What To Expect During The First Year Of Wildlife Rehabilitation

So, you’re finally a licensed wildlife rehabilitator! Congratulations! Getting through the studying, taking the state test, having to find a vet, it’s a lot of work. But now’s when the real fun starts! But it also comes with a lot of hard work. The first year has its own challenges in addition to the wildlife you care for and that’s because of the learning curve. There is so much to learn! From the species needs, techniques, medication, and how to structure your setup that the first year can easily overwhelming. There are some things you can do however to better navigate this process and hopefully make it more enjoyable.

Work with one species. This is probably my biggest piece of advice and it’s because it ripples into other areas of rehabbing during the first year. I know it’s easy to want to take in everything you get a call for but trust me-you will immediately be overwhelmed and that in turn effects care. When I first started out, I only took in opossums. This allowed me to get my feet wet while slowly adjusting to the ever-changing nature of rehabilitation as well as allowing me to get to know the species I am working with on a more focused level. The learning curve consists of everything from intake and exam to rehydration therapy, formula, diet, and caging. Often you will not know what you need until you need it, so working with one species can make this easier as you need to acquire less. One species can be hard enough, especially when you’re just starting out, that taking in multiple species at once can be extremely stressful!

Order your supplies ahead of time. Every year, before baby season begins, I order all my supplies for the year. I like to do this because soon every rehabber will be ordering things often rendering things out of stock, and it’s better to have things already on hand then scrambling to the store trying to get it. You are not going to know everything that you will need ahead of time. To this day I still run into instances where I don’t have something and need to add it to my annual inventory list. But there are some items that you can get ahead of time, and it also helps if you already know what species you want to work with. Think about what you will need. For example, dehydration therapy is often done subcutaneously; the weight of the animal determining the size of the needle. Do you have needles for a wide range of weights? Babies can do fine for a while in totes, but they quickly outgrow them. Do have caging ready so that you can transfer them? Formula changes as do syringes and nipples. Do you have the right formula from your species along with the appropriate size syringes and nipples? Some species have very specific dietary regulations often requiring additional supplements to meet those requirements. What supplements do you need to have on hand? Some animals come in sick, bleeding, and in pain. Do you have the correct antibiotics, wound care supplies, and medication for the animal? And then there are the everyday staples such as cotton balls, heating pads, and bedding. Make a list of what you will need on a day-to-day basis and then after that add what you will need for the species you are going to be working with.

Educate yourself on the ‘how-to’s.’ It’s not just knowing the species you are going to be working with and getting supplies ready, it’s also how to take care of the animal. Rehabbers need to know how to perform certain techniques. This can be giving sub q fluids, debriding wounds, setting and bandaging limbs, and intubating small babies. Taking classes, shadowing other rehabbers, watching YouTube videos, and reading various material will help you get your techniques down and with continuous practice proficiency will come.

Create a binder. My binder is my bible. I have it meticulously organized beginning with important paperwork and my states rehabilitators directory, to information on zoonosis, followed by various treatments, ending with species specific information. You will be surprised how quickly you will accumulate information, and there is no substitute for well-organized notes. In the chaos that often ensues with a new intake you will be happy you took the time to create this binder as it will allow you to access information quickly.

Network. I’m an introverted person, so the idea of networking doesn’t really appeal to me. However, there is a lot of value in building relationships with other rehabbers, and this can be very helpful when you need to hand off a litter because you’re too full, when you may need advice about a certain situation, when you want clarity on medications, or even if you’re considering broadening your species and want to shadow before taking animals in. It’s also a blessing when you need to vent to someone as other rehabbers know the struggle you’re going through. I don’t work with a ton of other rehabbers, but I do have a few I am very close to, and I value these relationships very much as we become greater than the sum of our parts acting as a synergy for the animal’s.

The first year can be challenging, but it’s always rewarding. Once you get a feel for it, the next year will be much smoother, and you will be able to build off of the foundation you have already built. Just remember to be patient with yourself and the processes because wildlife rehabilitation is journey not only for the animals, but also for you.