What to feed abandoned baby possums

Orphaned or Injured Opossum | Opossum Society of the United States

Is it really an orphan? Many opossums become orphaned after the mother is killed. Others become “orphaned” when they fall from her back or are somehow separated. These opossums must be raised by wildlife rehabilitators. However, many juvenile opossums brought to wildlife rehabilitators are not “true” orphans in need of care. They may be young juveniles on their own for the first time. While they may appear small and helpless, they are best left alone. Only opossums that are sick, injured, or too young to be on their own (less than 7 inches long from nose to rump, not including tail) are in need of immediate asssistance.

If a young opossum is found then check the surrounding area. There may be more. Be very quiet and listen for “sneezing” sounds the young make to call the mother.

Do not attempt to care for the opossum yourself. In general, it is illegal to do so unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. More importantly, you may cause the opossum harm or death if you do not know what you are doing.

Contact your local Opossum Society of the United States (OSUS) member, wildlife rehabilitator, veterinarian, state department of wildlife or animal control for assistance. Always check first to make sure they do not euthanize all opossums.

LOCATING A WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR NEAR YOU:

The below informational links are not identical to each other. Please search each one for a small mammal rehabilitator nearest you.

Two of these websites were apparently created and posted by volunteers and are not updated regularly. Some people listed are deceased or are no longer rehabilitating wildlife, their name horribly misspelled, email and telephone numbers incorrect. Please be patient in your search and not give up if the person or organization is not reachable on one site, the correct information may be on another site.

Humane Society of the United States
Wildlife Rescue Shelter

ORPHANS:

Hand feeding an orphaned opossum. Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

If you are interested in wildlife rehabilitation and raising orphaned opossums then volunteer with OSUS or a local wildlife rehabilitator. Check with your state regarding training and licensing. OSUS sells an informative Opossum Orphan Care Training Video and Manual.

These training tools are a MUST for any rehabilitator regardless of level of experience. Please see our gift catalog for ordering information.

Temporary orphan care until help can be found:

Less than 4″ from nose to rump:
Seek immediate assistance. Warm by wrapping in a soft ravel-free towel and place near but not directly against a heat source that has been covered with towels (heating pad set on low, hot water bottle, etc.). Do not offer cow’s milk. You may offer Pedialyte diluted 1:2 with lukewarm water for the first two feedings 3-4 hours apart. Then you gradually introduce Esbilac (puppy milk substitute) over the next 24 hours. Feed with a dropper or syringe. Opossums do not suckle. They must lap at the formula being dispensed. warm the infants before attempting to feed. Infants must be stimulated to eliminate either before or after feeding by gently rubbing genital area with a warm moistened cotton ball.

Long term hand feeding can result in dietary deficiencies. Contact OSUS for more info.

4″-7″:
Offer water in a shallow bowl or jar lid and kitten chow moistened with water. Some orphans may still require hand feeding as described above. Opossums defecate in water bowls. Replace with fresh water as needed.

7.5″-9″:
These are young juveniles. Unless sick or injured they do not require assistance.

Note about parasites: Opossums can become heavily infested with parasites, especially ectoparasites such as fleas. It is important to remove fleas from the opossum or life-threatening flea anemia and death may occur. This is particularly critical in young opossums. Fleas can be removed safely by wrapping the opossum in warm towel and allowing fleas to jump from the opossum to the towel. Replace with warm towels as needed until fleas are gone. An immediate flea bath is not recommended because it can cause an already compromised opossum to go into shock and die.

CAUTION: Orphan care can not be learned over the Internet. The above diets are for temporary feeding only until help can be found. Long-term use will result in dietary deficiencies. Contact OSUS for more information.

INJURED:

Seek immediate assistance. Contact your local Opossum Society of the United States member, state department of wildlife, veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitator or animal control. Make sure animal control will not euthanize all opossums.

