I am a licensed wildlife rehabber working with orphan opossums.

If You See A Dead Opossum

Female opossums have a pouch like a kangaroo. When opossum babies are little, they stay in the pouch. So if you ever see a dead opossum on the side of the road and are safely able to check, please stop to see if the opossum is a female with live babies in her pouch.

If you do find live babies, try to remove them. Opossums do not suckle like most animals. They swallow the teat. So the babies will not come off as easily as you might expect. You’ll have to carefully pull the teat from their stomach.

Why It’s Important to Find a Rehabber

Since baby opossums don’t suckle when they eat, they cannot be fed with a bottle like many other animals. They need to have a special kind of tube put down into their stomach. They also need to be fed a special diet, and they need to be fed a specific amount at specific intervals.

So if you ever find baby opossums, it’s very important to get them to a rehabber who is equipped to handle opossums. You can look for rehabbers on your state’s DEC website or on https://ahnow.org

What to Expect When You Contact a Rehabber

Rehabbers are usually extremely busy, so they might not answer, and you might have to text or leave a message.  If you are able to bring the animal to them, please do so. If you genuinely cannot, let them know, and they may be able to pick up or have a volunteer pick up.

How You Can Help

There is no charge for dropping off an animal to a rehabber. But, even though rehabbers are licensed through the DEC, we are not paid by the DEC. Most of us are not paid at all and are paying for all supplies out of our own pocket. So, if you are able to donate, please do. My personal wishlist is here.  You can also donate through PayPal here.

If you are interested in becoming a licensed rehabber, check your state’s DEC website as each state has very different requirements.

Magical Sniffy Things

The name Magical Sniffy Things is from the show Nanalan’