PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL WARMTH

Hypothermia can kill. When an animal's core body temperature drops too low, its bodily functions begin to shut down. Here are a few ideas on how you may provide supplemental warmth to a cold animal, using common household items.

Note: Do not allow any heat source to come into direct contact with an animal's skin. Also, be extra careful with immobile animals as they will not be able to move off the heat source when they need to.

ELECTRIC HEATING PAD

Turn on HIGH just to quickly warm the pad, then reduce to MEDIUM or LOW. Typically, the pad is placed under a portion of the box containing the animal, never directly underneath the animal's body. In severe cases with small infirm creatures I have shaped the pad into a cone and set the animal on bedding at the base of the cone, keeping a watch on the temperature.

HOT WATER BOTTLE

Most any watertight vessel will suffice. Fill it with hot water and wrap the vessel in a towel before placing it next to the animal. Note: Keep track of the water’s temperature - as it cools, it will start to draw from the animal’s body heat.

MICROWAVED DRY RICE

Hot, uncooked rice can make a wonderful heating pad. If you're not at home, often convenience stores will have rice and microwaves for their patrons. Fill a cotton sack, like a sock or pillowcase, with uncooked rice. Warm it in a microwave oven for maybe two minutes, check it, shuffle rice, and warm it for another minute or so. The rice pad can then be wrapped with a towel and set under, or next to the animal. Make sure the animal has the ability to move off the heat source if it needs to. Also, keep in mind the rice will cool and may need to be re-heated in an hour or so.

LIGHT BULBS

Whether it’s a 25-watt Christmas tree bulb or a 100-watt light, household light bulbs produce heat. If you’re going to use a bulb, place it far enough away that the animal cannot come into direct contact with it. So, as you replace the inefficient light bulbs with the more Earth-friendly fluorescents, keep a few of the old ones around, just in case.

STONES IN THE OVEN

Yes, rocks. They can be heated in an oven or next to a fire. Once hot, they can be wrapped in a towel and set near a cold animal. Remember to give the animal the space to move away from, or off of the heat source.

And, then there is always skin on skin in a pinch…

HUMMINGBIRD EMERGENCY ELIXIR

This is a temporary, emergency solution for adult hummingbirds
and fledglings, not for nestlings, and not to be used over long periods.

4 parts warm water : 1 part sugar

Thoroughly dissolve the sugar in the water. Offer the liquid through a clean eyedropper or syringe (without the needle) by placing it at the tip of the bird's beak, even inserting the bill slightly into the syringe to encourage it to drink. Allow the bird to take up the solution on its own - do not force any liquid out of the syringe, and avoid getting the sticky substance on the bird's feathers.