It never ceases to amaze me how well and how quickly wildlife can heal. I received a young, juvenile, male possum in a week or so ago. He had been caught by a labrador retreiver and the wildlife officer had to chase the dog and then force it to release the opossum. When the possum arrived at my house, he had rapid, shallow breathing, palpable subq emphasema over the entire right side of his body, major bruising across the abdomen, right eye filled with blood and protruding, left cornea white.

Read more »

Virginia Opossums are interesting creatures. They are the only marsupial native to North America. The gestation period for the Virginia Opossum is 13 days which means they are very “premature” when born. At birth, they crawl up into the mothers pouch, attach themselves to one of her 13 nipples, and continue to grow and develop for another 2 months. When they are about 2 months old, they begin to leave the mom’s pouch for short periods of time. They will stay with mom—first in her pouch, then riding on her back and finally running along side her—for approximately 5 months when they are fully weaned and able to live independently.

Read more »

Link: http://tinyurl.com/l9r7ca

Possums are notorious for being found in some interesting places. A baby possum was recently rescued from a soda machine after it ran into an athletic club.

I love releasing opossums! When an adult or juvenile which has been injured and rehabbed is released back into the wild, it tends to take off running as soon as it is released and never look back. This is especially true of female possums with a pouch full of babies. Orphaned possums that I've hand raised from very little are a different story. They step out into the world slowly, tasting everything in sight. They roam a little ways then come back to sniff at my shoes looking up at me as if saying, "Now what, Mom?" They slowly meander away nibbling vegitation and snapping up insects. Happy little guys, off to explore the world. Happy Mother's Day to all!

Link: http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/4.htm

The Virginia Opossum is a very interesting critter! The only marsupial native to North America, it has a pouch like a Kangaroo where the female carries the babies (called Joeys) until they are weaned at around 3 months of age. The joeys will then ride on mom's back until they are large enough to run with her at night. The gestation period is only 13 days. When born, the joey is very premature and is the size of a raison. The mom licks a path to her pouch so the babies know where to go. Their mouths are sealed shut with the exception of a small hole in the front of the mouth. The babies swollow a nipple into their stomachs as Joeys are unable to suck like most mammals. The female opossum has 13 nipples, but a typical litter size is 7-9 babies.

Read more »