911 Advice for Opossoms:
“I found an orphaned eyes closed baby opossum - what do I do?”
Baby opossums that still have their eyes closed are far too young to survive without their mother. Here’s what
you do if you find a baby opossum(s).
Immediately look around for the mother. Opossums do not leave their mothers voluntarily until they are at
least ½ lb. in weight. The mother may have been hit by a car or killed/injured by a predator or frightened
enough for the baby to have fallen off her back (she travels constantly with her babies on her back or in
her pouch). There will usually be more babies, so searching for the mom will be critical to the lives of
the other opossums, especially if the mother is dead. Neonate or eyes closed opossums will not disengage
from their mother’s nipple (teat) even if she is dead. They will continue to nurse, thus absorbing toxins
as time progresses and becoming slowly poisoned.
Opossums whose eyes are open and are walking will usually not leave their mother even if she is dead.
Check for injuries/bruising.
Get a box with lid and place a clean t-shirt along with the baby(ies) into the box. Punch airholes
in the lid and secure the entire box with a rubber band. Opossums are escape artists!
MOTHER OPOSSUMS DO NOT COME BACK FOR THEIR BABIES! If you find an opossum(s) and the mother is
nowhere in sight, then a wildlife rehabilitator needs to be contacted immediately!
“How often does the mother feed the babies?”
Opossums are North America’s only marsupial (like the kangaroo) and live in their mother’s pouch
where they literally attach to and nurse from her nipples continuously until they reach 2-3 weeks
of age. At that point they disengage from the nipple and start crawling around sometimes coming out
of her pouch as they investigate their new world.
“I have picked up the babies – won’t my scent keep the mother away?”
Since the mother does not come back for her babies, you do need to intervene and pick up the baby(ies).
Human scent will not interfere with their survival.
“How do I know if the babies are old enough to survive on their own?”
Opossum babies leave their mother either voluntarily or by falling off of her back while she is moving.
If an opossum is at least ½ lb. or greater in weight, then they can usually survive on their own. The b
est way to tell is by contacting a rehabilitator who can help you determine the age of the opossum.
”How many babies do opossums have?”
Opossums have 13+ babies in one litter, although it is unlikely that all will survive.
“What do I do if I find a dead mother opossum?”
It is best if the body can be set in a safe location and/or into a box for transport to the rehabilitator.
Babies that are still attached to the mother’s teat will need to be gently disengaged from the teat and
fed with a special feeding tube for the first few weeks of its life. If you see babies milling about the
dead mother, try to get all of them into an animal carrier where they can be safe either for transport
to a rehabilitator or until the rehabilitator arrives at the site.
“The babies are blue and cold. What do I do?
Opossums have a subnormal temperature and cannot endure the cold. They MUST be kept warm until help can
be obtained. Please follow the stabilization protocol located at the end of this advice sheet.
“My cat/dog just brought in a baby opossum. What do I do now?”
Cats puncture and dogs crush. If there are any injuries whatsoever, a rehabilitator should be
contacted as soon as possible. Cat bites are almost always fatal, so if there is broken skin
on the animal then its life is compromised... Keep your cats indoors!! Cats are the killers
of millions of species of wildlife each year! Follow the stabilization protocol located at
the end of this advice sheet.
Please follow the instructions below IF:
- The babies are in imminent life-threatening danger
- The babies are injured
- The babies are abandoned and/or orphaned
If any of the above stated situations fits your particular scenario, then contact a state permitted
wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. If the baby opossums are determined to have been abandoned
and you need to transport them to a rehabilitator, please do the following:
- Use a small container such as a shoebox. Punch air holes in the lid.
- Line the shoebox with a clean t-shirt or baby receiving blanket that you do not mind giving up.
- Place the babies inside the shoebox and put a rubber band around the box and lid, securing it for the ride.
Babies must stay warm. Fill a clean tube sock with uncooked white rice and tie off at the cuff with a
piece of string. Place the sock into a microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes. Place the sock inside the
shoebox and put part of the t-shirt or other piece of clean cloth over the sock. You don’t want the
sock to be so hot that it could burn the babies. The babies will crawl next to the warmth of the sock
and stay there for the ride to the rehabilitator. Another option is to put a wet washcloth (wrung out)
into a ziplock baggie and microwave until warm but not hot. This acts as a portable heating pad!
If it is going to be a length of time before you can get the babies to a rehabilitator, please do the following:
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THE BABIES – TO DO SO COULD CAUSE THEIR DEATH!
Follow the instructions above as per the shoebox or other small container.
If you have a heating pad, set it on low and place the pad on a non-conductive surface (your bathroom counter
or washing machine lid will do just fine).
Place the container with the babies half-on and half-off the heating pad. This will allow the babies to move
away from the heat if they need to.
Opossums require a specialized formula. Alone, most replacement formulas do not contain the sufficient
ingredients to sustain a growing baby opossum. A rehabilitator has been trained to offer the formula
appropriate for this species and knows the correct feeding schedule and protocol of rehydration. You
also run the risk of aspirating the baby by using an incorrect feeding utensil (such as a baby bottle
with nipple). Mom opossums also stimulate the babies after feeding in order to help them eliminate.
This process is vital to their health and life. Baby opossums are incredibly fragile and do not take
handling by humans well. They will die of stress if handled improperly. Keep baby opossums away from
children, household noise (such as vacuum cleaner and so forth), domestic pets and bright light.
Opossums do not make good pets. They are wild things and have wild instincts. They do not trust humans
and do not accept other domestic animals as companions. Please do not consider keeping these incredible
and fragile creatures as a pet – to keep an opossum in a cage for the rest of its life is to doom it to
a life of sadness and broken spirit.
For further information on wildlife rehabilitation, please visit:
International Wildlife Rehabilitators Council
National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
Opossums
Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals "love" them. But those who respect their natures and wish them normal lives, love them more. - Edwin Way Teale