Care of the Virginia Opossum

In the early days, I followed the NOS diet exclusively and never deviated from it but as time went by, I began to incorporate a more natural diet, while still following closely to the NOS protocol for the correct balance of nutrients.

All my research on diet has been done through trial and error, as part of my own personal and others journeys to improve the lives and health of captive opossums and trying to unlock the reasons for their pitifully short lifespans. I’m afraid part of the problem is that these wonderful creatures are just pre-programmed for an early demise. For whatever reason, nature has deemed to give the opossum the lifespan not much better than that of a rodent. However, since CHF seems to take the males, and so many females die of cancer, I have focused on what might ward off these 2 illnesses from occurring, at least at such a young age. 

This a lot of information and I do not want people to think I over supplement my animals......which can be easy for some people to do. In fact, too much supplementation can be more detrimental than none at all. I use very trace amounts of these supplements, and not all are used every day. Some are used throughout their lifetimes, others are added once they become adults, though certainly most if not all of these could be used with any possum once it is on an adult diet regimen. These are what I recommend for opossums that will be living their lives in captivity. I also try to incorporate more natural items that possums may be eating in the wild or at least a close facsimile thereof; edible flowers, leaves, weeds etc.....

I prefer to use holistic, organic brands of dog foods, moving up to the low-fat versions by the time they reach 5-6 months of age and then onto senior dog kibble once they reach the age of 1 year. 

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DIET: Variety is key!!!

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When it comes to feeding these guys, I started with the basic “concepts” of the NOS diet but tried to tweak it to incorporate more natural ingredients and less processed foods. We buy organic whenever possible, and we grow our own vegetable garden every year as well. In addition to this, we grow a lot of edible flowers and plants throughout our yard. We do not use any chemicals in our yard.

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VEGETABLES: First of all, think FRESH. Please don't ever feed canned or otherwise commercially cooked/processed vegetables. That includes baby food. Frozen can be used in a pinch but check and make sure there has not been any salt added to it. 

Think calcium rich leafy greens like turnips greens, mustard greens, collards, and kale. There should always be a decent amount of calcium rich vegetables/greens at every meal. You can also add in things like Bok choy, green or yellow wax beans, broccoli, squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, radicchio, mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, cauliflower, beets, and beet greens, pea pods, zucchini, okra, Brussel sprouts, jicama, even radishes. You can even add in things from your garden as long as there have been no chemicals used such as edible flowers, purslane, and edible weeds. Try to keep all the vegetables that are red/orange or yellow in color to about 15-20% of each meal, as those are high in Vitamin A, and you don't want to over-do that. I prefer to feed raw vegetables and greens, but if for some reason your possum prefers it cooked, just lightly steam it so it retains its nutrients.

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I DO NOT feed avocados: Avocados contain a toxin called Persin, this can cause death in certain species such as birds and some larger animals (cattle). IT CAUSES AN ACCUMULATION OF FLUID IN THE HEART AND LUNGS, LIVER AND KIDNEY FAILURE. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other varieties of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential. We do not know if they impact possums negatively in any way, but I have to wonder if over time, they have an accumulative, negative effect on their health. To me, I can't see how depriving a possum of avocados deprives them in anyway. You cannot miss what you have never had and I'd much rather err on the side of caution.

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FRUIT: I lean towards fruits like papaya, blueberries and cranberries (in fact I feed cranberries daily to help prevent UTI's) but you can certainly feed other fruits like apples, melons, kiwi, other types of berries, apples, pears, peaches etc. Plums might cause loose stools because after all, they are prunes. Fruit should be limited to just a couple bites per day.

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I DO NOT feed grapes / raisins. Grapes and raisins have recently been associated with the development of kidney failure in dogs. At this time, the exact cause of the kidney failure isn’t clear, nor is it clear why some dogs can eat these fruits without harm, while others develop life-threatening problems after eating even a few grapes or raisins. Some dogs eat these fruits and experience no ill effects—but then eat them later on and become very ill. Again, just like with avocados, we do not know if they react the same way in possums, but I have to wonder if over time, they have an accumulative negative effect on their health. I cannot see how not offering a possum grapes or raisins deprives them in anyway. You cannot miss what you have never had, and I'd much rather err on the side of caution.

