How Do You Care For A Baby Opossum?
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at
3:37 pm
My family and I found a baby opossum on a bike riding trail. Its mother and five siblings had been killed by a car earlier. The baby is about six inches long, including its tail. It can’t be more than a few weeks old. We never touched it because my mother said it could have rabies.
We put it in a big Tupperware box on the porch and gave it pieces of apple to eat and water to drink, along with some old rags and weeds from the garden. How can we care for it further? What can it eat?
Thanks for all your help!
Tagged with: Baby • Care • Opossum
Filed under: Breast Feeding Supplies
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Possums are not a vector for rabies, as their body temperature is too low for the virus to survive. However, they can transmit other diseases, and they do have parasites. They can also bite, if frightened or feal threatened. You do not want to keep this animal, or handle it. In addition, it is illegal to keep wild animals unless you have the proper permits.
Please get the baby to a licnesed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.…
They have the specialized training to care for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. They also have the required state and federal licenses that allow them to keep the wild animals for a short time until they are healthy enough to be released back into the wild.
Congratulations on going out of your way to care for this baby!
This website will tell you everything you need to know:
http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/injured_opossum.html
You must get the possum to a rehabber as soon as possible or it will probably die – perhaps within hours. Here is a listing of rehabbers:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm
In the meantime, keep the baby warm and dry and provide a little water in a shallow saucer. Don’t forget to allow air in to the box s/he is in so s/he can breathe!
Good luck.
You need to take it to a local wildlife rehabilitaton center. They have people there that can care for it and get it the proper diet and release it back into the wild when it is ready. It is illegal for you to keep this animal and it will die without the proper care. Look up a rehab near you here:http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.…
Take it to the DNR office. Not only can they take better care of it, it’s illegal in most states to possess wild animals!
Step One Understand your short-tailed opossum’s natural tendencies. A short-tailed opossum is a solitary animal in the wild, and adults will hurt each other when confined. Opossums are nocturnal creatures, so they need to be allowed to sleep during the day.
Step Two Be patient with your pet. Let your opossum smell you before you pick him up. Some opossums will immediately enjoy climbing on their owner, while others will be shy. Provide treats to increase your opossum’s trust. If your opossum seems irritable or scared, come back later.
Step Three Provide an appropriate home for your opossum. You will need at least a 20 gallon home furnished with a nesting box, soft nesting material, an exercise wheel and branches to climb on. Keep the humidity at about 50 percent so your opossum does not get painfully dry skin.
Step Four Locate your opossum’s home in a quiet and safe place. Your opossum should be out of direct sunlight and drafts, and in a place where other household pets will not try to interact with them. Even birds or large snakes may make opossums nervous.
Step Five Choose the right diet. A low-fat, high-protein dry pet food should be used, supplemented with additional protein, such as insects, and fruits and vegetables. Provide fresh water at all times. See the related eHow article “How to Feed a Pet Opossum” for additional details.
Tips & Warnings
If your hands smell like food when you handle your opossum, she may bite you, thinking that you have a treat for her. Wash your hands before you interact with her to prevent this.
First of all opposums don’t carry rabies. Second, you should contact the wildlife rescue in your area. This link has information about opossums and a place to look for local wildlife rescue in your area.http://theopossumpage.com/pagefinding.ht…
In the mean time, try to keep him warm and quiet in a dark box with air holes.