Editor’s Note: The infant Virginia Opossums are part of the CROW CAW (Case A Week) series, which tells the stories of the patients at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island, the dangers they face, and how we can help protect all of our wildlife. Read previous cases here.
Springtime is baby season! Along with chicks, raccoon kits, and baby bunnies, CROW is caring for seven infant Virginia Opossums.
Opossums are the only marsupials native to North America. Like other marsupials, opossums have a unique reproductive strategy: babies are born bee-sized and underdeveloped. They then crawl up their mother’s stomach into her pouch, where they feed and grow for about two months.
At this age, the babies in CROW’s care would normally be riding on their mom’s back after leaving her pouch. Unlike other mammals, opossum moms carry their babies (sometimes as many as 12 at once!) around with them instead of hiding them away in a nest. But if they happen to fall off, their mom will often leave them behind. For this reason, we suspect that the babies at CROW were likely orphaned or abandoned by their mother.
For now, these little ones are snuggled up in cozy incubators and being hand fed several times a day by CROW’s experienced rehabilitation team. They can climb and use their prehensile tail to help them explore this brand-new world! In just a couple of months, they’ll grow strong and independent, ready to be released back into the wild at 4 months old.
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