This website is a work in progress. Although a lot of information has been added already, there are still a couple empty pages (just click "next") to bypass those, and keep returning. You never know what we will add next!
Dedicated to my beautiful little man, Kizzie.
I acquired Kizzie quite by accident. Some neighbor kids found him and took him home. A couple days later I was called to go check him out. At the time I knew nothing about opossums, but if there is an animal in need, I am there.
When I met Kizzie, he had been placed in a box with hard cat food and no water. He was severely dehydrated, encrusted with feces, starved and infested with fleas so bad you could not find a single patch of pink skin. He had obvious wounds, the most pronounced was the spinal column, which was anything but straight. To these people's horror, I simply scooped him up and held him against my chest and took him to my Vet immediately. She checked him out and we removed as many fleas as possible and we were sent home. I immediately got online to search for possum care and found the NOS (National Opossum Society) and luckily help was right there.
Kizzie was perhaps 4 months old when he came to us and it was clear he could not be released due to his handicaps. He could walk, but would fall over easily and could not regain his balance w/o our assistance. Over the years arthritis set in and he became more and more debilitated physically, until he could finally walk no more at all.
I carried Kizzie everywhere, bathed him daily since he could not escape his own urine and feces. We battled many infections and rashes, along with the dreaded Crispy Ear. He survived them all. Then after he turned 3, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and with medication he survived several months more. When Kizzie died, part of me did as well......you will never meet a more gentle soul then my Kizzie was. He loved everyone, human or not. Always willing to make friends. He touched hundreds of lives, and taught so many people how wonderful opossums really are. It is in his memory that I have created this website.
Every year I hear dozens of stories about people finding orphaned babies who are unable to locate any information on how to care for them. As a result, many babies simply died, and for some, it was a long and painful death.
I am not advocating keeping opossums as pets. They are wild animals and should be allowed to remain so. However, there are exceptions......handicapped possums or possums with other health issues which make it unwise to release them. To release a truly friendly opossum who has really bonded and imprinted on humans and dogs or cats is almost certainly doomed if suddenly it is set free to make it on their own. Therefore, it is extremely important not to allow this bonding to occur and to keep the opossum(s) away from all other people as well as your pets. Once the babies are past the stage of needing to have assisted feeding, you should no longer have physical contact with them. Go into their enclosure only to clean and feed, during the daylight hours while they are (hopefully) sleeping.
It is for all the non-releaseable possums, and the orphaned young who fall into inexperienced hands, as well as the possums that are legal to own in certain states that I offer this website to.
**** PLEASE think carefully about what you are doing should you find a baby possum. They are adorable little creatures and you may be tempted to keep it. Many people that have decided to do this, found out as their "pet" grew into adults that they made a grave mistake. Adult opossums have very large and sharp teeth. Their claws are formidable as well. Males may get aggressive towards you during breeding season. These no longer wanted animals end up living their lives in cages, or released to fend for themselves without any major instincts on how to survive on their own. It is cruel to let these beautiful animals end up in one of these
scenarios.
The information on this website barely skims the surface of what you need to know as a rehabber, therefore
I whole-heartedly recommend joining and ordering the NOS (National Opossum Society) book if you plan on rehabbing orphaned opossums. Make certain you order the orphan baby care manual as well as the adult book. They cost me $35.00 and are worth their weight in gold. They will also provide you with a list of experienced rehabbers who can guide you through the process of their care until they are releaseable. You can contact the NOS at: National Opossum Society
" We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even
more temporary than our own live within a fragile
circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept
its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We
cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never
fully understanding the necessary plan...."
OPOSSUM
INFANT DIET - DANGERS OF DISTILLED WATER 
