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If you find
injured or orphaned opossum:
Call ETWRC for
instructions or read the information provided in this site.
If it is
determined the animal needs assistance, then: Pick up the animal gently
with gloves on;
Place animal in a
small box with soft cloth on the bottom. Secure lid and create
ventilation.
Place a heating
pad set on "low" half way UNDER the box, or a
plastic bottle filled with hot water and wrapped in a cloth IN the box;
Place the box in a
quiet, dark room. DO NOT give food or water.
The Virginia
opossum is a unique creature, as it is North America's only
marsupial, and is related to kangaroos and koalas. After a brief
gestation of a mere 12-13 days, the tiny undeveloped young
(weighing only about a tenth of a gram and the size of a lima bean)
crawl from the birth canal and find their way into the mother's
pouch, a fur-lined cavity on the outside of her abdomen. Once
inside the pouch, the babies each fasten to a nipple, which expand to
"lock" the little ones in place.
Should you find a dead opossum, check immediately to see if it has
a pouch (males will not have pouches). The pouch will appear as a slit
running the length of the abdomen. Any babies will be located on the
undersides of the "flaps" on either side of the slit. If the mother
has been recently killed, the babies will still be locked onto
the nipples. Using one hand, firmly pinch the nipple with your
thumb and forefinger. With the other hand, firmly but gently grasp the
baby's jaw and snout. Pull in the opposite direction to release the
suction and free the baby from the mother. In some instances,
the nipple may tear and remain in the baby’s mouth. If this
happens, carefully use a pair of tweezers to remove the
section of nipple.
If mom has been
dead for a while, the babies may have already separated from the
nipples. You may even find one or two outside the mother's
body. Be sure to check the mother's pouch anyway to be sure they are all
removed and rescued. A female opossum may have as many as 13 babies.
Keep the babies in a warm, dark, quiet place until you can get them to
an ETWRC rehabilitator. Do NOT try to feed the babies, and do not try
to give them water. Offering food or water before they are
stabilized could be detrimental to their survival.
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