At Southwest Wildlife, we’re always looking for new ways to improve the care we provide to the hundreds of wild animals who depend on us each year. Wildlife rehabilitation is constantly evolving, and we’re always eager to learn from successful techniques and creative ideas that benefit the animals in our care.
This summer, we found inspiration from the team at Gordon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in New York, a facility that specializes in raccoon rehabilitation. Their creative indoor nursery setup sparked new ideas for how we can enrich the early weeks of life for the orphaned raccoon kits in our care.
We’re excited to adapt many of those concepts here, creating an environment that encourages climbing, exploring, and natural behaviors before the kits are ready to graduate to their outdoor habitat prior to their release back to the wild.
Every year, orphaned raccoon babies spend several weeks growing stronger indoors while they receive the specialized around-the-clock care. During this important stage, enrichment isn’t just fun- it is an essential part of helping them develop the skills and confidence they’ll need to thrive in the wild. By creating a more engaging nursery space, we can better prepare these curious animals for the next chapter of their journey.
If you’d like to help us bring this new nursery to life, we have added the supplies we need to our Amazon Wish List. From playpens to enrichment toys, every item helps us create a more stimulating home for the many orphaned raccoons that arrive each season.
July, 2026