Daddy found me lying on the pavement in the hot sun with a bloated belly. My brothers and sisters were all around me, but they weren’t breathing. My opossum mommy was killed. In the woods where I was born there was a clan of homeless people, and my opossum mom kept stealing their food. I guess they got really upset and killed her, but they didn’t know she had us in her pouch. Daddy found me when he got to work that morning and picked me up with two golden spoons and put me inside of a dark box. He gave me some soft stuff to lie on and some water. I wasn’t old enough to drink it yet, and I really had to use the bathroom but he didn’t know what to do. Mommy got her high school diploma in Veterinary Science in Honors, and so daddy knew just who to call! He brought me home, and mommy used a warm damp cotton ball to make me urinate, boy did I have to go! I was really hungry though, and this was when mom started getting worried.
She was on "Google for 2 hours trying to figure out the proper opossum infant formula and couldn’t find anything. She took me to go see my doctor, Dr. Hong, and he gave her a tube and some formula. For the next 60 days mom had to tube feed me every 3 hours, poop me every 4 hours, and make me urinate every hour. She was in college getting her Bachelor degree in Psychology, but she ran on very little sleep for me!
Mom eventually signed up to be a member of the National Opossum Society, and by the time that I was off of my formula her huge handbook came in the mail! She learned about Metabolic Bone Disease, and my proper diet. I’m so lucky to be in such a well-informed family. She wasn’t going to keep me; she knew wild animals should stay in the wild. I really liked it at their house and I didn’t act much like an opossum. Unfortunately none of the wildlife organizations in the area would take me, because I was already acclimated to being inside. All of them told her that she would have to find foster parents to take me, and she figured that if I was going to be inside with someone, why not with her?! She gave Dr. Hong all of the updated opossum material (copies of it) from her NOS handbook. I was dewormed with lavimasole and given my antibiotics. Daddy made me the opossum wheel that is featured inside of the handbook. Life was good.
Mom kept going to school, we went to parks, and to pets mart. About 2 weeks ago, in July of 2009 I got a tummy ache and had diarrhea. I was given bananas and cottage cheese to ease the bubbles and dehydration but I wouldn’t take in any fluids or regular food. I became very lethargic, and mom was freaking out. Of course, I went to go see Dr. Hong, he gave me fluid under the skin and ran some blood work for hypocalcaemia, to make sure I wasn’t coming down with MBD. My blood work came back negative, and the fluids from the IV drip and the back-pack helped a lot. I am back to my normal self, and mom was reassured that the diet I am on, is the correct one!
When I was 2 months old, mom called the University of Florida Zoological patient services to see if they would do my Ovarian Vaginal Hysterectomy when I turned one year old. They said that they would, so mom and grandma were going to stay in a hotel for the weekend in August of 2009. They saved up the money and after I got my last Urinary Tract Infection (as female opossums do), mom was ready to do the procedure, and I wasn’t scared. 3 weeks ago she called UF and told them we were ready, but that she needed documentation that the veterinarian that was going to be working on me has performed a successful OVH in the past. The program couldn’t find a vet in it with hands on experience, and mom isn’t going to settle for less than the best. She started calling vets in Florida 2 days ago but still is unsuccessful in finding a veterinarian that will do the procedure. Many healthy female opossums just like me, have had owners that thought they were doing the right thing, but had the vet ‘wing-it’ and they’ve died under the knife. My mommy loves me, and wont let that happen.
She was sitting on the couch yesterday, and realized that she never sent out the permit forms! Without my permit, I can’t get my OVH, which means I may only live another year. UTI’s are deadly in opossums. She dug up the old forms, and went online to check for updates, there weren’t any, but she had to fill out new forms anyways because the dates said “2-2-2009” on them!
I love my family very much, and I am so glad they have done the research to keep me healthy and happy. Mom hides food around the house to I can forridge at night, and I have a lot of stuff to climb on and I go outside everyday for vitamin D and exercise in the trees. I also like to get worms out of the dirt after it rains, and catch cockroaches in the garage!
I would like to get a permit to stay inside, so mommy and daddy can take care of me. Thank you very much. Here are my application forms, my disaster plan, my vet records, and some pictures from the past year. My 1st Birthday is coming up, im so excited!
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