Poplar Bluff Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

11/18/2025

Turtle Trivia Tuesday!

Why don't turtles make great Christmas gifts?
Christmas gifts are a surprise, and you never want to surprise someone with an animal they may not know how to properly care for or may not be properly set up for.
Turtles are a life-long commitment. (THEIR life, not the gift recipient's.) Turtles and tortoises can live in excess of 100 years depending on species. And once a pet, always a pet. A turtle or tortoise that is kept as a pet must remain in captivity the rest of its life - no matter how long that life may be.

Setting up a turtle or tortoise properly is quite expensive. They require specific lighting, supplements, heat and humidity requirements, diet, and equipment/accessories that can all be quite expensive to purchase. Additionally, turtles and tortoises need yearly vet check ups just like any other animal, and vets who specialize in reptiles often charge much more for these "exotic pets" than they would for other animals. Emergency care for an injury or illness can often run 3 to 4 times more expensive than it would be for a dog or cat. We advise that if you are not financially prepared for an animal's vet care, it's a good idea to wait on getting that animal until you are.

A surprise turtle or tortoise pet may not be a great fit for the recipient. Then what will the recipient do with it? Sadly that's often how turtles end up dumped into the wild or surrendered to rescues. Rescues for reptiles are under-funded and overly-full, so these unwanted "gifts" can add additional burden to already stressed rescues and sanctuaries.

What to do instead? If you've done your research and feel that a turtle or tortoise really would be a good addition to your family and you feel ready for the commitment, here are some ideas:

- See if your local breeder or rescue would give a gift certificate for a future adoption. This will allow the recipient to get involved and choose their own pet as well as allow them time to research and set up an appropriate habitat before the animal comes home with them.
- Make a donation to a reptile rescue or sanctuary (like us!) in your recipient's name.
- If you know your recipient will be getting a turtle or tortoise in the near future, purchase some of the needed supplies or research material.
- Reach out to local rescues or sanctuaries about volunteer or foster opportunities. Many of these organizations will have foster-to-adopt opportunities which would allow the recipient to house a turtle temporarily, giving them the opportunity to see if turtle ownership is right for them. This is something we offer as well! Visit our website to see all of our adoption and fostering info :) We have many rescue turtles who need good forever homes.

11/18/2025

11/18/2025

11/18/2025

This evening, we received a call from VEG in St. Pete, where we rarely pickup, regarding a raccoon in their care. We contacted our raccoon rehabilitation partners and planned to find transport in the morning. However, due to concerns about the raccoon's condition, Selena, the Bat Lady, retrieved it tonight. Upon arrival, the raccoon, a large and beautiful female, appeared lethargic. In the initial photograph the raccoon was sitting upright, but upon arrival at 11:00 PM, she was laterally recumbent and only whimpered when we administered fluids. Selena assisted in restraining the animal, although it was not necessary, as the raccoon was weak and unresponsive. Unfortunately, the raccoon suffered a seizure and passed away about 12:30 tonight . The finder said he witnessed the raccoon falling from a tree. We feel that her death was most likely caused by Head Trauma with Intracranial Bleeding.
Falling from a tree can easily cause Skull fracture and other brain injuries.
These injuries often cause:
Delayed seizures (minutes to hours later)
Blood from one nostril if the fracture or bleeding tracks through one sinus, Rapid deterioration.
The raccoon had all of these symptoms. Her condition had deteriorated significantly between the initial photograph, in which she was sitting upright, and her arrival at our facility, where she was laterally recumbent and unresponsive. Her behavior was highly atypical for a raccoon, which, usually exhibit fear and aggression when in captivity.  She was a big beautiful raccoon. We are very sad. We could not save her.  

11/18/2025

Ashley has watched this young raccoon since he was born this spring. She watched him with his mom and siblings around their yard. But Monday, something changed. This handsome young boy was dragging his hind leg and limping badly. You can see a small part of the wound he sustained from ??? Animal attack? Hit by car? Well, it turns out that he lived in an area where he very well might have been stuck in a piece of equipment. That seemed to make sense. He has some puncture wounds in his abdomen and his hind leg is extremely swollen and sore. We've got him on pain meds and a long-acting antibiotic so we don't have to administer that orally every day. What a blessing because his first dose of meds today ended up with a syringe being bitten in half in the blink of an eye! He's still got a lot of fight in him and we'll be alongside him:)

11/18/2025

Winter isn’t harsh for rabbits because they’re weak —
it’s harsh because they survive close to the ground,
in the cold, in the open, with every shadow a threat. 🫶🐇

This time of year, they freeze in headlights, hide in brush,
and search for calories wherever they can find them.

A yard left a little wild isn’t neglect —
it’s kindness. It’s shelter. It’s life support.

🍂 Brush piles
🍃 Native shrubs
🌾 Leaf litter
🚗 Slower driving at dawn & dusk

These tiny choices help more than handouts ever could.

Let nature look like nature for a season.
Little lives depend on it. ❄️✨

11/18/2025

The rescue team arrived to a heartbreaking sight: a small cardboard box left by the side of the road. Inside were four newborn raccoons, their tiny bodies stiff from the cold, their cries barely audible. The team rushed into action, warming them, giving fluids, and gently coaxing life back into their fragile little forms. But despite all their efforts, one thing was missing—their mother.
Two days later, she was found. Injured, frightened, and desperately searching, the young mother raccoon had been trying to reach her babies. After treating her wounds, rescuers brought her to the enclosure where her infants waited. The moment she heard their faint cries, she froze. Then she called out softly, her own cry full of longing and relief. She reached for them immediately, grooming each tiny body with trembling urgency.
The reunion was quiet, but profoundly moving. The mother, battered and exhausted, showed that love needs neither size nor strength—only devotion. And her babies, sensing her presence, responded with trust, warmth, and renewed will to live.
In the following days, the babies grew stronger under their mother’s constant care. The rescue team built a protected space for the little family to heal and grow, and when the time was right, they planned to release them together. The mother would return to the wild—free again—and teach her babies everything they needed to survive.
Her story became a powerful reminder of compassion’s impact. For wild mothers, separation isn’t just dangerous—it’s devastating. Rescuing them means more than saving lives; it means honoring the bond that keeps them alive in the first place.🥰💗

10/28/2025