Ojai Valley Wildlife Care

04/24/2026

🖤🤍 New Arrival at Ojai Valley Wildlife Care 🤍🖤

Our newest little patient is a strikingly beautiful striped skunk—just a baby girl—found all alone in the road at Foster Park. Thankfully, a kind and brave Good Samaritan stopped, scooped her up, and got her safely to us.

And yes… baby skunks can spray 😅
They’re just not very good at aiming yet—but trust us, they still pack a punch!

She’s now safe, warm, and getting the specialized care she needs to grow strong and eventually return to the wild where she belongs. 🐾

If you’d like to help support her care (and all the other wildlife we take in), donations make a huge difference. Every dollar goes directly to food, medical supplies, and rehabilitation.

💚 Venmo:

Thank you for helping us give these animals a second chance.
🐾

04/23/2026

13 of these little cuties arrived at Ojai Valley Wildlife Care this week 🐾

Two separate mother opossums were tragically killed by cars, but their babies survived—and now they’re safe in our care. These tiny survivors are thriving on their specialized opossum diet and are right on track to grow up healthy, strong, and ready for release back into the wild where they belong.

It’s a tough reminder of how quickly wildlife can be impacted on our roads. If you’re driving through Ojai or surrounding areas, please slow down—especially at dusk and night when these animals are most active.

Every life matters, and these little ones are proof that second chances are possible 💛

04/18/2026

It takes a village. That saying is overused but sometimes it's the best explanation. It started with Margarita and Roman from Oxnard minding their own business, in their own back yard. They heard a loud "kerplop" and looked up to see a tangled mess of young squirrels that had fallen to the ground from a tree. 5 squirrels, tails so entangled, the squirrels couldn't get away from each other. Margarita quickly tried to separate the squirrels but the sticky mess holding the squirrels together was to strong. She poured some water on their tails to rinse off the mess but it didn't help.
So who do you call when you need help? The Oxnard Fire Department. That's right, Engine 68, from the Rose Ave Station responded to Margarita's call. The first responders calmly pulled and tugged and wiped off sticky material from the 5 squirrels. They managed to free one squirrel who took off and ran back up his tree. Firefighters eventually untangled the whole mess, separating each squirrel. However, the remaining 4 were extremely tired, dehydrated and hungry.
So now, what do you do with 4 baby squirrels in need of help? You call Ojai Valley Wildlife Care.
Margarita and Roman delivered a box of still sticky, missing fur and scared squirrels.
Members of our wildlife rescue team began the intake process, hydrating and evaluating their condition.
As the video shows, the sticky gang responded very well and are bouncing all over the cage.
We never did determine what the sticky substance was. Our best guess is that Mom got into some sap, or possibly a sticky trap, and brought the goo back to the nest.
As with all our rescues, these squirrels will eventually be released back to nature, minus the sticky stuff. Please consider a donation to help us continue helping wildlife. 100% of all donations are used for food, supplies and medical needs of the wildlife in our care.
Venmo your support to

04/08/2026

Yes, this is a baby raccoon. 3 days old, with umbilical cord still attached. Mom must have been disturbed at her nest and was trying to move her babies. Two siblings didn't survive but this one is a trooper. She is holding on and we will give her the intense care she will need.

03/29/2026

Thank you to our amazing volunteers for building the pre-release cage from our fundraiser last year! We already have our first guest enjoying her new surroundings who will be released back into her natural habitat soon. We have such a wonderful community who works together to serve Mother Nature!!!

If you would like to donate to Ojai Valley Wildlife Care, please Venmo https://venmo.com/u/Robin-Balchen or Venmo .

03/25/2026

03/22/2026

Trying a walnut for the first time 😍

03/16/2026

Well, here we are. Right in the thick of it. Baby wildlife season is upon us. Ojai Valley Wildlife Care has taken in 26 orphan squirrels. These are called Fox squirrels because of their fluffy tail. We can't always know what happened to mom but they receive excellent care when they come to us.
In just about every circumstance, the first step we take is try to get them back with mom. Finders are instructed how to safely help get mom and babies reunited. If that effort fails, they have a new home and family with us, until they get big enough to find their own tree and become part of nature again.

03/10/2026

Ojai Valley Wildlife Care hosted a well attended educational program on wild rabbits.
Our presenter, from Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, talked about identifying the different kinds of wild rabbits and the intense care required for wild baby rabbits.
Other wildlife rescue organizations from Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Santa Monica, Ventura and Santa Barbara attended the seminar. At the same time , a virtual presentation was offered and was attended by wildlife organizations as far away as San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga.
Wild baby rabbits are one of our most difficult species to care for. Learning new and helpful methods of care was gratifying.
Right on cue, here come the baby wild rabbits. With our new found education and donations from you, we can help these little creatures survive .

03/02/2026

🐢🌊 **From Our In-House Biologist, Arik** 🌊🐢

Ventura River friends — we are officially in **Peak Critter Commute Mode**.

While driving home, Arik spotted a **Western pond turtle** in the middle of a blind curve, headed toward the river basin like it had somewhere important to be. Meanwhile, traffic was flying through as if the speed limit were optional.

Western pond turtles are listed as a **California Species of Special Concern**, are currently **under petition to be listed as Threatened in the U.S.**, and are **Endangered in Washington**. Every single turtle matters.

So Arik did what any dedicated (and slightly bold) biologist would do: hazards on, vehicle angled, temporary roadblock deployed. He safely scooped up the small armored traveler and escorted it across the road in the direction it was heading.

**Operation Shell Extraction: success.**
Traffic delayed approximately one deep breath.

This rescue came immediately after dropping off an injured squirrel here at **Ojai Valley Wildlife Care** — just another day in wildlife season.

But here’s the serious part:
It’s migration and movement season. If you’re driving near the Ventura River or along blind curves, please slow down.

You might lose a few seconds.
They get to keep being turtles. 🐢

Please donate here; https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3854302460249980048&created=1772836435

02/28/2026

🐿️🍼 **The First Baby Squirrels of 2026 Have Arrived** 🍼🐿️

The finder actually **heard one hit the ground** as it fell from the nest. Shortly after, a second baby fell. By the time they were discovered, both brothers were **severely dehydrated**, making it clear they hadn’t eaten in days.

The finder quickly boxed them up, kept them warm, and brought them straight to **Ojai Valley Wildlife Care** — giving them the second chance they desperately needed. 💚

In anticipation of baby squirrel season, our team had just completed **training and review of squirrel care protocols last week**. We also placed our annual order for **specialty baby formulas for all species** that will soon be arriving. That formula purchase alone represents a significant portion of our yearly expenses.

And this is just the beginning.

🐾 **Hundreds of baby animals are expected this season.**
Will you help us prepare?

Every donation goes directly toward formula, medical supplies, and the hands-on care required to raise these fragile little lives until they’re strong enough to return to the wild.

💚 Please consider supporting baby season today.
Venmo or -balchen

02/19/2026

With the recent winds and rain 🌧 we expect an increase in calls about wildlife concerns. Here are a few things to remember 👇👇👇👇