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Wildlife Emergency
Infant Opossum Emergency
Opossums although they appear to be like our other mammals are in
fact part of an older family of mammals called the marsupials (other
marsupials are kangaroos and koala bears). Opossums are our
only marsupial in North America. Opossum moms are only
pregnant for about two weeks. They then give birth to infants
that are the size of kidney beans. The infants crawl through
the mothers hair and into her pouch where they attach themselves to
one of thirteen nipples. There they will remain for about two
months.
Because opossum infants spend the first couple of months in the
mothers pouch it is important if you ever come across an adult
opossum from April to August that has been hit by a car to bring the
adult opossum to your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Often even if the mother is dead the infants can be saved, but need
to be removed from the pouch very carefully. Once the infants
are 3 months and older they will begin follow mom or ride on
mom's back in search of food like other mammal infants.
If you find a infant opossum follow these suggestions to reunite
it with its mother:
- Carefully examine the opossum to determine if any of them are
injured.
- Put the healthy opossums in a box lined with a soft material
like a towel or t-shirt. Place a hot water bottle or some
other heat source under the material in the box with the opossums.
- Place the box with the opossums near the area where they were
found over night to allow the mother to retrieve her infants.
- Keep other animals and people away from the area.
If any of the opossums are injured or if the mother opossum has
not retrieved her infants please contact the Wildlife In Need
Center at (262) 968-5075.
[click for information about
transporting infant mammals] |
