Rescue Beaver Builds Dams Using Random Household Objects

Meet Beave, a rescue beaver who has over 700,000 TikTok followers. Beave was just three weeks old when he was found by a woman at the side of the road in May 2020. He was brought to Nancy (of Raising the Wild), a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist, who has committed to looking after him for at least two years. This is the amount of time it takes for adult beavers to teach their young everything they need to know to survive.

It’s exceptionally rare to find an abandoned baby beaver, as adult beavers tend to be highly protective of their young. This led Nancy to believe that Beave’s parents were likely killed by poachers. “I will be teaching Beave his basic life skills to survive after his release in two years,” Nancy tells My Modern Met. “Beave is bonded to me, so I am ‘mom’ to him.” Right now, Beave is extremely reliant on Nancy for food and comfort, and often prefers to sleep inside the house rather than outside. While he has the opportunity to swim in an outdoor pond, he often uses the “doggie door” to come inside when he feels the need to have contact.

However, just because Beave spends time indoors, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t act like a beaver in the wild. He stills feels a strong drive to build dams. And while other wild beavers use sticks and logs, Beave gets busy collecting random household objects. From pillows and shoes to toilet plungers and mats, Beave builds indoor dams from anything he can get his paws on. His instinctual nightly habit creates a lot of extra housework for Nancy. She says, “He dams pretty much every evening. When I clean it up, he just rebuilds!” However, Nancy might get a break soon, as Beave has recently started showing signs that he’s ready to dam outside. Some of Nancy’s most recent TikTok videos show the eager beaver busily organizing sticks and mud at his pond.

Beave still has a lot to learn before he can be safely let back into the wild; however, Nancy is sure that he will be ready in two to three years. Once he inevitably starts showing signs of aggression (which is totally natural), Nancy will take this as her cue to give him some space. Usually, beavers show aggression when it’s time to mate. Nancy plans to give Beave a “soft release,” meaning he will stay outside in the pond while Nancy gradually reduces human contact. Before long, Beave will leave the pond completely and start his new life in the wild. “I will distance myself from him as he will to me,” she explains. “Then all of a sudden he won’t be there anymore, as he has decided to set out and get a mate.”

Check out videos of Beave and his dams below, and keep up to date with his rehabilitation progress on TikTok and YouTube.

This is Beave, a rescue beaver who is living with Nancy, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist, until he's ready to be released into the wild.

He's still a baby, so Nancy needs to teach him everything he needs to know to survive.

@beaverbabyfurryloveCame in for a mid day snack before a long nap. ##animalsdoingthings ##animalsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Beave

However, there's one thing he can do instinctively—build dams!

@beaverbabyfurryloveAnatomy of Dam Building 101. Start by moving any object you can find to the door. ##DoItBold ##dialitforward ##animalsdoingthings ♬ original sound – Beave

He's been building indoor dams from items he finds in Nancy's home.

@beaverbabyfurryloveDam Building ##2 ##doitbold ##dialitforward ##animalsdoingthings ##HorrorTok ##fyp ##foryou ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeaves not damming in his pond yet. He’s to young. He does this in the house because it’s his safe place. Not yet with sticks either. ##fyp ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeave doesn’t dam with wood or in his pond yet. But this is practice because to him, the house is his lodge. He’s going to great in the wild!! ##fyp ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeaves masterpieces in the evening. For those who were asking to see the finished results. ##exprESSIEyourself ##fyp ##YouGotThis ##MicellarRewind ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeave is still just using household items to dam. No luck yet with real wood or sticks. Or blocks in this case. ##fyp ##ShowUpShowOff ##yougotthis ♬ original sound Beave

He's recently starting using sticks, which is a good sign for his rehabilitation progress.

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeave finally started grabbing the sticks to dam with!! Big Progress!! ##WeWinTogether ##fyp ##ShowUpShowOff ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveMore Dam Cam video of his stair/front door dam. ##MotivationMonday ##fyp ##myhobby ##wildlife ##familyimpression ♬ original sound – Beave

And he's been spending more and more time outside at his pond.

@beaverbabyfurryloveMore Dam Cam video of his stair/front door dam. ##MotivationMonday ##fyp ##myhobby ##wildlife ##familyimpression ♬ original sound – Beave

@beaverbabyfurryloveBeaver lodges stay about 33-55 degrees Fahrenheit in the dead of winter with body heat. So at night, Beave has to come inside to stay warm. ##fyp ♬ original sound – Beave