by croberts

Created on: March 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 18, 2007

When our kids were pre-teens we rescued baby opossums from death when the mother was killed by dogs. In her pouch were 9 babies that were still nursing. First we tried to get hold of the game warden to see if they had any one preforming these task, if not would we get in trouble for taking care of them? Next we called our vet to find out how to care for them.

We soon settled in to caring for our young charges with two hour feedings and clean bedding. This was a project that took the whole family to do,when you have 9 babies to feed and clean every two hours it takes time or more than one person. Soon enough these little critters were on solid foods and the fun began,opossums are very messy eaters.
We tried not to become attached to these guys as they would return to the wild when old enough. That didn't happen thou and we soon had a name for each one. Babe endeared herself to us most of all, as she just couldn't keep her distance from us. Houdini was our escape artist and began to open the cage on a regular basis. No matter what we did he found a way to escape, others soon followed.
One night after we had all went to bed we awoke to our daughter screaming at the top of her voice. " There's a rat in my room " she yelled. Lights on we asked her where it was. She replied " I don't know where? It crawled across my face." The hunt was on and the culprit caught. Babe was just looking for a warm spot to cuddle up for a nap!
After that they were moved outside so they could begin to acclimate to their surroundings. teaching them to catch food and to stay clear of dogs and humans was hard work.Babe felt this was a bad idea, she went along with the tasks she was taught but we could tell she preferred to be with us. The day finally came to release them, after studying the area we decided on a place where humans were not.
It was a wooded area with a creek that ran through it, there were no houses around and only a Field close by. As a family we released them saying our goodbyes with a few tears shed. We told the kids that we would check up on them to see how they were doing in their new life and that we did every day for a month. By that time we figured they were going to be fine and stopped going.
It was a great experience for all of us, we learned to care for and give back to the wild. The kids learned that all God's animals are of value and need our help from time to time. Many asked why we would put forth so much effort for a pest, they would have just left to die? We say why not, it gave us a new view on opossums and a sense of awe that one can only get by helping out even our smallest friends.

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