Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

Photo of a squirrel sleeping blissfully in a pile of blankets. At the center of the photo lies his swollen penis.

"Paint me like one of your French squirrels"

credit: @blueridgewildlife.bsky.social

For eastern cottontails, make sure to save this flow chart in case you encounter any this season!

Just because you don’t see mom, doesn’t mean she isn’t around!

While it may be difficult to think about, proper disposal of euthanized animals, including pets & livestock, is imperative to keeping wildlife, pets, AND people safe! If you work in vetmed, animal shelters, with livestock, or at landfills, please make sure you’re following disposal guidelines!

Remember- NEVER feed a wild baby animal, & always call a rehabber for advice if you find wildlife in need!

Proof that when you follow proper reuniting advice, moms really DO want their babies back!
These babies were found after their nest was destroyed from tree trimming. Thankfully, most wild moms have other nest sites - & mom wasted no time coming back for her kids when given the chance!

This abscess was removed, the skin was closed, and the snake is currently active and recovering. We hope to get this patient back home soon!

White cells accumulate, causing firm swellings to form. In mammals, like humans, enzymes break these accumulations down to form liquid pus. However, reptiles (& birds) lack these enzymes, & abscesses remain firm, with a thick, cheese-like pus that is fortunately quite easy to remove, capsule & all.

On exam, a firm swelling was noted along the body wall. The snake was sedated to better examine & it became apparent that the swelling was an abscess. Abscesses are typically formed when bacteria enters tissue (from a predator or puncture) & white blood cells go to that area to fight off infection.

With recent warmer temperatures, it is not unusual to find snakes out and about. Fortunately for this Dekay’s Brown Snake, an observant human saw them in the backyard with a suspected tail injury. The snake was safely contained and transported to our Center for care.

This is why we really mean it when we say don’t try this at home, folks! 🚨 (Pssssst…it’s also illegal.)
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Please take a moment and share this so more folks can learn that licensed rehabbers like us are here to help wild animals and humans alike. ♥️⁣

#WildlifeRehab #BabySeason #TheMoreYouKnow

a man wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses looks at the camera ALT: a man wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses looks at the camera

Top O’ the ‘possum to ya

Happy St. Paddy’s Day from our o’possum patients to you! 🍀 Share this for a little dose of luck today. ✨
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And yes, we mean *O*possums. Possums live in Australia and are a different group of marsupials. Remember to include that o when writing about your favorite North American marsupial! 💕⁣

& she’s off! Our Hoary Bat patient that came in weeks ago lethargic & skinny passed her flight evaluation & was successfully released shortly after! With this warmer weather, many bats are awake & on the move - especially our migratory bats (like Hoaries) as they start moving north!

There’s been a lot of information going around about Avian Influenza, aka Bird Flu. Join our Hospital Director, Dr. Jen Riley, to learn more about this current outbreak & what it means for people, pets, & especially our wildlife.

Last year we took in nearly 4,000 animals, & contrary to popular belief, we receive NO state or federal funding to do what we do. It’s only through the generous support of people like you that care that allows us to do what we do!

We made it, BlueSky! We’re BRWC, a wildlife hospital in northwestern Virginia dedicated to conserving & protecting native wildlife through rescue, rehabilitation, research, & education! 👋🏼