'Twas Nice to Know Ye, Opossums

After taking in row after row of baby opossums and a few adults this Spring at the rehab center, most of them have grown up and gotten fat and healthy enough to be released back into the wild. I have been taking very quick little video moments because there is too much work to do. But I've come to appreciate these animals through watching them and want not only to preserve those moments for myself, but to help others come to appreciate them too. I often go home and study whatever we've gotten in, looking them up in books and on Google.

To waive au revoir to a few... First off, a mama with her baby crawling. Notice Mom has her mouth open to show her many teeth, though she lies there motionless -- "playing opossum" -- while her baby, innocent to any converns about my presence, gleefully takes a crawl on the giant mountain called Mom. It's quick but good enough.



I know , a two second snippet, but you were warned, lol. The one below is longer and clearer to see. After cleaning a row of tanks of a bit older babies I put in their esbilac (puppy milk mixture) and cheerios so they can learn to lap and eventually eat on their own. These guys did a good job and were pretty darn cute in the process.


Now see, did you ever think of opossums as cute before? I know they still may not be someone's cup of tea.... But I have to say, if you spend some time observing an animal, let alone caring for it, you come to really see it's merits. Even if it's a spider -- CLICK HERE to visit my friend Bindu for a great proof of that (I do NOT like spiders, not at all, but her Ode to a Spider post made me see I could really appreciate them).

Reminds me of this quote:

"You can't hate someone whose story you know"

....applied to the animal kingdom of course. I googled like mad to find to whom I might attribute that quote to no avail.

As Spring turns to summer, different species complete their birth cycles. Babies who once dominated the center go out and entirely different baby animals arrive in need. I heard that this week we got in two bob cats and two fawns -- I saw a little Bambi come in, absolutely newborn with limp, long legs and an adorable little face, as someone carted her off in their arms to check all her vitals. I wish I wasn't so busy this week and going out of town next week, as those would be two really amazing babies to look after!!

Cute Little Soft Little Warm Little Guys

OK, I admit it. I have lived my entire life without ever seeing an opossum... My only reference was to Granny's constant mention of opossum recipes on the Beverly Hillbillies...which should give you a guess at how long I've been on the planet with nary an encounter. Tsktsk, such a city girl.

Until I started to volunteer at the Wildlife Rehab... and then I started to clean out their stinky cages. They are STINKY! But that is the only bad thing I can say about them. I find them quite amenable. They look like a big rat but they are actually marsupials; like koalas and kangaroos they have a pouch in which to carry their young.

I know they have more teeth than any other animal, but they are really quite harmless. They open their mouth to show them when a threat (in this case, US) approaches them. I totally understand that... I am always mindful that when we humans peer at or reach in for any of these creatures, it has to be akin to alien abduction for them. I'd personally be quite terrified, even if the giant hand and face was trying it's best to feed, comfort, medicate and heal me.. and make sure I have fresh sheets and that the temperature is just right, etc...

We use a baton to technically hold them back when changing the paper in their cages and putting in food, but I have never known one to snap or be aggressive. How many people call, having found one eating cat food in their garage, asking if they should shoot it! Um, no. Just take the food away, wait til they leave and shut your garage door more often. In fact, these harmless little guys eat most of the things people think are pests -- snakes, rats, even cockroaches. And they are less likely to carry rabies than you think. Only trained people should try to handle them however.

This really nice mama opossum let the vet tech pick her up so we could check on the babies, and I asked if I could quick snap a picture. The mother is only smiling that way because she's being grasped by the extra skin behind the neck (same place that cats pick up their young). It makes them look scary.

I found this fascinating: They have from 5 to 25 babies but only 13-15 teats (hopefully all working). Whomever gets there fastest wins a shot at life... survival of the fittest at work. They have to crawl about 2 inches from the birth canal to the pocket or marsupium (you can see this better below) and latch on to a teat for milk. There they stay for anywhere between 70-125 days. (See their little tails sticking out?). I expected to see a horizontal pouch slit, like kangaroos have, but the opossums is vertical. Isn't that amazing?
Once they are bigger, they stay by their mom for a while before going on their way. I got some training on how to feed the orphaned babies, which we are getting in at this time of year by the handful. I'll write about that once I actually do it. In the mean time I picked up this fella to get comfortable handling him and was amazed at how soft, warm and cute he was. (Cracks me up that he starts out holding on to his foot -watch for it below)

So remember to be kind to and not afraid of opossums. And please do look out for them when you're driving at night!