This opossumis not dead. It is playing “possum”. Click on the image to see an enlarged version.
This opossum is not dead. It is “playing possum”

Give a “dead” opossum the benefit of the doubt before disposing of the body. It may be “playing possum” as an involuntary response to a threat, in which the opossum becomes comatose in the face of danger and appears dead. This may last from 40 minutes to 4 hours. During this time, the opossum lies on its side, becomes stiff, the eyes glaze over, the opossum drools, the tongue lolls out the side of the mouth, and green anal fluid may be seen. This fascinating defense mechanism helps the opossum survive an attack from a predator because many predators give up the attack if they believe the opossum is already dead.

Leave the area and give the opossum a chance to recover and move on. The opossum will not respond to prodding or poking. When the opossum is about to recover, the ears move very slightly.

Rehabilitation is possible, please do your part to help.

If you see an obviously dead female opossum and detect movement in the pouch area, have the body and infants transported to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian.

WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS:

Please speak with your veterinarian about medical issues. Contact the Opossum Society of the United States for other information. OSUS has a list of veterinarians willing to assist or advise wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians.

You can contact your local veterinarian, animal control or your state’s department of wildlife for a referral to a rehabilitator near you. Please ask and make sure they do not have a policy of euthanizing all opossums! We will be happy to assist you in locating a wildlife rehabilitator by email if you provide your city and a list of cities near you. Please be advised that we are volunteer based and so there may be delays in answering email. If immediate assistance is needed then do not wait for a response from O.S.U.S. To find a local wildlife rehabilitator please click the link to search the contact list by state, under small mammal rehabilitators.

HSUS
Wildlife Rescue Shelter

Caring for Baby Opossums - Exotic Nutrition

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Keep Them Warm & Hydrated

The first thing you need to do is make sure babies are warmed up before trying to feed them anything. You can do this by wrapping them in t-shirt material or fleece (don’t use towels because they may get caught on the loops) and putting a heating pad on low underneath one side of their enclosure. You can also use a plastic water bottle filled with hot water and wrapped in a cloth, or a sock filled with rice and microwaved. Then, before feeding formula, you need to make sure they’re hydrated. Start by giving them diluted, unflavored Pedialyte for 12-24 hours before attempting to feed them anything else.

Formula

After they’ve been properly hydrated, you can begin giving them diluted formula and then slowly move up to regular strength over the next few days so they can adjust to the food. For infants under 40 grams, make the formula with 1 part formula to 5 parts water and slowly work them up to 1 part formula to 2 parts water. For very small babies, use 1 part formula to 10 parts water.

To make the formula, you will need:

Bottled Spring Water
Goat’s Milk Esbilac Puppy Formula
Calcium Glubionate Syrup
Boiled egg yolk or powdered egg yolk
Brewer’s Yeast
Unsweetened apple juice
Nutrical
Lactaid

Mix 1/3 Esbilac formula and 1 cup spring water for regular strength formula. Add 200 mg of Calcium Glubionate Syrup, ½ medium boiled egg yolk (or powdered egg yolk for a smoother formula), 1/2 tsp powdered brewer’s yeast, 2 tsp unsweetened apple juice, 1 tsp of Nutrical, and Lactaid (use the directions on the bottle to mix the right amount for the amount of formula you’re making). Make sure to refrigerate the prepared formula for 12 hours before feeding it so the Lactaid works properly.

Use the following chart to determine how much and how often to feed your opossum based on their weight:

Weight	Amount	Frequency
10 g	.5 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
15 g	. 75 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
20 g	1 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
25 g	1.25 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
30 g	1.5 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
35 g	1.75 ml	Every 2-3 hrs
40 g	2 ml	Every 4 hrs
45 g	2.25 ml	Every 4 hrs
50 g	2. 5 ml	Every 4 hrs
55 g	2.75 ml	Every 4 hrs
60 g	3 ml	Every 6 hrs
65 g	3.25 ml	Every 6 hrs
70 g	3.5 ml	Every 6 hrs
75 g	4 ml	Every 6 hrs
80 - 85 g	4.25 ml	Every 6 hrs
90 g	4. 5 ml	Every 6 hrs
95 g	4.75 ml	Every 6 hrs
100 g	5 ml	Every 6 hrs

Feeding & Elimination

Young babies will not be able to feed themselves, so it’s best to feed them by using a dropper or syringe. Once they are able to lap up food themselves (usually once they’re 40-50 g), you can give them a shallow bowl of formula to encourage self-feeding. They will be messy at this stage, so make sure to do this in an area that can be easily cleaned.

