THE VIRGINIA OPOSSUM
BASIC NECESSITIES
and
NIFTY LITTLE THINGS TO HAVE ON HAND:
I recently treated myself to this nifty little gadget I found on Amazon.com. Now I
can actually see what I am doing when I am working close up on an animal, It
weighs only 2 ounces and the light angle is adjustable.
****I was told by a friend that similar models are also available at Walmart.
***The light casts a very strong beam, so keep this in mind when working near an animals eyes.
Micro-Tek Antimicrobial Soap. I used this soap everytime we had a possum with sores.
It works amazing well and has a wonderful scent as well. I purchased mine from Pet Smart
in the horse supply section.
ITEMS TO KEEP IN YOUR CAR:
1. Animal Carrier lined with blankets and towels.
2. A tote bag or rubbermaid container with the following items:
Bachs Flower Rescue Remedy (for shock)
Pipettes and syringes to give fluids with.
Pedialyte and distilled water for hydrating.
Gauze for putting pressure on wounds.
Flashlight with extra batteries.
Disposable hand warmers for heat.
Gloves: Latex and Leather.
Paper towels.
1-2 large hefty bags.
Sterile hand wipes.
1 extra large blanket.
Small shovel.
With these items on hand you are ready to pick up injured adults or orphaned babies,
offer fluids and keep them warm until you get them safely home. And the shovel,
well, thats for burying the dead animals we find along the way.
ALWAYS remember that a dead animal on or near the road will attract live creatures
to it, putting their lives in danger as well. Please be kind and out of respect to
the deceased and to other creatures, move dead animals as far off the roadways
as you safely can.
ITEMS TO KEEP ON HAND AT HOME:
Depending where your training level is at, these are a few of must-haves;
1. Plenty of formula!
2. Baby food vegetables and fruit.
3. Quality low fat cat or dog kibble.
4. Bottled Spring water (for drinking and making formula).
5. 1cc syringes, both with and without needle tips. Maybe a few 2 or 3cc syringes as well.
6. Pipettes for feeding babies with; 7 ml.
7. De-wormer.
8. Rescue Remedy.
9. Amoxicillan and Baytril, if possible.
10. Advantage kitten for fleas.
11. Latex gloves.
12. Plenty of soft, warm fleece blankets.
13. Extra towels.
14. Stuffed animals or pieces of real or fake fur for the babies to snuggle against.
15. Heating pads.
16. Scissors, tweezers, hemostats.
17. Q-tips.
18. Cotton balls.
19. Betadine solution (antiseptic).
20. Mild shampoo (kitten formula).
21. Bandages, splints, wraps, antibiotic cream, surgical tape.
22. Homeopathic remedies.....if you use these, are you stocked up?
23. Nystatin, and or acidophillous.
24. Paper towels.
25. Kaopectate.
26. Vitamin K.
27. Liquid iron.
28. Sufficient enclosures for all stages of growth.
29. Emergency/fellow rehabber contact numbers.
30. French feeding tubes (if you use them).
31. Saline eye drops/wash.
32. Calendula gel or cream.
33. A good digital gram/ounce/lb scale.
34. Sub-Q fluids.
35. Timer for the feedings.....your days of sleeping are over!
There are some pretty nifty gloves out there for rehabbers manufactured by Kevlar. They
are quite pricey, but it could save you from serious injury when handling an
injured adult opossum! If you do look into getting a pair of these for yourself,
make sure you get the ones made specifically for handling wildlife!!
Am I missing anything?? Probably!
THIS AND THAT
