The Opossum's Pouch Sanctuary, Rescue and Rehabilitation

The Opossum's Pouch Sanctuary, Rescue and Rehabilitation We assist anyone in finding help for orphaned, injured or misplaced opossums. Our mission is to educate those unaware of how amazing opossums truly are!

I network all over the US & help find rehabbers. I advise proper care until one is located. We are a non-profit 501-C-3, EIN, 36-4841372. The Opossum Pouch. This page was created for saving opossums in the South Carolina area as well as networking to save all in any location. We will assist in the help/advice of any and all orphaned, injured or mis-placed opossums all over the United States, Canada and South America.

Mazie, our senior lady had the tumor removed today! I posted about her in late May. She was and still is beautiful!...
06/13/2026

Mazie, our senior lady had the tumor removed today! I posted about her in late May. She was and still is beautiful! You can't tell it was ever there and Dr. Von was able to pull enough skin back together to suture it perfectly! I have to give a shout out to PetCare Animal Hospital of Newberry. Britten and her husband own the hospital and if you look back through out photos, she is the one who called us to rescue an opossum from the bottom of a dry well last summer! Dr. Von is amazing! He was a bit hesitant a few years ago to deal with the opossums but would do some X-rays. I eased him into a surgery that turned out to be a bit complicated. He aced a herniated spleen and portion of the liver through a broken rib from a hit by car girl!

Being a rehabber, when I need a vet it's usually an emergency. There's nothing more I could ask for than to know I can always depend on the team there to somehow work me in. Mazie is doing great and it certainly hasn't harmed her appetite! It's nice to see her not having that tumor in the way when she tries to eat.

This older girl came up to her feeding station in tough shape. After cleaning up the infection, I can see puncture ma...
06/11/2026

This older girl came up to her feeding station in tough shape. After cleaning up the infection, I can see puncture marks from teeth. I'm so happy she was rescued quickly before flies got to her. There's no way she would have keep them from laying fly strike. I couldn't find any other serious wounds, just some scrapes and scratches. She took her antibiotics really well and ate well tonight. This will heal in a few weeks and we'll evaluate her a bit more to see if she can return to her area. She walks very stiff and turns her head slowly, so I'm sure this is sore. For now, she seems more comfortable with a full tummy and a super soft blanket to sleep on!

06/10/2026

In the spring and summer with orphans, 4 hrs of sleep is a blessing! Well this morning while starting the 3 hrs of cleaning cages.... our little one was one was still attempting to tackle the wheel! lol. Getting the direction of travel seems to have caught on but I think there's still a little more work that needs to be done!

06/09/2026

We've had so many intakes over the past few days. Mostly injured, really tired older moms etc... I decided to share a smile tonight. Some of my wee tiny ones have been moved to a larger enclosure (critter nation cage) where they will have running wheels, hammocks, multiple beds and hammocks. This little one was a bit confused as to how the wheel is to be used. They usually pick right up on the wheels and they love them. The larger ones 15"-17" wheels have become un-affordable so we have to move them around so all can have their turn. This baby brought a chuckle at the end of a long hard day....

This was a tough case for me...I took pictures at a distance but it was much worse than shown here. I'm guarded but be...
06/05/2026

This was a tough case for me...I took pictures at a distance but it was much worse than shown here. I'm guarded but believe she can pull through. She wandered into a ladies yard walking very slowly favoring a back leg. The family was so nice and drove her a distance to meet me. I got her back here and started to look her over knowing what I'd find. Once you work with maggots and the tissue they destroy, you will never forget the smell. She had been attacked by another animal and had 6-8 puncture wounds. I combed out fly eggs and it took over 2 hours last night to get her cleaned up. She lay with her head under a blanket and never moved.

When in a weakened condition, you do the minimum of what you have to do and no more, or you will push them over the edge. Thank goodness for capstar which kills maggots quickly but they need removed from the wounds. There were so many that had been there for at least 2-3 days. The worst was at the base of her tail and I worry how much damage was done internally. She allowed me to tube feeding her and give all meds. I have her on a warming pad and couldn't stop checking on her today. I finished up about 5:30 AM. Tonight she was lifting her head and ate some for me which is a good sign! It's still a very concerning situation and once she has a bowel movement for me, I'll feel better.

If ever there was an opossum needing prayers, its this little lady!

