Ok, this page is meant for those who perhaps found or were given a baby possum(s) to raise, but who also really don't have any idea what they are getting themselves into. 

 

There is no disputing how cute baby possums are, at least among most folks. And we all know how many adorable pictures can be found on the internet of them, some dressed up or with a ribbon in their hair. So here you are with a baby or babies, and you find yourself deciding to raise them yourself. During this process, at some point you become oh so attached to one or more of them and you tell yourself that you would like to keep one or more as pets.

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First off, in almost every state, it is illegal to keep any type of wildlife as a pet unless you have a license or permit to do so. Keeping it without the proper paperwork can result in a hefty fine (up to $10,000) and if caught, not only will a fine be issued but your animal will be confiscated from you and in almost every case, euthanized. Why do they put these animals to sleep? Because they are deemed no longer releasable once you have tamed them. A tame wild animal will not have the survival skills needed to successfully live out in the wild......they won't know how to hunt well, because their human parent fed them a nice meal once or twice a day out of a bowl. They won't have any real fear of humans or dogs and cats because again, they see these things every day and do not perceive them to be a threat......and therefore become easy pickins to the first predator that comes along.

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Secondly, it is exceedingly difficult to find a Vet who will treat a possum unless you are a licensed rehabber.....and even then, they are few and far between. At some point your possum will need medical help....what will you do if you have no where to get them medical care?

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Another important aspect is raising them correctly.....I cannot stress this enough; if you do not feed a possum correctly from the time he arrives and throughout its lifetime, you will likely cause that animal to develop painful and life threatening conditions like MBD (metabolic bone disease), kidney disease or heart disease. You might not think an animal who is basically a scavenger would have strict dietary requirements, but in fact they really do. MBD can develop within just 1 weeks time of feeding an incorrect diet, especially to a baby or juvenile possum. I have seen it time and time again......even with people who have read this site, and been given exact instructions. Excuse after excuse.....they didn't have the $ to buy Esbilac so they got a cheaper formula, or they couldn't buy some other component that needed to be added to the formula. Everything needs to be made exactly as directed.....to leave something out can and will cause issues. Their diets change at each stage of weight, so you must have a digital scale to track their weight and adhere to the diet protocols for their weight range.

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Biting: All that aside.....that cute baby possum who lovingly clings to you now, will grow to be about the size of your average cat.....some get quite a bit larger then your average cat. They have mating cycles where they can become extremely hormonal and a hormonal animal is not a picnic to be around. They want to mate....that is what nature is telling their bodies to do and they get frustrated when they cannot do it. Some possums can get aggressive during this time, some will be prone to biting......it's not generally an aggressive bite, they might simply saunter on up to you and without warning, sink all 50 teeth into your arm or whatever body part is closest to them. Aggressive intent or not, it HURTS and those teeth can do some damage! Some possums will do this at any time, others might just pick one family member to do it to....a few might never do it. I can tell you though, the degree of sweetness a baby has is not an accurate judge of how they may be as fully mature adults.

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Possums should never be caged in the sense most people consider caging pets. I have seen more neurotic possums then I can count that people kept in cages. Broken teeth from biting the bars, toe nails getting torn out by their roots, neurotic pacing, obesity from lack of exercise, lethargy from becoming depressed, aggressiveness towards their owners etc. Caging a possum is the equivalent to someone capturing you, placing you in a 8X10 cell FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. You might get out for a few hours each day but at night they are held captive, which happens to be by nature, their most active time of day. A wild possum will roam endlessly all night long searching for food mostly, or looking to mate......what can they do in a cage all night long? Not much.

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Countless people have kept sweet little babies, only to realize their mistake once they get larger....but by that time, the animal has been acclimated to being captive. So what happens then? Some folks simply just let them go either because they want to wash their hands of the responsibility or because they actually think they are doing the animal a favor by "setting it free". The majority of animals who have been acclimated as a pet, will not survive if simply allowed to suddenly be free, at least not without the proper training, and sometimes not even then. So basically you have had your fun with it, but can no longer can handle it and now the animal is released and forced to fend for itself. The flip side of this scenario are the people who become fearful of their pet possum (for whatever reason, usually biting is involved) and stop interacting with them and the animal ends up spending its entire life caged day and night. That's not living, that is simply existing, against their will.....

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Please understand, I am not trying to talk anyone out of taking in a possum who needs a home (then again, maybe I am just a little bit). My main focus is to make people aware of what they need to do to care for one properly. I want everyone to go into this with their eyes wide open, for both the sake of the animal as well as yourselves. If you do not have the space or resources to do things correctly, then this is not the animal for you. I have seen so many heartbreaking situations in the 37 years I have been rehabbing this species and after awhile, you just want to start tearing your hair out when people won't listen to you....even well meaning people who love their animals have literally loved them to death by not feeding them or housing them correctly.

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The best thing you can do if you find a baby or babies or injured adult, is go online and look up wildlife rehabbers in your area.....I have a page on here with many listings. If you cannot find anyone there, look up Fish and Wildlife or Wildlife Centers in your area. If you happen to live far away from help like this, at the very least, find a rehabber who is willing to guide you thru the process of caring for these babies and use this website as a tool. That's what it is here for.

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                              Here is a quote I have always loved and admired, and with it comes great wisdom:

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                                                    "You are forever responsible, for what you have tamed".

                                                                          Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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