You will also need to stimulate them to eliminate waste, as they are unable to do this on their own as babies. You can do this either before or after feeding, by using a warm wet cotton ball to gently stroke the genital area towards the tail until urine or feces is produced. Keep doing so until they are completely done. This action simulates the mother’s tongue, and is very important for preventing a ruptured bladder.

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Possum. Site about animals - ZveroSite.ru

Section: Mammals. Date (published): 28-04-2019 7:42

The size of an opossum resembles a large cat.

Description of the possum

Possum habitat.

Possum taxonomy (scientific classification)

Possums are not very picky about the environment. They are found in lowlands, mountains, steppes, tropical rainforests, and also in city parks. Opossums do not build their own nests. They settle in abandoned burrows or rock crevices, dense shrubs, under thick tree roots. Sometimes the animals find shelter in a tree, in a hollow or an old nest.

Opossum habitat. Inhabits almost all of America - from the Great Lakes in southern Canada to Uruguay and Paraguay.

Habits.

Thanks to its well-adapted limbs and prehensile tail, the opossum is an excellent tree climber.

Opossums are loners by nature and are nocturnal. They are omnivorous, and their diet is closely related to their habitat.

The opossum sleeps all day long in a safe shelter, and at dusk it goes in search of food.

Opossums living in city parks often scavenge for waste.

An opossum climbs a tree, plunging its sharp claws into the bark.

Basically, they feed on animals: they hunt small rodents and birds, as well as toads, lizards, insects and their larvae, willingly eat eggs and diversify their diet with some fruits and other parts of plants. During the hunt, they are guided mainly by hearing.

Children are still friends with each other, but soon they will become as aggressive as adults. Then it's time to split up and go out into the wide world.

When attacked by an enemy, the opossum defends itself with its teeth and tries to scare it with grunts. If the aggressor does not calm down, the opossum pretends to be dead: turning over on its side, it relaxes its muscles and lies with its tongue outstretched and eyes closed or stupidly fixed in space, secreting a smelly greenish liquid from a special gland. If a predator tries to bite it or stick its claws into it, the opossum does not react. When the enemy moves away, the animal gently comes back to life. Some individuals remain immersed in the state of thanatosis ( thanatoz is the ability to pretend to be dead in the event of a threat of attack. The term comes from the name of the Greek god of death Thanatos) until 6 o'clock. According to some scientists, this is a kind of deep fainting, sometimes occurring automatically as a result of shock when an aggressor appears. Other researchers claim that by pretending to be dead, the opossum remains completely conscious, inhibiting the instinctive reaction to a bite or pain from claws thrust into it.

For the first ten weeks, the cubs remain in the mother's pouch all the time.

Thousands of opossums die every year on America's roads. Having noticed an approaching car during a night hunt, the animals, trying to escape from an imaginary enemy, pretend to be dead out of habit.

In the third month, young opossums leave the pouch for the first time, but remain under the care of their mother, who feeds them with milk and carries them on their backs.

Opossum breeding.

Before starting an independent life, young opossums stay close to the nest, in case of danger, running away to their mother.

Opossums are marsupials. The brood pouch of females, open in front, is well developed. The mating season occurs twice a year. Pregnancy lasts 12-13 days. The female gives birth to 8-12 cubs, although sometimes the litter has up to 25 newborns. Childbirth lasts several minutes. Opossums are born small and weak. The length of the newborn is 7.5 mm, the weight is only 0.15 g. With the help of claws, he must immediately overcome the 8-centimeter path from the mother's genitals to the brood pouch. It has 13, sometimes 17 teats, although the cubs usually use only 10. If there are more newborns in the litter, those who get to food first survive, that is, the strongest and fastest. The weaker perish. Further, the babies develop in the mother's bag, almost without looking up from her nipples. In the first months after childbirth, a deep bag is able to close tightly - for example, if the mother is in the water. At the age of two months, newborns are already independent enough to leave the pouch. Increasingly, they remain in the nest themselves while the mother is looking for food for them. At three months, little opossums leave the pouch, but they can still drink milk: as they grow, the mother's nipples lengthen. At the age of four months, young opossums are already quite independent. They themselves look for their own food and go in search of their own site. Young females reach puberty at 6 months, and males at 8.

