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What's your thoughts (North American Opossum)

Butch

Butch

New member
Earlier this week I trapped a young possum out of a ladies house and I am required by state to either euthanize the animal if I transport it off the property or re release it on the property, 80% of my calls I have to remove the animal and this one was no different or atleast I didn't think it would be. I pulled this little girl out from under a entertainment system and she has an injured front left leg, it doesn't appear broken, or dislocated although thats hard to know for sure without x-rays, so I'm thinking its just a bruised bone or sore but she has made no process in 5 days. I really don't want to put her down but she has no chance on her own. So what would you do, I don't really have the extra funds to take her to have her X-rayed by a vet, should I keep her under observation for a few more days, do I have a new pet, or should I put her out of her misery? Most local animal rescues do not take in wild animals and other do not except animals such as raccoons or opossums for health reasons. She is quarantined, and bathed, there are no other health issues that I can see.
 
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No one that really does general wildlife. I've taken bobcats to a big cat rehabilitation, and also done the same with alligator snapping turtles, smaller gators, and other specific species.
 
Can you keep her a few extra days? Possums are sturdy, given half a chance I bet she'd recover & then you can release her.
 
I don't know how they do in captivity if they haven't been imprinted by humans at a very early age. I had one many years ago, but it was an adult when I found it in my garage, so I would just leave food and water for it. I would leave the side door of the garage open at night if he wanted to leave, but he chose to stay.

They are cool animals though, and I would give her a few days to see if she's doing any better. If not, and you don't have funds for the vet, I would humanely euthanize her. Is she eating and otherwise acting normal?

Kathy
 
insomniac101 said:
Is she eating and otherwise acting normal?
Click to expand...

yes, eating and drinking normally the only thing is she lacks the use of her front left leg which enables her to climb and walk with out her face hitting the dirt. She has used it anymore or less in the last 5 days, I'll give her a few more to hopefully make some progress but with out use of it she won't make it long in my neck of the woods
 
I've done this a few other times in similar situations but the animal always either progressed or regressed.
 
Yeah, she'll definitely be in trouble without the use of her front leg. It's your call to make - if she doesn't get better on her own, you either have a new pet, or a decision to make. Personally, I tend to lean toward doing the most for the animal, which unfortunately, is always the most expensive. It's a tough decision, and I'm sorry that I can't help. Please keep us posted.

Kathy
 
If she's young enough do you think she'll imprint or at least bond? I'd say give her a few days and see how it goes. But then again I just got back from the vet where I spent $900 for checkups and shots.

See how she does and if she's not doing better or worse by next weekend, I'd say reconsider from there.
 
This weekend sounds like a good time to reevaluate.

I feed her a pedialyte/water/milk mix to make sure she's getting enough nutrients, also keep a water bowl and fresh fruit in her cage for her.

As far as tameness goes, it really varies from animal to animal there personalities are as different as the members of this forum, I've caught gators I could handle with ease right out of the water and I've caught bunnies that'd tear you another hole without blinking. She has been fairly handable, I try to handle her as little as possible hoping to keep her "wild", once she loses her fear of humans its extremely dangerous for her.
 
Is there any way you can get in there and feel the leg, and try to assess if there is a more severe injury? You *should* be able to feel any broken bones or a dislocated shoulder or elbow joint.

If it's broken, I would say it's probably best to euthanize. Without proper setting, casting, and recuperation time, she wouldn't stand a chance, and looking at upwards of 6 weeks to recover.

If it's a dislocation, you can often fix them with a bit of pressure and some gentle tugging, and she should recover after a few days of soreness.

I would recommend two people to do this...one to hold her and her head while the other feels around. If you wear gloves, you might miss something.

If you can't find any major damage, I would give her another 5-7 days. If she is eating and drinking, and it isn't broken or dislocated, she will probably recover, unless it is torn soft tissue, which you won't usually feel by manual manipulation. They are a fairly resilient critter, from what I understand, but a devestating soft tissue injury would probably warrant euthanasia.

Mind you, I have no hands-on experience with oppossum, though I have helped with other small, wild mammals.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
 
Tyflier, unfortunately I am leaning towards soft tissue injury such as a torn ligament. I've worked the leg/shoulder over trying to pinpoint if dislocation or broken bone was the issue but have found nothing and haven't seen any new motion with that particular arm which would be seen if it was just sore or a deep muscle bruise. She can grip and release with her hand but can't raise or lower the arm just drags it. It's an unfortunate situation, one I hate to see any animal in, I just hope in some way I can improve her quality of life. I remove, euthanize, and handle hundreds of animals a year but this one has found a soft spot with me.
 
Are you an exterminator? I think she is cute. I was just wondering if you can tame them enough to be decent pets? I'm assuming that must be an option for you, to keep her as a pet? That is too bad that it seems soft tissue. I hope she starts looking up!
 
Yeah basically but I prefer to go by wildlife trapper as I don't do bugs or rodent infestations. I'm half tempted to build her a big pen/cage and keep her around the house.
 
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