A baby opossum on my shoulder


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Baby Opossum’s Day Out - Sometimes, it really makes me wonder if an animal the size of this opossum can really scare people. Apparently, it can because that is when they call me up and ask for help. I usually do not mind these kinds of jobs because it is easy money without having to do much. When I got the call one fine day to remove a baby opossum from the owner’s car garage, I could imagine that the sight of this teeny tiny thing must have brought a few screams and shrieks from people in the house.

To be honest, there is nothing much to write about this one, except for the fact that he is adorable! There was no adventure, no looking around for the baby critter, no Tyvek suits or masks – nothing. In fact, when I reached the house, the baby opossum was right where the owners had first seen him, on top of a shelf in the garage. For a creature this small, I did not even need a trap or bait to catch it. All I needed to do was to grab him in my hand and just let him play around on my shoulders. Might sound crazy but I guess by now, all of you know how much I love these animals.

Now, although this baby was quite independent and was surviving on its own without needing help from his mother, he was still too young and I feared that he might be gobbled up by some of the bigger animals out there. Luckily, I know a really nice lady named Lee who does wildlife rehabilitation for small animals like this one. When the animals in her care grow big enough to take of themselves, Lee releases them in the wild. That was the ideal thing to do for this baby critter and I dropped him off at the wildlife rehab on my way home.