03/08/2024
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Baby Opossum fact... opossums do not “nurse” from their mom. Mom has what is like feeding tubes instead of teats, 13 of them, 12 of them in a circle and 1 in the center within her pouch.
Therefore, rescued infant opossums are cared for by rehabbers who have been trained on how to tube feed them because the infants don’t nurse or suck a bottle/nipple. It is a very intricate type of feeding using special tubes.
So if you find baby opossums, your job is to keep them warm and find a rehabber asap.
Opossums are not rodents, they are marsupials. Babies are born at only 12 days after their parents mate! The babies had no placenta and finish physical development in the pouch. They are super small, about the size of a small honeybee. Moms can have up to 25 babies in one litter, however the first 13 to crawl to her pouch and swallow her feeding tubes (which then swell up in their mouth so they will stay latched) will be able to survive. They do not have umbilical cords, therefore they need their mom's milk for all of their immunities. Never feed any wildlife cow milk.
So if you find a severely hurt mom and babies, please try to bring mama with the babies because she can be treated too. As long as we can keep her alive it gives her babies a better chance, that is what she would want too.
If you have any questions about these amazing animals, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Animal Control Officers or your local wildlife rehabilitator.
