OH POSSUM MY OPOSSUMS

Easter Sunday '97, A welcome day-off and a morning to sleep in. Cool outside and cuddles under the covers. Not for long! Just as the sun began it's morning journey, there was a great commotion outside our sleepy window. The neighbor's dog was howling, and there was a great shaking disturbance in the neighbor's tree. Then it started raining teeny, baby opossums. It seemed like I made eye contact with one as it fell from his mother's back, bounced off the roof of our shed, and landed in our garden. Someone was attacking the mother with a stick and she dropped all her babies and ran away.
We were able to rescue 4 little guys, and quickly found a local opossum rescue lady through the internet. Within 45 minutes a kind gentleman was at the door with a small cage and heating pad. But I had the bright idea to keep one!
It turned out to be a very good thing because the next day we found a fifth baby, face down in the street, cold and near death. The baby we kept from the day before snuggled all around the one we found in the street, sharing body warmth and saving his life. And so we got to know two little Marsupial brothers, Micky and Icky.

We gathered lots of information from veterinarians and other opossum rescuers and settled on a delicious feeding formula that they seemed to love.

We were initially very concerned about the one we found in the street, (Icky), as he weighed less than 60 grams. He recovered within a day and started putting on some weight. He loved his eyedropper!

We were amazed with their little hands, and how human-like they looked. They learned to use them for feeding very quickly.

Sometimes, they would make a little fist when feeding, "Possum Power"!

Micky and Icky lived in my office during most of the summer, sleeping on their backs during the day and de-constructing the office at night. Little monkey-rats swinging from the curtains, moving things, hiding things, (we are still missing a pair of my wife's eyeglasses!)
By August they had grown pretty large, and they decided on their own to "release" themselves into the great outdoors, (out the window). We still see both of them quite frequently, as they take advantage of the nightly buffet we provide. Hissss.

If you ever find an orphaned or injured opossum try to find professional help, don't try to care for it yourself unless you know how.
The NATIONAL OPOSSUM SOCIETY is a wonderful source of information, (rich possumy goodness).
Other Opossum links:
WONDERFUL SKUNK AND OPOSSUM PAGE

POSSUM NETWORK

GREAT OPOSSUM SITE WITH A LINK TO A WAY COOL PHOTO ALBUM

MR. OTO

VIRGINIA OPOSSUM

POSSUMS AT THE OAKLAND ZOO

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME?

SO THAT'S WHY THE TAIL IS SO BALD

SICKO

REALLY MAKES YOU WONDER