Security.

Farmers systematically exterminate opossums, believing that they steal chicks. Possums are also hunted for their fur, sometimes for meat. However, the population of these marsupials is constantly growing due to their hardiness, adaptability to the environment, modest nutritional requirements and nomadic habit. A protected species listed in the Red Book is the pygmy mouse-like opossum that lives in Australia. It is found in the vicinity of Mount Kosciuszko.

Virginia opossum

Yapok

Brief description of the opossum.

opossum length: body - 32-50 cm; tail - 25-53 cm

Possum weight: up to 5.5 kg

Opossum gestation period: 12-13 days

number of cubs: 8-25

opossum sexual maturity: females - 6 months; males - 8 months

food: omnivore

life expectancy: 3 years

Related species.

There are 82 known species of American marsupials called opossums. The possum family includes 73 species. They inhabit most of the American continent. Basically, opossums are nocturnal and are omnivores. Relatives of the northern opossum include, among others, the Virginia opossum and the Jap.

Virginia opossum lives in Mexico, in the eastern and central parts of the United States, as well as on their west coast.

Yapok inhabits Central and South America. This is the only species of the opossum family that leads an amphibious lifestyle. Having paws with swimming membranes, this opossum is an excellent swimmer and diver.

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Range

Widely distributed from southern Canada south to northern Peru, eastern Bolivia and Paraguay. It inhabits the eastern half of the United States, as well as the southern part of the Pacific coast of this country. Inhabits a wide variety of areas - both low-lying and elevated, mainly near water bodies.

In nature

They usually rest in hollows of trees, in heaps of deadwood, garbage, in populated areas - in abandoned buildings and underground utilities. They themselves do not dig holes, they use other people's empty lairs; as a rule, they are occupied by females for brood nests. However, the lack of accessible burrows does not limit the spread of opossums.

Northern opossums are territorial animals, although they are presumably partly vagrant, staying in one territory for no more than 6 months. Research has shown that a typical opossum home range is elongated rather than round, following the course of a river or stream. Its area varies from 0.12 to 23.47 hectares, averaging 4.65 hectares (Texas), but can occupy up to 254 hectares. Opossums are solitary; social ties are poorly developed - with the exception of reproductive behavior, adults show hostility towards each other. Although females can be kept in captivity in groups, adult males invariably engage in fights, usually ending in the death of the weaker male. Aggressive behavior includes aggressive vocalizations (hissing, screeching), showing bared teeth, and physical contact. A weaker opponent may fall into catatonia.

Compared to other mammals, opossums appear rather slow and clumsy. When running, they reach speeds of up to 7.4 km / h. They climb with the help of opposed thumbs and a grasping tail, and also swim quite well, albeit slowly (at a speed of up to 1. 1 km / h). They rush into the water in case of danger, easily covering a distance of up to 100 m. In case of serious danger, opossums “pretend” to be dead (in fact, this reaction to severe stress is involuntary), although they can also demonstrate aggressive behavior. A severely frightened opossum enters a cataleptic state that can last from a few minutes to 2-6 hours. In this case, the opossum lies on its side, with its eyes and mouth slightly open, its muscles relax, and the anal glands secrete a fetid greenish secretion. Sensitivity to tactile stimulation is markedly reduced, although animals may respond poorly to sudden sounds.

Opossums are groomed with the fingers of their hind limbs (except for the big one), combing out parasites with them. They wash their muzzle with their front paws, like cats. The prehensile tail is used not only for climbing, but also for carrying building materials for the nest.

Possums are active only at night, going in search of food after sunset. Peak activity in spring and summer falls between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. In late autumn and winter, activity noticeably decreases, especially during periods of severe frosts, however, northern opossums do not hibernate.