Our babies go from the incubator where they are tube fed, to a large clear rubbermaid tote with a wheel, bed and their f...
06/03/2026

Our babies go from the incubator where they are tube fed, to a large clear rubbermaid tote with a wheel, bed and their formula in lick mats. When ready to eat some solid foods they are moved to a critter nation cage. Today was the day where they received their "big kid water bowls", chopped fresh veggies, sometimes puree'd with some yogurt to trick them into eating the better veggies when they prefer not to! lol. This little one was fascinated with the water bowl and didn't understand how to drink from it so he elected to attempt to bite it. lol.

They always have wheels to run on in their upstairs down stairs enclosure. I put in rope perches, hammocks, hanging pouches etc... all for enrichment. It's so much fun to watch them taste test everything, climb, sniff and explore their new surroundings. Tonight they had fresh raw Bok Choy and wow was that a big hit! They must have calcium rich foods and getting them to eat their veggies can be hard. To see them love their dinner tonight had me "thanking the Opossum Gods"!!! LOL.

We have about 9 litters, and 11 singles who cannot go in with others. (When little they will fit in with a litter their size but older ones will snap and lunge at one another.). We also have some small ones injured. Caught in rat/mice traps, caught by other animals with wounds, some injured when the mom is attacked by dogs or hit by cars etc... I have an older adult being relayed to me from the upstate tomorrow that has been hit by a car. I worry each time where I can possibly fit another one in... However I always find a way to make it work!

This weekend was like most, really busy! Thank you all for recent donations, monetary as well as some most needed item...
06/01/2026

This weekend was like most, really busy! Thank you all for recent donations, monetary as well as some most needed items from our wish list. We can't keep our doors open to help without those of you who help us, THANK YOU!

In the middle of a busy afternoon, my sister called and a dog had chased and bitten this little fawn. We have a large deer population that come around and have for decades knowing it's safe for them here. Fawns are placed by the mom and they wait for her to return. When stressed, capture myopathy can be a huge issue and can cause death. I immediately contacted a friend and retired fawn rehabber who instructed us what we needed to do.

It was a distance from where mom left him so we moved him to the trail they follow every evening to feed in our field. Bert stayed with the fawn while I ran to get some Lactated Ringers to Sub Q and attempt to cool the baby down. We quickly left afterwards to prevent any further stress. We were assured the mom would find her baby.

She did! The baby was reunited and we believe he recovered. Please never assume mom has ever abandoned her baby, she hasn't. More are stolen each year believing the fawn needs human intervention. Should anyone need advice please contact me and I can get you in touch with the best of the best with fawns to help you through any situation.

I've had questions about opossums and their life span.... it's so short in the wild. They can live twice as long in c...
05/29/2026

I've had questions about opossums and their life span.... it's so short in the wild. They can live twice as long in captivity however it's still a short life. This is wonderful information...

This older girl is blind, she was found walking in circles. She also has a tumor on her chin that we will have to get ...
05/29/2026

This older girl is blind, she was found walking in circles. She also has a tumor on her chin that we will have to get removed. It's tricky considering there will not be not enough skin to close the area where it's removed. So it may need to heal as an open wound. I hope to get in the to vets tomorrow or Monday to see what our options are.

In the mean time, this senior citizen cannot seem to get full! No matter what food we offer her, it appears to be her favorite! LOL

This tiny little fellow came in after being found in a garbage can. He probably fell off when mom was climbing out. ...
05/27/2026

This tiny little fellow came in after being found in a garbage can. He probably fell off when mom was climbing out. A bag of garbage was tossed on him before the lady could stop. She immediately removed the garbage and called me. He's so very tiny and a bit listless however I believe it's due to being so dehydrated. I'm sure the weight of the garbage bag didn't help.

Always remember to NEVER offer food or water to a dehydrated baby or adult. Hydration is the #1 medical issue that must be addressed first. I've tube fed this little one hydration fluids most of the day and he appears to be feeling better. His urine is still a little dark so we'll continue with hydration and hopefully start on some weakened down formula in the am. (Well it is the am, lol) Lets say a bit later today.

3 other larger orphans came in and in good health. When tiny they can go in with others their own size to keep them from being alone. Once they get a bit older, they do not play nice with one another! So enclosures with 1, 2 or maybe 3 are really taking up some square footage this season! However, what cute tenants!

Address

202 Long Street
Prosperity, SC
29127

Telephone

(843) 514-3217

Website

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