Your answer
Unusual behaviour is worth reporting, not approaching.
Circling, head tilt, unsteadiness, daytime activity in a nocturnal animal, and unexpected tameness all have several possible causes: head injury, poisoning from rodenticide, distemper, and rabies among them. None of them are diagnosable from a photograph, and several are transmissible.
What to do right now
- 01Keep people and pets well back and bring pets indoors.
- 02Watch from a distance and note the time, the behaviour, and the species.
- 03Photograph or film it from where you are if you can do so safely.
- 04Call a rehabilitator and describe what you saw. They decide what happens next.
What not to do
- Do not approach, corner, or attempt to contain it.
- Do not offer food or water.
- Do not assume tameness means it is friendly or hand-raised.
Change your mind if any of this is true
Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.
- Anyone was bitten or scratched, or a pet had contact — see a doctor today, and call your vet about the pet.
- It is a fox, skunk, raccoon, or bat behaving oddly in daylight.
Get professional help
Tell us where you are — your state, then your county — and we will list the people licensed to take it there, nearest to you first. Rehabilitators are licensed by their own state, which is why we ask.
Understand the animal
Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.