She is
Thanks so much for this Christmas gift to us!!!

Awww, so sweet, and I bet she's soft too!

Sweet pic!

That's a sweet face!

Awww! She does look sweet indeed!
I am sure I am not the only one here that looks at possoms in a different way than I used to!
Thanks for sharing your life with us Marilyn and educating us!

I agree with Connie. I love reading your stories and seeing the pictures of all your creatures.

Both faces in that picture are pretty darn good looking.

Anne

Thanks. Praline is one of three that were the latest babies I raised on a tube. She is ready to be released now.

I appreciate the fact that some people look on possums and maybe other wildlife a little kinder. There will always be the nature lovers who think nature only consists of butterflies and hummingbirds...but even butterflies are caterpillars to start off with.

Starting in January, I am going to post a picture of a different possum every day for a year. I think a lot of people will get tired of that...but (shrugging shoulders)...I won't. :)) I don't think I will run out of
possums because I handle between 300 and 500 a year. Fortunately, fewer now because the rehabbers have a wildlife hospital in Houston now, and many go there.

We are fortunate that the head of our group is a good fund raiser and she has given $6,000 to one lady to build flight cages, and is giving $6,000 to another to build a large walk in raccoon cage. Next year they are giving me the same amount to build a facility for the possums. Opossum O'partments Deluxe!!

I also look at possums differently now thanks to you posts here. You do good work Marilyn not just in taking care of all the critters you have but for educating all of us.

Thank you so much.

Linda

She's sure holding your hubby for dear life! LOL!

I'm so tickled for your grant money! That's going to be a big relief to you, I'm sure.

Congrats on the grant money, you are really playing possum!

Thanks!

Gayle

Cute!!

My son raised one from a baby when he was a teenager,he also raised an owl,among many other animals they raised.He and his brothers have had more animals during their younger years than any other kids i've ever known.From snakes,to rabbits,iguanas,owls,opossums,etc,etc.I think it was a very good thing for them.They learned many lessons from their experiences and grew up to be very well rounded,compassionate and loving young people.

Kathi

The money comes from oil companies mostly. They donated $100,000 to help start the wildlife hospital. Our leader is such a good fund raiser tho because she gives talks to garden clubs, all kinds of organizations.

They always donate stuff...even jars of apple sauce, disposable dishes, all kinds of things that help for our expenses. The Houston Food Pantry just donated a bunch more dog and cat food. We get it sometimes by the thousands of pounds...so it helps a lot and what we don't use, we find someone who can use it.

Plus, she goes all over the country, rescuing birds and mammals after oil spills....so I think that is why she gets money from the oil spills. They pay well for that too. I'd do it too, but have too many animals here at home to be able to leave.

If you do schools or children projects, you might look at this link.

Very Cute!
Gayle

Here is a link that might be useful: Playing Possum

This is a link you might want to see if you do special projects with children.

Gayle

Here is a link that might be useful: Playing Possum

You maaaade me looove you......

I never had appreciation for possums until you. Thanks for introducing them to me and for being so good to them. Congrats on your new O'partments to come. Looking forward to seeing the pics every day. If at all possible, show us how to tell them apart.

Marilyn, congratulations on your grant. You deserve it my friend. I know you love what your doing, and they love you for it.
Leslie

Thanks for the link, Gayle. I have a friend who does a nature class for school children once a month, and I have offered to come give a talk about possums.

I used to do quite a bit of stuff like that when my daughter was in school. I did a big program on freshwater plants and animals for the entire school. Set up ponds and brought as many examples of plants and animals as I could find, and that was a lot because I raised aquatic plants and fish and had 6 mud bottomed ponds and many tanks for waterlilies, fish, etc.

I also did a little talk about rehabbing and took an owl that I was raising, and did one on hybridizing plants when
my daughter was older. I was the one they always called on when they needed any example of plant or animal or insect.
The teacher did a lesson on cicadas and called me to bring some cicada shells, and they always called me for owl boluses.

If I ever get set up so I can do it in a safe and organized fashion, I would like to invite scout groups, etc., out here. I have had offers of scouts to help me, but I wouldn't want them to handle the animals and the work is pretty nasty, and I wouldn't want them to do it. But, to come here and learn about the animals and I can always branch out to other things in nature, I would enjoy that.

Mallory, when the animals are here, I can tell them apart, but once they are released, and I see them a few weeks later, I have a hard time. Sometimes they have distinguishing characteristics, but possums are hard to tell apart...especially when you see as many as I do. Armadillos are even harder. :) I rehabbed armadillos this year because the lady who used to do it passed away. I saw one of my babies a few nights ago. I'm not sure if it was Henry or Edsel, but it was one of them.

I have one traveling my fence at night. I guess that is what (s)he is doing. Just trying to get to another yard. The dogs go nuts. I'm so afraid it will fall off into my yard. I don't want the dogs to hurt it and I get them in as soon as they do the crazy bark.

Cute picture.

They are pretty sure footed unless something knocks them off.
They have to be because the little ones that can't hang onto their Mama's back, usually don't make it.

Very nice pic. Thanks for all you do.

Praline is beautiful Marilyn! For the hundredth time, thank you for all you do for the possums! You are the possum angel!!! How do you conjure up all those names? I can't wait till January to see all of the photos. Have you considered creating a calendar?
~Betsy

Don't forget if I win that Lottery!!

Marilyn I ran across a photo of Shirley. Is she still around? I forgot to look at the date I saved her photo.

Shirley lives only in my heart, Minnie. She was one of the first possums I raised, and she came back for about 9 mon. Wild possums don't have a long life span. Now that I am rehabbing a lot of possums, I am set up so that I can be out and see a lot of the young possums that I raised come back.

Betsy, I listen to a radio program every morning...Walton and Johnson. Johnson takes on a persona of a guy called Billy Ed. His wife is Praline and his daughter is Polly Esther, so Praline's sister, I named Polly Esther and her brother is Billy Ed. But except for those names, I name them. Scar Foot was so badly injured that I didn't think he would live. As a result he has bad scars all over him legs and feet. That's why I named him that. I put him in a big outside cage so he could get exercise and stretch the scar tissue. He's ready to go now, but won't leave. I put up a ramp for him most nights. Eventually he will probably leave but as long as I have the room, I let them stay as long as they want.

My friend and fellow rehabber, Nara, gave me a possum last evening that she picked up at the shelter. I was sure it was dying. It was ice cold, curled in a ball, and gasping only every now and then. Her gums were white and her eyes were sunken in her head.

I knew she wouldn't live until I got home. I stopped to get horse feed, came home and fed the animals.

I went to dispose of the dead possum...and she was still alive. I felt awful. She wasn't moving and gasping once in awhile.

You are supposed to warm them up before giving them fluids, but I gave her 5 cc and then another 2 or 3 cc every 15 to 30 min. almost all night. I wrapped her up in old sweatpants and polar fleece and towels and put her in front of the heater. I didn't have any way to give her subcutaneous fluids because always I have been able to give them fluids by mouth, but I will go get some today because she would have been a good candidate for that.

This morning she is improved considerably. I think she may make it. :))

So sorry about Shirley. I sure hope your little one makes it too. It is wonderful what you do but must be very heartbreaking too.

It is only heartbreaking when I see the animals that were mistreated by humans. I have one here now that came in with it's poor little nose all swollen and red because someone tied it's mouth shut. I get them that have been bashed in the head.

However, I see people do very kind things, like a man who stopped in the road to pick up one that had been hit by a car. She lived and raised her 9 babies that she had in her pouch.

Many people go to great lengths to bring me orphans and injured possums.

Here is the one that came in last night...that I thought was dying. She looks pretty good this morning. I named her Miracle. I wish I had taken her pic last night, but I thought she was going to die. Her eyes were sunken in her head and her gums and nose were totally white. Here she has some color coming back.

Aww, I can't imagine how people can be so cruel. That breaks my heart to think someone would do harm to these poor animals.

Miracle is a great name and I hope she lives up to it. So happy to hear she is better this morning. I know you will do everything you can to help her along!

Thanks again my friend.

Marilyn, bless your heart. I used to say that possums (opossums) were so 'ugly that they are cute.'...I don't think of them as ugly anymore. Here in Georgia, they aren't respected enough. We have , I guess it's a family of possums, that take refuge in our utility room (attached to our house) on cold nights. I make sure that the door stays open so they (and sometimes, a stray dog)...can go inside it and stay warm because that room is heated too.
Last summer, going out to my car, in the backyard, I saw a very small possum...he didn't run.. I assumed he was lost from his family. I left him alone...but, the next morning, he was still there, same place. (I don't know much about possums)...but I put him in a large bird cage that I added a cloth on the bottom to and took him inside...We have 4 cats...they didn't bother him, they seemed intrigued by him.
I took a plastic lid and put soft canned cat food on it and slid it inside the cage...it was the first time I saw the possum move...he quickly jumped at the lid, half his body was in the food...it looked like he was sucking up the food...then, I put a lid of water inside and he slurped it down...I went outside and gathered up some leaves and long sticks and put them in the cage....thought he might like a touch-of nature. By the third day, we were already "close" to him...but as I watched him eagerly climb the cage...
I took him outside...lifted and tied the cage door...giving him the chance to escape or stay...left food and water inside it...Several hours later... checked...he had disappeared. We missed him!

Ashli, that is so kind of you. Little possums go on their own fairly early...but when they first are on their own...usually because they fell off or Mama shook them off her back, they don't know much about fending for themselves. Sometimes a little start is all they need.

Possums don't get respect anywhere, but that doesn't mean that people who care about nature, can't be kind to them and respect them for what they are...N. America's only marsupial, and a living fossil that goes back 70 million years. They are a beneficial animal, but most people dislike them simply because they look like rats or because they think they are ugly. I was kind of cute when I was little but I am ugly now too. I like to go to junk shops and yard sale...I feel like I have a lot in common with them....a misunderstood scavenger. :))))

Miracle is doing...well, miraculous. She got up and walked in here, so I put her in a tote and gave her some yogurt and
soft catfood. She has a dislocated jaw, so was probably hit by a car. I will keep her inside for a few days and when she is strong enough put her outside and let her finish recuperating out there. I am pretty sure she will make it.
I am amazed because I handle a lot of possums and I have never seen any one that was more near death and made it than
her.

Just checked again and she is bathing herself now. That is a very good sign. I'm very happy.