Do not have any contact with saliva from the infant. Answer: Any mammal can get rabies. Opossums have lived in the Americas for around 55 million years probably evolving from the basic South American marsupials of the late Cretaceous period. Photo by Melanie Piazza. This is a genetic variation that shows up occasionally, and there is a known population of white opossums in the East Bay city of Alameda, which is where this mother opossum was rescued. In fact, rabies is extremely rare in opossums, perhaps because they have a much lower body temperature compared to other warm-blooded animals. Opossums, generally referred to as ‘Didelphimorpias’ are small marsupials that are found in Central and Southern America. Opossums are scavengers and clean up dead animal carcasses. The babies also run the risk of getting stuck between the walls and dying which is no good for the mom, the babies, or you. Opossums are immune to the toxins in bee and scorpion stings. However, this is just a bluffing behavior that opossums use as a defense mechanism. Since opossums do not hibernate in winter, it is common for people to see the pests out and about year-round. People often mistake the open-mouth hissing and drooling behavior of opossums as a sign of rabies. What to do? Baby opossums are called joeys, just like baby kangaroos, and when they are born, they are only about the size of a honeybee. Question: Do opossums carry rabies? The National Opossum Society and the Opossum Society of the United States, while both founded by Dr. Henness, are separate groups. If you think that you may have an opossum or even an opossum family taking up residence in your home or garage; call Palmetto Wildlife Extractors. The National Opossum Society is an all-volunteer not-for-profit, tax-exempt charity, founded December 5, 1986. They eat thousands of ticks, thereby helping to slow the spread of lyme disease, … Possums tested with a higher intelligence than more domestic animals like rabbits, dogs, and cats — particularly when it came to finding good grub and remembering exactly where it … Baby opossums in a row on Mom’s back. Call An Animal Extraction Company! Female opossums will give birth to up to two litters per year, and successful males will mate with multiple females throughout the breeding season. Opossums have a natural resistance to rabies and botulism, so they aren’t likely to spread these diseases. Opossums have some attributes that many people don’t know about. This Web Site is for the group most recently led by the late Dr. Henness, the National Opossum Society. 7. An albino opossum would have pink eyes and ears. Opossums hunt, kill, and eat mice, rats, and snakes (including poisonous ones). However, the chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum… Females generally have estrus or fertility cycles that can last between 17 and 38 days, and may have up to seven such cycles per breeding season as long as pregnancy does not occur. The infant opossums crawl to their mother’s pouch, where they will stay for 2—3 three months. Baby Opossums Are Cute — And a Little Weird! They have now spread northwards as far as Canada although those who have are […] Resources The animals scavenge in garbage when food is scarce and are known to den under sheds, porches, and decks. To handle the infant, wear latex medical-type gloves inside leather gloves. Opossum babies are often found crawling around next to their dead mother [often after the mother has been killed by a car] and will not survive at this age without human care.