We knew baby season had arrived when we rescued two opossums, both with pouches full of babies!
One was found in a crab trap at a residence. We went out and retrieved the scared mother who had spent the night trying to escape the cage, which caused severe and painful facial lacerations. Fortunately she didn’t do any permanent damage and we were able to treat her wounds while allowing her to care for her babies.
The second opossum received a deep tear in her shoulder which needed careful attention. This is not an easy task when you are trying not to disturb her pouch.
Opossums are probably one of our most unappreciated animals. They travel mostly at night, cleaning as they go and not paying us much attention. They are part of the night crew that keeps things tidy. We only notice them when they make a bad decision and end up stuck in a trashcan or trap, or when we make a bad decision by leaving trash, pet food and scraps where they will attract wildlife.
Opossums are marsupials like the kangaroo. Like all marsupials, their young grow inside their pouch. They nurse until they are old enough to leave the pouch and then they remain clinging to their mother until they are old enough or large enough to let go and make their own way.
Here are some pictures of one of our mother opossums and her pouch inhabitants.
The two pictures below the top 3 are pictures of baby opossums rescued from a mother that was hit by a car. Babies will sometimes survive a car hit cushioned within the mother’s pouch. These babies were raised at the shelter and later released:
