Why you should always check the pouch

Please enjoy this AI picture as we could not convince a cottontail to sit still and pose for us with a laundry basket...

It’s opossum baby season, which means it’s time to check the pouch!

If you see a dead opossum that has been hit by a car (and you can SAFELY get to it), take a minute to stop and see if the opossum is a mom.

Many opossums who get hit by cars die of head trauma, and their bodies are relatively unharmed. This means that if a mom opossum is carrying babies (called joeys) in her pouch, they may be uninjured. By checking a pouch for joeys, you could save 13 little lives.

To check for joeys: look at the opossum’s belly. If it is a male (the testicles are prominent and easy to identify), your job is done. A female will have what looks like a circle in the middle of her abdomen. This is the pouch! By pulling back the skin around the pouch, you can see inside to check for any joeys.

If there aren’t any joeys:

Your job is done! You can leave with peace of mind that you checked everything out.

If there ARE joeys:

If you can remove the joeys from the pouch, put them in a container with air holes with a warm blanket or towel to snuggle in. Keep them warm and do not give them food or water. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator ASAP.

If you can NOT remove the joeys: Sometimes it can be difficult to get joeys out the pouch if they are really young. Joeys latch on to mom’s nipples and it can be hard to remove them. If you cannot get a joey to release the nipple, don’t force it, as this could harm the baby. In this case, you can bring mom’s entire body and let wildlife staff remove the babies safely.

Before you leave the area, double-check! Older joeys may have left the pouch if mom has been dead for a little while—so in addition to thoroughly checking the pouch, be sure to look around for any wandering joeys.

Wildlife rehabilitators are always happy to help walk you through this process if needed, so don’t hesitate to reach out! Give us a call at (216) 232-3270.