opossums or "possum" as most people call them are doclie, quiet animals that prefer to be left alone, they will hiss,drool & play "dead' if approached & will scurry away a few minutes after you are gone, most of the babies i get come in bunches of up to 20 babies. this is usually because the mother has been killed & they are found wandering about by themselves... to me they are one of the most interesting animals i care for & can be rather comical, they have 50 (more than any other mammal) very sharp teeth, but will only bite if that's a last resort...possums were alive when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
a mother possum has her babies only 13 days after mating , then they travel to the pouch where they will stay for about 6 weeks, often people find mothers that are dead with babies still inside suckeling, they are very hardy animals & resistant to a lot of diseases .. but with all animals i always suggest protecting yourself & washing your hands after handling or wear latex or similar type gloves ( i've never contracted anything from any animals i've cared for ) but better safe than sorry... only a few days after their eyes open possums will start accepting food.. you can offer them anything you like.. after all they eat your garbage,dont they? so i start with soft foods like over ripe bananas, vienna sausage, cat food (canned) they tend to like anything stinky..for babies with their eyes closed ,(furless infants must be kept warm ,not hot at all times) i suggest puppy milk replacer (found at grocery pet section or pet supply store)offer this to them from a glass dropper (reccomended) you can find them at a pharmacy or craft store, they are easy to clean up ,& nurser bottles don't come with pre-made hole making it hard to get the hole the right size (either too big or small) feed them every 3-5 hours with no night feedings ,unless they are tiny (resemble baby mice) you can also give them a few droppers full of water or some type of electrolyte like pedialyte or gatorade several times a day, possums do better if offered both & it keeps them well hydrated, just offer as much as they will take & don't force them ,possums WILL eat if their hungry enough unless their sick, their belly will be fat & soft (shouldn't be hard) when they are full, digestion times vary in possums ,so if they do skip a meal don't panic, you also may need to wake them up for feedings, (they will sleep right through feeding time & will not '"cry" for food.. you will need to stimulate them to produce bowel movements,after each feeding, just wet a cotton ball or piece of tissue & gently wipe front to back until they go, this may take a minute but should happen, as they get older (eyes open) they will go on their own & you can stop doing this , like all animals you must wean them from your feedings, it's best to find a rehabber for release preparation or e-mail me for specifics or any other questions. good luck |