PROTEIN: Should equal to appx 1 TBSP per day. Examples of suitable proteins are; Cooked and unseasoned omega-rich fish like salmon, or water packed/no salt added sardines, cooked chicken, cooked chicken hearts, cooked eggs (without the shell as they contain way too much calcium). Other nice occasional sources of both protein and omega3 are things like raw unsalted walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, ground flax, but don't over these.

DAIRY: I personally do not feed dairy once a possum is off the Stage 4 diet but if you do feed dairy, choose organic products and limit how much you give to them. Remember, dairy is also a source of protein so take that into consideration with each meal.  There is a lot of controversy concerning the negative health effects of eating dairy, some have linked it to certain cancers, obesity and other health concerns in human beings, so who knows how it might impact these animals. When I need to give a little yogurt for any reason, I usually nut-milk based yogurts.

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DOG OR CAT KIBBLE: If you must, you can offer a few pieces of kibble occasionally as a treat, but it should not be a mainstay of their daily diet. Look for brands that contain only 27-31% protein. 

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Use a brand of kibble that stays within the following guidelines:

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• 27-31% protein (no higher!)

• Fat: no more than 11%

• Calcium: no more than 1.1 %

• Phosphorous: No higher than 0.9%

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Unfortunately, there are not a lot of brands to choose from that keep you within or very close to the above guidelines. I personally like Wysong. Meow Mix and Iams ProActive Healthy Indoor Cat food are two examples.  Purina One Natural Weight Control +Healthy Weight for dogs is another. make sure to check labels as these companies often change their formulations.

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MICE, CHICKS, INSECTS, BONES, EGG SHELL (ETC):   My personal stance on this subject is I just don't do it. I know, they might eat all of that in the wild and people would argue that it's a natural part of their diet. I get that. However, I have on occasion spoken to folks whose possums choked on bones (even died from eating one), or experienced bowel perforations. Insects inherently carry parasites and bacteria's (even store-bought insects), and eggshells are extremely high in calcium and can lead to kidney stones or other health issues if eaten frequently. And for those of you who have never seen what the intestines and other internal organs look like in a wild possum, let me tell you this: it's like something out of a horror show. They are LOADED with parasites from all these "natural" things they eat, which is a big reason why wild possums live such incredibly short lives. If a car doesn't hit them, or a predator doesn't take them out; a parasitic overload will. Why tempt fate if you have a non-releasable possum when there is plenty of clean, fresh healthy foods they will enjoy???

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Commercial Opossum Foods:

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First off, you all need to know I am an avid label reader, especially when it comes to the commercially prepared foods I purchase for any of the animals in our care. I have studied animal nutrition for decades, and dealing with commercial pet food companies was part of my job back in the day.

Every single year I get messaged about the foods listed below, so I decided to break it down for you all as to why I don’t recommend them.

One thing you need to know is just because a company slaps a label on something and says its good or “complete” for a specific species, doesn’t make it so. There are some truly awful animal foods on the market and years ago when hedgehogs became so popular (which is another area of expertise for me), a handful of companies jumped on the bandwagon to make a food for them to and it was absolute garbage. It boggles my mind how many people get sucked into buying things like this, but I guess it just boils down to people being too trusting in general. If there is just 1 piece of crucial advice that I can pass on to you all its “Read the label”! Know what’s in the food you are buying, and if it's something you don’t recognize, look it up.

For opossums, FRESH is always best. After they are past the Stage 1-4 diet, if you want to supplement with a little kibble, that’s fine…. just use a quality brand and offer it sparingly.

The foods listed below could be broken down even further than I have done here, but I wanted to keep it fairly simple. If you want to delve further into it, by all means, go for it!

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