graze as well.
In the wild, the lifespan of a deer is usually 2-4 years. Harvesting through hunting, hit by car and other injuries are some common causes of death. In captivity a deer can reach the teen years.
The Center cares for many fawns each year. For additional information, please read our FAQ’s.

Raccoon

An omnivore active mostly from dawn to dusk, this masked bandit is found everywhere there is water available. The raccoon is an opportunistic eater whose diet consists of fruits, nuts, various plant materials, grains, insects, crayfish, and small birds and invertebrates.
With an average litter size of two to five, the kits are born in a den in early spring. The babies nurse and remain in the den for the first ten weeks of their lives. They communicate with each other (and their mom) by using a series of “chittering” sounds. At about ten to twelve weeks of age, the babies begin to follow mom out on her nightly excursions. Weaning occurs at about 16 weeks but the babies continue to keep company with mom through the first winter season.
Although a raccoon can live for 16 years, many don’t reach a life span of longer than two years. The main causes of death are related to activities of man (hit by car, trapping and hunting). Starvation can also cause death to juveniles during their first winter of life.
Please read our FAQ’s for additional help with raccoons.

Check back soon to read more about our patients! To take a look at a few of them recovering here at the center, click here.