Opossums are the only marsupial Santa Rosa creature that you will encounter in the US. She will carry her young ones on her pouch for at least 2 months. The baby opossum will then spend more time on the back of the mother opossum once it grows into considerable size. During this time, it will be highly possible for them to be separated from their mother. 

Rescuing the Baby Opossum

Baby opossum will highly depend on their mother for their survival. Once they' ve been separated from their California mother, it will be difficult for them to survive for a day. You will need to provide them with assistance in order to increase their survival rate.

Ensure That They Are Indeed Abandoned

The first thing you have to do is to determine that the California baby opossum is really an orphan. You need to give the opossum an opportunity to retrieve her babies back. Their survival rate will be a lot better when they are being taken care of the mother opossum. Once you are sure that they have been abandoned, you will have to call the help of the wildlife rehabilitator. You should not attempt to rehabilitate them on your own since you might be doing them more harm than good.

Keeping them Warm

While waiting for the California wildlife rehabilitators, you will need to contain them and keep them warm. Wear gloves when handling them. Place them inside the cardboard box with rags. Even the baby opossums have an incredible climbing skill. You might want to use a cardboard that has a cover. If you have heating pad, this will be the best way to keep them warm. As an alternative, you can fill up a bottle with warm water and wrap it inside the towel. Be sure to replace the hot water regularly. Place the cardboard box in the dark and warm area of your house.

Keep them Hydrated

After keeping them warm, you want to make sure that they will stay hydrated. You should not feed them any formula milk. The better option would be to use Pedialyte. If you do not have a Pedialyte, you can create your own hydrating solution. Simply mix one portion of salt and one portion of sugar with water. You should be careful when giving them Pedialyte, forcing them to swallow the solution may lead to aspiration that can be fatal to the baby. It is better to use a feeding syringe that you can purchase on your local drug store. After this, you will need to encourage them to defecate and urinate by stimulating their genital area using cotton balls.

Caring for an orphaned Santa Rosa baby should not be done by someone who does not have the necessary knowledge and skills. You also need specialized equipment to ensure that they will grow strong. Only the wildlife rehabilitators will have the capacity to raise them. You should not also attempt to take them as a pet since this is prohibited under the law. You will need to carry the necessary permit to rehabilitate a wildlife animal.