Wild-side Rehab of WKY

11/22/2025

09/28/2025

So many worry about their property value from a financial perspective but take a second and think about your property value from a ecological and environmental perspective. If you dont like leaf litters, mowed grass, natural vegetation all over your yard pick a small spot in a back corner away from the hustle and bustle of day to day living. Let this small spot grow natural, wild, untamed. Then put you a couple chairs or a blanket out and watch as life unfolds and erupts from that small space! That small space will then naturally protect that same life all winter long until the sun comes back and life emerges again!

09/14/2025

WE LOVE SPOOKY SEASON!! We just dont enjoy the calls of birds, snakes, Lizards, and bats stuck in people's decorations.

We too use to by spider webs by the truck load and cover the house in them(we never had any critters get stuck in them) but then we started working with the wildlings and started getting the entangled, snared, suffocating, dead calls that all could have been prevented it something different had been used to decorate!

We arent saying don't decorate for HALLOWEEN! We love Halloween! Just put a little more planning and thought into decorations and always remember whats fun and cool for you may be a death trap for someone else!

As always we love each and everyone of you wild crazy souls!!

09/02/2025

If anyone is interested in helping wildlings heal, grow and return to nature IWRC has opened their fall enrollment for the basic wildlife course required by KDFW to become a licensed Wildlife rehabilitator!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ceq6Pgrqh/

08/09/2025

Phew its veggie and fruit re-stock day for our non-releasable Groundhog resident Herbie!

Did you know this girl puts away 1.5-3 lbs of veggies and fruit a day? Thats $92 of produce every 5-7 days!!

Did you know we run off donations and you can donate to Herbies veggie fund by following the link below?
https://www.paypal.me/WildSideRehabOfWKY

Did you know groundhogs get most of their water from the veggies, grass, fruits that they eat?

Did you know their thiccck f a t layer that helps them hibernate safely through the winter hinders them and makes them more susceptible to heat strokes during the summer?

Did you know Herbie has clubbed back feet which prevent her being able to move quickly enough to evade predators and also prevents her from digging a deep enough or structurally sound burrow for her to survive hibernation?

Did you know seeds from the gourd families and melon families are natural wormers for wildlings?

Enjoy yalls saturday!! Remember DONT HATE EDUCATE!!

PSA❗️ Herbie was placed with us by Ky Fish and Wildlifes State Vet who came and visited her to give her a physical exam and declare her feet clubbed. Herbie has been deemed non-Releasable by our wildlife vet due to the structure and limited dexterity of her feet. She is not in any pain and has most likely been deformed since birth. ❗️

07/30/2025

These 4 babies mom was hit right in front of our house! We couldn't save mom she was gone on impact but we do have her babies and will do everything we can for them!

🫶🐾Rest easy momma we got it from here 🪽🌈

07/18/2025

⚠️📣UPDATE WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO PICK UP⚠️📣

🫶WITH THE HEAT ADVISORY ITS TO MUCH OF A RISK TO LEAVE HIM/HER IN THE TRAP MUCH LONGER🐾
🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️🫶⚠️
⚠️📣EMERGENCY TRANSPORT NEEDED⚠️📣

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE PADUCAH AREA THAT CAN PICK UP AND TRANSPORT A LETHARGIC POSSIBLY INJURED GROUNDHOG TO US?

WITH THE HEAT ADVISORY AND STORMS THIS BABY WONT LAST LONG IN THE TRAP AND IN THE ELEMENTS.

IF YOU CAN HELP PLEASE TEXT ME (CRYSTAL) at 8l2-3l9-39l2 and I will send the address and phone numbers of the individuals who have him/her.

We love and appreciate all of you guys!!

07/04/2025

🎆WE HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY🇺🇲

CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY AND REMEMBER:

🎇If you are shooting off fireworks please be sure to aim for open spaces not into tree lines or places where native wildlife will be sleeping or taking refuge during the celebrations.

🐰High stress wildlife like deer, squirrel and rabbits are often flushed out in terror because of the fireworks as they run in terror they may run into an area in close proximity to humans(choose compassion not hysterical reactiveness) or run into roadways where they may get hit or cause and accident.

🦇Bats and nocturnal birds often collide with firework displays, are knocked unconscious, fly into windows/vehicles or are disoriented and may be found the next morning during clean up.

🐾If you have any injured or downed wildlife please contact a local licensed Wildlife Rehabber by googling your state + Wildlife rehab.

🦇Do not handle any downed bat regardless of size or condition without thick gloves, thick blankets or some sort of protection between your skin and the bat.

Stay safe!! We are always here to help!! DONT HATE EDUCATE!!

07/03/2025

Some early morning ASMR from Herbie our Non-Releasable Groundhog. Her favorite veggie is corn and she will search her bowl for her corn. If no corn is available she gets huffy and chomps her teeth at us as she "slums" it with the less than adequate(per Herbie standards) veggie selection!

Herbie was brought to us by Ky Fish and Wildlife all the way from Frankfort area and was even seen by the State Vet before being ruled as non-releasable. Herbie has a club back foot that limits her mobility, digging capabilities, ability to climb and normal movement which would allow her to evade predators.

For these reasons she will be with us for her entire life which in captivity can be up to 12 years but average is 8-10.

06/28/2025

This baby hoggie (as our daughter calls them) came in yesterday showing signs of seizures and possible neurological symptoms. Our first thought was hit by car but after a few hours in the air conditioner in the wildling hut, some electrolytes and sub q fluids he perked back up so we are thinking he got separated from his family couldn't find his burrow to nap away the heat of the day and was suffering from heat stroke.

He is eating his veggies and even showed his disgust for our room service by having a solo water fight that required us to change his bedding and housing accommodations 🤣.

We will hold him for a few days for observation to make sure he's doing good and hopefully his amazing rescuer can find his family and family burrow so we can attempt to reunite them.

06/25/2025

We have had some interesting, concerning and sweet moments this week.

A box turtle came in with a lawn mower injury and to our suprise during transport she laid 3 new suprises. With the guidance of an out of state turtle rescue we buried them in a perfect spot in our turtle enclosure their burial spot has been marked and if they hatch they will be returned to the area mom came from.

A water turtle came in with what appeared to be a not so serious shell Crack but when we started cleaning her an entire section of her shell fell off exposing the inside of her coelom, which is a fluid filled sac that protects her organs from the outside world. We talked to our reptile vet who told us an antibiotic to use and the best method to reattach the broken piece to help her regrow her shell. It will be a long road for her and we are taking it moment by moment.

Then we got in 3 baby opies who lost their mom and all their siblings when they were hit by a car. 2 babies are showing signs of neurological deficiencies and one is perfectly healthy.

06/23/2025

Good morning everyone just wanted to remind all of our wonderful followers and people who find us by searching for Wildlife Rehabbers or Wildlife Help. We are not federally licensed to intake, treat/care for, possess or release native birds of any kind. You have to possess state license and federal license because most birds are protected by the migratory bird treaty act of 1918.

For Raptors/Birds of Prey(this includes turkey vultures also), and waterfowl please contact

🦉Broadbent Wildlife in Irvington at 270-547-4200
🦅Raptor Rehab in Louisville at 502-491-1939

For songbirds contact:

🐦Lynn Hazelrigg at 270-889-7107

There are not any federally licensed rehabbers for raptors/birds of prey/waterfowl/Turkey Vultures that are intaking from Elizabethtown to TN and all across that area and only one rehabber is licensed for songbirds...that we know of...so one of these listed facilities will need to be contacted to help our feathered friends.

You can always go to the link below to search for rehabbers in your area:
https://app.fw.ky.gov/rehabilitatorNew/