The northern opossum is omnivorous. Most of its diet consists of insects and other invertebrates, carrion. It also eats plant foods, including cereals, fruits and vegetables, and mushrooms. In populated areas, it willingly rummages through discarded garbage.

Reproduction

The breeding season of the northern opossum is long and lasts from January or February to June-July. Peaks of reproductive activity occur at the end of January - end of March and mid-May - beginning of July. The estrous period in females lasts 22-38 days; mating occurs shortly after the female enters estrus. Immediately after it, the female again begins to behave aggressively and drives the male away.

Fertilization occurs in both wombs, although ovulation may be delayed up to 4 days after intercourse. From each ovary, on average, 11 eggs (0.75 mm in diameter) are released, fertilization occurs in the fallopian tubes. After 24 hours, the fertilized eggs enter the uterus. The placenta is not formed, but the embryo is surrounded by folds of the uterine wall. The close contact of the chorion and the blood vessels of the uterine mucosa allows nutrients to move from the mother's bloodstream to the fetuses. Pregnancy lasts 12-13 days; births occur from February to July. The brood initially consists of 5-23 cubs, however, since the female, as a rule, has only 13 nipples, some of the newborns do not survive. Thus, the average brood size of the northern opossum is 7-9cubs. In the northern part of the range, opossums have 1 brood per year; in the rest of the range - 2 broods per year, occasionally - 3.

Cubs are born very premature, weighing only 0.16 g and 14 mm long. They look more like embryos than mature animals. Immediately after birth, with the help of developed claws on their front paws, they crawl into the mother's pouch, where they attach to the nipples. When the baby starts to suckle, the nipple swells and completely fills his mouth. The cubs remain attached to the nipples for up to 50-65 days of life, which is roughly comparable to the duration of pregnancy in a placental mammal of a similar size. 2 months after birth, the cubs develop hair and open their eyes, and after another 5-10 days they begin to move independently and eat solid food. At this time, when moving, the cubs climb onto the back of the mother, often holding onto her tail with their tails, which is raised above the back with the end forward.

Young opossums become independent between the 95th and 105th day of life, after which any connection with their mother ceases. Females observed in captivity did not protect their brood and allowed it to be taken from the nest. Since pregnancy in females is shorter than the estrous cycle, having lost a brood, a female may soon mate again. Young females reach sexual maturity by 9 months and rarely live more than 1 reproductive season in the wild. Mortality in the first year of life is high, but studies have shown that opossum populations can be up to 75% young.

Captivity

Opossums are easily tamed in captivity and become completely undemanding. They like to sit on their hands and on their heads - an instinct from childhood when they traveled on their mother's back.

In the process of education, harsh punishments should not be applied to opossums. This can lead to his aggression. Also, aggressiveness can manifest itself with the constant content of the opossum in the cage. An opossum must have daily human contact if you want it to be tame.

Possums are excellent climbers and climb up a tree or a cupboard without difficulty. Therefore, it will be necessary to organize special devices in the apartment so that the animal can climb on them.

Potty training for possums is no more difficult than for a cat or a ferret. Place the tray next to their sleeping place, as well as in those rooms where you release the animal.

Opossums do not require frequent bathing. A healthy opossum has no odor. Opossums are quite clean animals and they themselves monitor the cleanliness of their skins.

The animal should be kept away from heating devices (radiator, microwave oven, refrigerator), protected from drafts and direct sunlight.

The life expectancy of opossums is directly related to their diet. Possums will not live long if they are fed only factory-made food. The diet of the opossum should consist of natural fresh or frozen foods, but in no case from prepared foods. Also, the opossum should not be fed beef and pork.

In captivity, the animal is given chicken meat, boiled eggs, cottage cheese, fruits (mainly apples). Fruit can be given 2-3 times a week. Also, the menu of the animal should include fish, mealworms, grasshoppers, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products, vegetable oil, nuts. Sometimes opossums are allergic to nuts. But that rarely happens.

The cage should be cleaned as often as possible (at least once a week).