The Food Feud: What To Feed Wildlife

One of the most debated areas in wildlife rehabilitation is that of diet and nutrition. If you’ve researched this topic or are part of wildlife groups, you will see how controversial it can be. Some say we need to be extremely precise in regard to macros and calories. Others say we can be a bit flexible. Some formulas advertise that they are all the same, while others are made for specific species. We all want our rehabs to be healthy and develop successfully, so what are we to do?

If you’re wondering where I stand on the matter, I will say that I fall somewhere in the middle. Although I do opt for health, I also think we need to remain flexible. When I first began rehabbing, I went by the book. But I quickly realized that my babies were much more flexible than I was. I was overwhelmed by all the contradictory information, the slew of ingredients I had to buy to make formula, and the ever-changing learning curve regarding diet that ensued as development continued. I had to adapt. And adapt I did. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to feeding wildlife.

Stomach capacity. I want to start off by talking about tube feeding animals. When you are tube feeding, you cannot simply feed an animal any amount. Tube feeding is literally administering food directly into an animal’s stomach. If you give too much, you can rupture an animal’s stomach and kill it. Thats why it absolutely critical that you stick to the 5% rule. Generally, an animal’s stomach capacity is between 5%-7% of its weight. You should always weigh your animals in grams, and then figure out what 5% of that is. That will be the amount you feed per feeding.

Not all formulas are equal. In your rehab travels you will see many formulas advertising that they can be used for multiples species. Cute pictures will adorn the label and its temping to buy it for the sake of convenience. Do not be fooled. Formulas are not equal. Each species requires a different macro nutrient ratio. Cottontail milk for example, is composed of 18% fat and 12% protein compared to an opossum who has 7% fat and 4% protein. You would not want to give an opossum milk designed for a cottontail as it would be too much fat, and a cottontail would be deficient in protein if it received milk designed for an opossum. The only time those universal type formulas are good, is when you are in a pinch and its very temporary. You also must make sure the formula is safe for the animal before using it.

Diet depends on species. As an animal develops, there diet changes. They require more calories and certain nutrients to grow into healthy adults. Even though they may now be weaned completely off their milk, you still must think about their overall dietary requirements. I look to nature for this. What food would this animal naturally be eating in the wild? Most of the time you can go out and forage or substitute for something similar at the grocery store, but other times you’ll have to make sure they are getting their nutrition met in other ways, including food they may not necessarily find in the wild but will still eat. I have found chicken liver to be an enticing meal for many small mammals who are omnivores and carnivores. When my opossum Mattie had been brutally attacked and almost killed, she did relish these livers and I think it gave her much needed nutrients that she otherwise would not have gotten due to being so injured.

Flexibility is okay. Now I know some rehabbers would wholly disagree with this, and that’s fine. But I believe flexibility is important. I remember a woman who had taken in an orphan and was roasted in a post about what she was feeding it. Everything she was doing was correct, yet people still managed to lay into her over the smallest things. I rarely comment, but in this case I did. I reassured her that what she was doing was completely fine, and that as long as the baby was developing well and overall healthy, then to stick with what is working. I also reminded people that opossums have been around almost unchanged for millions of years and are quite adaptable. I also reminded them that as much as we may want to monitor their macros, they are scavengers and are not counting their macros when they are feeding on a carcass or rummaging through trash cans. They are driven by hunger, as we all are, and they are inherently flexible when it comes to food. Another debated topic that plays into flexibility is letting animal eat until they are full. My take on it is that an animal knows when it’s hungry and when it is full. Yes, some animals may not want any more milk but feel the need to suckle. That’s okay. You can let them suckle in a way that doesn’t give more milk. Raccoons are notorious for this and some even use pacifiers for them. Some animals are more active than others and require more calories. Some animals have larger stomach capacities than others. Some animals are healing and need more energy on top of their daily requirements. The only time I would limit an animals food intake is when you are tube feeding. In this case you absolutely want to stick with the stomach capacity percentage, and perhaps even a little under.

Quality over quantity. With that said, I do not feed my wildlife junk food or sweets. Sweets are helpful when you are trying to entice animals to eat, but they should be healthy sweets, not commercially made sweets. My raccoons for example were quite picky when it came to weaning off their beloved bottle and eating their gruel. A little yogurt and banana made all the difference however, allowing me to later sneak in their soaked kibble. If you stick with healthy foods, you should be okay.

Diet and nutrition in the wild. Remember, you are not mom, nor do you know anything about being that species of animal. Some rehabbers break nutrition down to a science calculating every macro and every calorie. Yet nature doesn’t work this way. Animals eat by hunting and scavenging. They go through periods of feasting and famine. They hibernate and live off their fat reserve for months at a time or migrate to other areas needing a constant supply of fuel for their journey.

At the end of the day, we can give the best formulas and provide the best diets, but we need to remember that nature is inherently in flux. Animals are adaptable and we too need to remain fluid in our approach. Our job is only temporary, and we need to trust that the animal’s instincts are sharper than we are.