COST OF WILDLIFE CARE – Give Wildlife a Brake

What it takes to care for wildlife

This is how much it costs from rescue to release to care for wildlife. For basic medical treatment, appropriate food/formula, and bedding:

Fawns
$500 or more to raise a baby deer

Photo credit: Emily Case

Foxes
$75 per week

Hawks and owls
$50 per week

Photo credit: Chet Gottfried, Ron Crandall, and Sue DeArment

Raccoons
$200-500 per kit

Rabbits
$150 in formula to nurture baby rabbits for 60 to 90 days

Squirrels
$150-200 for formula to nourish a baby squirrel to release

Breakdown of how much it costs to nurture a bird

$12,000 – average food costs per year
$1,000 – veterinary care for the year
$500 – food costs per WEEK from May–September
$90 – average amount it costs to care for an insectivore (chimney swift, barn swallow, tree swallow, etc)
$45 – amount it costs to raise a neonate into adulthood

If an animal is injured, the veterinary and medicinal costs can be much higher.

For example, curing an owl of West Nile Virus can cost up to $500. Repairing and rehabilitating a broken bone on a bird of prey can run upwards of $1,000. Enclosures for mammals and birds can cost in the range of $5,000.

Food, cleaning, and medical supplies needed by wildlife rehabs

Here are the kinds of supplies needed by wildlife rehabilitation centers on a daily basis throughout the year:

Food

Dry puppy, dog, or kitten chow
(not senior, indoor, or special diets)
Unsalted peanuts in the shell
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fox Valley Raccoon Formula
Fruit/vegetables/chicken baby foods
Bird Seed
Black Oil Sunflower
Shelled Corn
Scratch Feed

Housing

Newspapers
Heating pads
Surgical drapes
Bales of straw or hay
Animal carriers and cages
Rubbermaid storage containers

Enrichment

Educational baby and toddler toys
Cat climbing trees
Dog and cat toys

Medical supplies

Lactated ringers
Syringes
Needles (all gauges)
Latex exam gloves
Sterile saline solution
Vet wrap, cling wrap
Cotton balls
Q-tips

Cleaning supplies

Plain white paper towels
Unscented liquid laundry detergent
Clorox brand bleach
Clorox Clean-Up liquid
Dawn dish detergent
Plain white Kleenex
Clorox wipes
Trash bags

Miscellaneous

Unscented baby wipes (alcohol free)
Wood bark mulch

Taking in over 3,000 animals annually, from the tiniest hummingbird to the largest eagle, from chipmunks to deer, Red Creek is helping others become wildlife rehabilitators through classes, seminars, and online training, expanding this service to new areas in Pennsylvania and nationally.

How to support wildlife rehabs in Pennsylvania

Give directly to a Pennsylvania wildlife rehabilitation center in your area. Browse featured PA wildlife rehabs below.
You can also purchase our annual Pennsylvania Wildlife Samaritans calendar – 100% of the Proceeds go to the featured PA wildlife rehabs!

Not in Pennsylvania?
Find out where your local wildlife rescue and rehab is and be sure to keep their phone number handy in case you ever have a wildlife encounter (e.g., orphaned, injured wildlife in need).