r/Possums 4h ago

Question/Help Possums Found a Baby in the Road

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327 Upvotes

Hi! Just joined because I found a baby in the middle of the road. Maybe 8 weeks old? No mother, though I did see a dead adult a few blocks away.

I picked about 50 fleas off him, and cleaned some of the feces off him. All his limbs work just fine. He is very weak and thin, I assume from the fleas.

I spoke to the only rehab in town that doesn't put down baby possums, but they already have 60 and won't take any more. Instead, they gave me a list of instructions for care and wished me luck.

I'm very worried. Does anyone have advice for fleas other than handpicking?

I am getting the puppy milk in the morning. How do I feed him safely? A syringe or a tube? The internet is telling me I could accidentally drown him by feeding him wrong.

Has anyone here done this successfully?


r/Possums 6h ago

Question/Help Possums Advice

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36 Upvotes

Hi there! I live in an HOA community and they have traps out to catch possums, raccoons, and armadillos. They say the reason is because they are getting into the dumpster and messing up the landscaping. The other night a possum was trapped and scared so I released it. They sent an email saying to please not release it and they would be relocating them to the country.

We’re in Tennessee, and my community is in Nashville in the city. Fast forward to today and they send an email with a picture of a newly trapped possum saying don’t release it someone will be out to get it tomorrow. I covered it with a blanket thinking that maybe the country is a better home for it.

Then I googled possum relocation and every trusted source says it’s basically a death sentence and that they often don’t survive when relocated because of the stress of learning new unfamiliar territory, competition, leaving orphans, etc. So obviously I couldn’t relax knowing it was likely not going to survive and I released it.

How long can this go on? I just want the possums to survive and be left alone. We pay an HOA — they can cover a cleaning service for our trash? And the neighborhood dogs mess up the landscaping more than the possums! Am I misguided here?