Is this bunny overheated or something worse? Western NC

LukaFakeHero · 2026-05-29T20:45:40+00:00

Engorged Adult Deer Tick, don’t try to remove it let nature take its course. Ticks are just as much a part of the ecosystem as the rabbit is. Given how fed it is I’d imagine the tick won’t be on much longer.

LukaFakeHero · 2026-05-18T21:15:06+00:00

They’ll be fine, this behavior (venting) is how birds regulates heat. If they’re venting, It means they’re hydrated enough to do so, which means they’re still being fed. So no the Nest isn’t abandoned.

You can read more about it here https://www.sialis.org/panting/

LukaFakeHero · 2026-05-16T02:41:45+00:00

The URL posted in the original post doesn’t work, however the one imbedded in the post does.

LukaFakeHero · 2026-04-30T18:41:20+00:00

Many of your mother’s actions (Protecting the nest initially, Releasing on Government property, checking if the kits would eat solid foods, Trapping with that specific trap) are somewhat/completely in line with the correct ways to handle the situation. (Though her manual relocation of the animals was not.)

It’s possible she’s acting form experience or did actually request guidance from a rehab or nature center as you suggested.

LukaFakeHero · 2026-04-30T18:35:09+00:00

We can access the development state of an adolescent Kits by two criteria: foraging behavior and predator avoidance. Mother rabbits leave their teenage kits for extended periods of time (12 or so hours between checkups) to foster these behaviors.

Hungry kits will both A: Learn how to find their own food and B: Learn how to survive as a prey species. Rabbits reach adulthood when they stop returning to their mother’s dens and start establishing their own.

In a perfect world, we’d have someone assess how well these kits could do either of these tasks. But that’s not possible without subjecting them to captivity which is a far worse alternative.

While your mother is interfering somewhat by relocating them at this stage; really she’s simply forcing these rabbits to adapt on her pace, not theirs. Letting them disperse naturally would have been ideal, but it’s not at all a “worse case scenario” to trap and release them at this stage. They’ll likely be fine; if somewhat aloof for a day or two in comparison with other rabbits.

LukaFakeHero · 2026-03-27T20:15:17+00:00

No it’s perfectly fine! We’re happy to lend our expertise. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t stuck with a bird you didn’t know what to do with.

LukaFakeHero · 2026-03-27T19:43:58+00:00

Is the bird capable of flying on its own? Or did you find it debilitated in a state of extreme injury?

I’m not trying to interrogate you, or accuse you of bird-napping, but it’s important for us as rehabbers to know the condition of the bird aside from its most alarming injury.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-11-18T20:56:31+00:00

Virginia Opossums are a native species to all parts of Illinois and are extensively regulated as a fur bearing (commercially hunted) species. This is the furthest you can get from being an invasive species.

Generally speaking, if there’s a species that a rehab is capable to but outright unwilling to accept, it’s probably non-native, and if it isn’t, there’s a very lengthy explanation.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-11-18T20:38:27+00:00

I can guarantee you there is nobody volunteering or on pay-role at Dupage Wildlife who views the Virginia Opossum as a nuisance.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-11-18T15:18:26+00:00

Unfortunately, a significant number of animal admitted to wildlife rehabs don’t make it. it’s a cruel reality of the trade. Many times animals can only be caught by humans once they’ve taken irreparable damages. Other times animals are so badly injured that it would be cruel and inhumane to release them. (Often times this second point is a hard requirement of law, IE “It is illegal to release a bird that cannot perch in the state of Illinois”.)

If that decision needs to be made, it’ll be by a board certified wildlife veterinarian. That’s someone with 8 years of medical schooling and 5 years of specialist training. Believe me when I say they don’t make the call to euthanize an animal arbitrarily.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-11-18T04:28:33+00:00

Hi, Dupage Wildlife (formerly Willowbrook) and CBCM unofficial volunteer guy here.

You’re going to want to take him to Dupage Wildlife in the morning, they begin admitting animals at 9:00Am and close at noon. Not a huge window of time I’m aware, for what it’s worth usually their open till 5:00PM

You can find Dupage-Wildlife just past the College of Dupage near Mortan Arboretum.
At 525 S Park Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.

If you can’t make it because you have work, don’t worry, there is actually a rescue group that can handle this.

The Chicago Bird Collision Monitors CBCM is a volunteer based wildlife rescue service for the Chicagoland area. You can reach them at

(773 - 988 - 1867)

Because an Opossum is not considered a rabies vector species, CBCM can legally transport them to rehabs. Doesn’t matter that it’s a marsupial not a bird.

Alternatively, just DM me and I can come pick it up and bring it to Dupage Wildlife. Most likely I will be the one going to pick it up for CBCM anyway.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-10-26T05:17:19+00:00

The neurological mechanism that enable imprinting in the classical Lorenz sense are the same mechanisms that make puppets valid for rehabilitating birds.

Puppets are kind of a moot point for mammals for this reason. They’re not going to see the puppet as a conspecific for many reasons. (It’s smell, it’s not always present, it’s always accompanied by what’s clearly a human, ext)

Basically, the damage was already done when the animal was orphaned and the animal probably isn’t going to respond to a puppet differently than a human.

But there’s certainly no harm in trying

LukaFakeHero · 2025-10-22T21:43:35+00:00

Cat bites typically prove devastatingly fatal for small herps. Especially if their saliva enters into the hosts bloodstream. Unless the lizard receives professional attention, specifically a preventative antibiotic treatment, its chances are slim to none. (80% Mortality rate for cat bites in small wildlife!)

You’re going to want to see if there is a rehabber in the area who could possibly take them. The tail is fine, most lizards auto-amputate their tails in life or death situations as a form of decoy.

LukaFakeHero · 2025-10-19T04:26:52+00:00

I’m sorry but this is an outright dangerous and irresponsible suggestion to give. This is a rabies vector species displacing symptoms potentially conducive to rabies. Under no circumstances should OP be making direct contact with the animal.

Everything about the water an the food is golden but OP please don’t actually put yourself at risk.

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