RESCUE ME

What to do if you find a Possum in distress.

Contact the 24-hour rescue hot-line immediately on 0414 717 374

They can guide you on steps to take if you find an injured or distressed animal.
Check for signs of life (if still alive please wrap the animal up cover its head and take it to the nearest vet or call the wildlife hotline 0414 717 374

• If you find a possum on the ground during the day there is something wrong with the possum. Please contact NQ Wildlife Care for advice or rescue.
• Possums can be covered with a towel or light blanket and placed in a secure cage or box.
•  If the possum is unresponsive please check for a baby joey in the pouch and look to see if it is still attached to its mother’s teat. Do not remove the joey from the teat if the mum is still alive, if you can take them both to the closest vet (this is the best scenario for both the mother and the baby.) removing a baby from a live possum will cause stress to both animals.
• What if there is a baby possum in the pouch and the mother is dead and I am not close to help.
• Removing a baby possum from its dead mother is also very dangerous for the baby possum. If the mother is dead please still try and take her to the vet with the Joey in her pouch, but, if you are a fair way out of town then the joey will need to be removed from the pouch or it will die of the cold/ please call your nearest wildlife rescue group as they have the skills to ensure the best outcome for the possum / If you are out of range please remove the baby from the teat carefully, and keep it warm.
  proceed with caution.
• If the joey is still in the mother’s pouch and attached to the teat do not pull the joey from the mother’s teat as this will damage the joey, they are suctioned onto mum and the action of pulling from the teat could possibly kill or damage the joey making it unable to feed.
  Cut the teat with scissors or a knife close to the mother’s body so as not to damage Joey. If you can safety pin the teat to the bag or cloth you use. Wrap Joey in a towel or place them in a cloth bag keep them close to your body to keep them warm and take them straight to the closet vet
  Inform the Wildlife hot-line as soon as possible / call us on 0414 717 374 if you are Townsville area

Special care
Stress is a major factor in a poor outcome for captured wildlife, it is most important to keep the animal warm, and in a quiet environment away from other animals’ children and noise.
Do not attempt to feed or take them home as a pet, cow’s milk is TOXIC for our wildlife.

Baby possums require formulated possum milk to survive.
Incorrect feeding will kill them, send them blind or make them unable to thrive. Causing much stress and harm to the animal.

Adult possums require native vegetation to survive and thrive eucalyptus leaves are recommended to offer the possum.
Stress and incorrect feeding are major killers of rescued or kept possums..

For any information on rescuing/rehabilitating a possum please call us at NQ Wildlife Care on 0414 717 374
if you are interested in becoming a carer also please get in touch
we provide training and resources for our carers.