Is it ok to raise ophaned baby opossums?

Answer 1

I think this should be left to wildlife experts. These animals would never be tame, and can carry nasty parasites and disease.

Answer 2

Opossums, like cats and other animals, can get infested with fleas and thus may carry diseases, but so may your household animals.

The type of disease that fleas carry is called murine typhus. Murine typhus occurs in humans when they have a flea bite that has been contaminated with fecal material that has been shed while a flea eats. The symptoms that a person may experience include severe headaches, fatigue, fever, muscle aches and a rash. Murine typhus is preventable with an effective flea control program for your pets and the elimination of rodents.

Another disease that opossums may carry is one called Chagas’ disease. This disease kills about 45,000 South Americans a year. This disease is extremely rare in the United States, with only three cases diagnosed here. Opossums are among 100 mammal species which are susceptible to this disease. The Virginia opossum is rarely infected with this disease because the disease is so rare in the USA.

Another disease that people tend to think of when dealing with the opossum is rabies. The opossum is highly resistant to rabies and therefore very rarely carry the disease.

Answer 3

You could. I tried it once. But once he became about six months old, he got very viscious and started snapping. So, I took him and let him go in an unpopulated, but safe area away from highways and roads and near a water source.

Contrary to most people's beliefs, opossums are quite clean animals. They are also very smart. I'd say they are smart as dogs or more even! Just because they are ugly doesn't mean they are bad. They preen & clean themselves quite regularly and do not like dirty sleeping quarters. Another thing is that most parasites do not like the critters. Opossums are not as warm-blooded as their cousin scavenger animals such as skunks. An opossum's body temp is about 92 - 94 degrees on a normal basis. For rabies to develop, it takes about 99 degrees or higher for that to occur. So opossums are not good candidates for rabies either.

There are so many misconceptions about opossums. If you want to raise it until you think it's viable for life on it's own, I'd say "GO FER IT!" But it will probably survive ok without your help. They are fairly sturdy little animals.

You might check your area for a wildlife conservation group who specializes re-homing of orphaned or strayed animals such as this. I know we have one locally. They do good work putting animals back into the wild.

Good luck with your opossum babies!

Answer 4

Yeah, it's wonderful when people care for orphaned animals until they can be released into the wild. It takes someone who really knows what they're doing to pull it off successfully.

Here's the link to the Virginia Opossum Society. They can tell you how to take care of the critter's immediate needs and then help you get ahold of a wildlife rehabilitator. 'Possums are born so immature that they need far greater care than most baby animals to survive. It's a job best left to an expert.


http://www.opossum.org/orphans.htm

Answer 5

Your local vet, animal control agency or humane center can give you numbers to reach people that specialize in re-habilitating wildlife in your area. You can also contact your local Dept. of Wildlife or Environmental Management. It's always best to release wild animals and many may carry disease or intestinal parasites(and transmittable to humans) and need more care than we 'laymen' can provide. Good luck!

Answer 6

It is illegal to house, and raise a wild life animals, however people do it all the time.
The best thing is to contacted your local wild life agency. They'll give tips on how to care for them until arrangements can be made to be transferred to a licensed wild life rehabilitator, and/or to return to their natural habitat.

Answer 7

I would say No but that depends on the time,money and effort you want to put in. first you may need a permit to even have them (check local laws) second you will need to find a vet that knows how to care for them and have them checked for diaese and such, its kinda a judgement call i find them ugly as sin but i have heard of them being kept as pets

Answer 8

Not unless you have experience as a wildlife rescue person, Its not as easy as people think. You have to feed every 2-4 hour ( limits your personal going out time and sleep) You have to have space for them, cant just leave in a box, you need to know what food, and they can carry diseases, . read up on it, or consult a local exotic vet

Answer 9

Sorry to sound mean but Us humans were not meant to take the wildlife from their habitat and turn them into pets, we can only be destroying their natural environment, let the possum live its own life as we do. cheers

Answer 10

i think thats so sweet you seem so nice i dont see nothing wrongg with it i see peolpe on tv that that takes care of tigers and other animals and tehy werent professionals so yes take care of them they need some one plus it will make you feel good you know i feed the stray cats out side i wish i could take them but i cant cuase my parents
i hope i helped you but make sure they dont have and diseases