DIVI Juveniles
Juvenile Virginia Opossums are one of the most common juvenile species we receive at the rehabilitation center. Oftentimes, the mom gets hit by a car and the babies in her pouch survive and are brought in. If the juveniles are big enough, we will continue to care for them and feed them until they become independent. If they are small pinkies, rehabilitation can be impossible. Due to their small size, it is difficult for humans to feed them as their mother would. In cases where we receive pinkies in a live mother's pouch, caring for the mother will ensure the survival of the babies inside her pouch.
Virginia Opossums are North America's only marsupial, meaning they keep their babies in a pouch for a period of their gestation. A well-known example of a marsupial is a kangaroo. Virginia Opossums are solitary creatures. After they drop off their mom, they only see other opossums for breeding.
Virginia Opossums are really great to have around your yard. A single opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks in a season. They are omnivorous, meaning they will eat plants as well. Their strongest sense is their sense of smell. They are nocturnal, so they have to rely on that over their vision.
Opossums have a prehensile tail. People often think they can hang upside down with their tails, but that is not true. Their tail cannot support their body weight. They use their tail more for balance and grabbing things like sticks and brushy substrate to carry to their home.
Most people know the saying "playing opossum", which is descriptive of one of their fear responses. Opossums, when frightened, will pretend to be dead to deter predation. They will also open their mouth to show their teeth and start salivating. This can sometimes be misconstrued for rabies. Virginia opossums are not actually a rabies vector species. Their body temperature is too low to support the virus.
