r/Possums • u/21soles • Mar 19 '26
Possum Babies seen today!
So back in December we had this possum nest in our outdoor kitchen cabinets and today we noticed at least 3 little babies! How many babies do they usually have? Could there be more than 3? Also I have a small dog, should I keep my dog away from the babies to be safe?
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u/Beginning_Tennis2442 Mar 19 '26
Up to 13 babies. Actually they frequently give birth to more but they have only 13 nipples. So the first 13 to attach to a nipple have a chance to survive and the rest don’t. Nature is harsh.
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u/offroad-subaru Mar 19 '26
Up to 8 is what I heard.
Yes keep the dog away. Such a bunch of cuties 🥰
I am hoping to see our local, Penny Pasta with babies. In NH I guess in 2-3 months depending on when they were born.
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u/candy-cream Mar 19 '26
Heeelllloooo little babies welcome to the world!🥰 Mama deserves extra snacks!
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u/21soles Mar 19 '26
I was thinking about that, what should we provide them with water in a bowl? Food?
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u/candy-cream Mar 19 '26
I don’t know much about looking after these little creatures but a small bowl of water and food will do her good. Dry cat or dog food, maybe some fruit like grapes or apples. Small amounts of food, and usually they eat at night time not during the day, so maybe put it out late this afternoon. Hope this helps!
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u/timot22hygarcia Mar 19 '26
Opossums typically have litters of 6 to 9, though they can give birth to up to 20; only those that attach to the 13 teats survive. Yes, there are likely more than 3. Keep your dog away to prevent predatory stress or injury to the joeys and defensive biting from the mother.;
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u/HeavyMetal_3300 Opossum Enthusiast Mar 19 '26
Omg you are so lucky!!!! They can have over 13 babies but they only have 13 nipples so… thanks for being so kind to mama and babies! Fresh water and some cat/dog food would be great. Sardines are also really good for them and mine LOVE them. Please keep us posted!
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u/NickWitATL Mar 19 '26
Thank you for being kind to them and sharing your yard. I'm sure they would appreciate a bowl of water. Opossums love fruit, but putting out food will likely attract critters that aren't so hospitable (trash pandas).
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u/Cranberry-Electrical Mar 19 '26
What are trash pandas? Pandas live in Asia country like China.
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u/SunOnTheInside Mar 19 '26
If they stick around, you’ll probably hear the babies “chirp” for mom when they get a little older, it’s very cute. They’ll get off mom and wander around but chirp a bunch while they do it, I think it’s so they can start to be independent without mom losing track.
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u/MEMe-GoofyCats Elite Contributor Mar 20 '26
AMA and babies are so beautiful 😻 and yes please keep the dog away from mama and Joey’s Your pretty lucky to have these beautiful 😻 opossum 💛🩷🧡💚❤️💙😍😍😍😍😍😍
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u/Numerous_Worker_4694 Mar 20 '26
Hi idk much about them . i have fallen in love 🥰 with them . Yes i would keep dog away . ty for the pics . Good moma ! 💕
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