Don't touch it
First rule, no exceptions: don't pick it up with bare hands. Beyond the bite and scratch risk, human scent and handling can cause a mother to reject the young — and many baby animals carry parasites. If you must move one (it's in the road, for example), use gloves or a towel, move it the shortest distance to safety, and wash up after.
Keep pets and kids away
Dogs are the #1 killer of baby wildlife in suburban areas — a loose dog finds a baby bunny or squirrel in seconds. Bring pets inside and keep children at a distance. Then watch from far away: many "abandoned" babies aren't abandoned at all. Rabbit mothers feed young only twice a day and stay away otherwise. Opossum mothers carry babies with them. A baby bird on the ground with feathers is likely a fledgling — parents feed it on the ground for days while it learns to fly.
When to intervene
Intervene when the animal is clearly in trouble: visible injury (bleeding, broken limb, fly eggs), truly orphaned (mother known dead — hit by car nearby), in immediate danger (in a pool, in the road, caught by a pet), or cold and unresponsive. A baby squirrel that's fallen from a nest can sometimes be reunited — place it in a box at the base of the tree and watch from inside for a few hours; mothers often retrieve them.
Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator
If intervention is needed, the right call is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator — they're trained, permitted, and equipped to raise wild young for release. Don't try to raise it yourself: it's illegal for most species without permits, baby animals need species-specific diets and feeding schedules, and hand-raised wildlife often can't survive release. Your local animal services or Florida's wildlife agency can point you to a rehabilitator. And if the babies are in your attic or chimney rather than your yard, that's our department — we handle the family humanely and together.