Long time clients and friends, Wanda and Jim, have had some unusual animal rescue stories.  We have been fortunate they shared these stories with us.  This is the story of Hillary, an opossum.

Hillary

Farmer Jim liked to mow the north field a few times a summer.  That day he climbed on his 49 Ford tractor to go mow.  I’m allergic to mowing so I thought I should go visit my Mother.

Shortly, Jim calls.   I need to come home he has something he wants me to see.  He sounds shaken so I rush home. He meets me at the door with this tiny creature cupped in his hands.  He is very upset, he had accidently killed a mother opossum and three little ones. The one survivor he scooped up and brought home.

I inspect the tiny shaking little one.  There didn’t seem to be any visible injuries.  I had taken care of birds, ducks and geese but had no idea what to do with this little guy.  We kept it warm while I mixed a formula.  Using an eyedropper it devoured the formula and begged for more.

Opossums are mostly active at night and sleep during the day.  Their eyesight is poor but they have a keen sense of smell.  They are also North America’s only marsupial.  They will eat about anything and this has earned them the title natures little Sanitation   Engineer.

With a long snoot and hair standing on end he is not the most attractive animal. His everyday look is a bad hair day.   But this little helpless guy soon stole our heart.  It showed no fear of our dogs and soon learned that the eyedropper meant feeding time.  Greedily eating his fill he would curl up in my hand for a nap. 

We soon noticed the little pouch on her tummy so we knew it was time for her name.  We had a goose called Billy, for Bill Clinton so Jim suggested it fitting that her name should be Hillary.  Hillary soon began to climb from her box.  $ 200.00 later she had a
custom made cage complete with daytime hideaway. 

They are not an aggressive animal and very clean.  She would wash up after eating and when she was free in the house she never had a potty accident.   She would sit on my lap head tilted waiting for her feeding. 

With her poor eyesight she would often follow our small poodles she seemed fascinated with the small bobbing tails. Curious she climbed on the furniture and explored every nook and corner.

We were again preparing for a motorhome trip out East. This time we had a problem ,  what do we do with Hillary?  Our friends refused to come by and take care of her.  They
thought our baby was not attractive and convinced we were going to lose an arm while feeding her.  Opossums are not aggressive but no amount of talking convinced our friends that she would not devour them while they slept. They saw a face only a mother could love and we saw a sweet,  funny baby who depended on us.

Our last option was to take her with us.  She was loaded into a dog crate, with bed and
her favorite blanket and food. We headed east with a young opossum and two small poodles. When we stopped for the night she ate when the dogs ate.  She then would explore every inch of the motorhome.  Her favorite spot for a nap was in the walk- in shower.  She would drag a washcloth and sometimes a bar of soap into a corner, fluff it up and curl up for a nap. One taste of the soap and she was convinced the food in
her dish was better and she never chewed it again.  She would get very excited when she saw us get out a piece of fruit she had no favorites she loved it all.

It was funny to see her perched on the driver’s seat looking out the window.  Hilarious to see people come to a dead stop when they walked by the window.  I’m sure she was responsible for a few new teetotalers.  They had to be convinced that last glass of wine was one too many.

Hillary traveled with us for two weeks,  entertaining us with her antics.  She was a good traveler, sleeping while we drove.  She wasn’t affectionate like the dogs but she always appeared to be happy  being near us.

I always saw an opossum as a slow lumbering animal.  When I would say, “ Hillary time to hit the road, back into your crate” off she would sprint at full speed.   I really think she could have won a marathon.

We often take out the photos we took on that trip and remember her fondly.  We are still puzzled that not one person who saw her in the window ever  questioned  why we were traveling with a young opossum.  They probably thought that was one ugly dog.