After A Hit And Run Killed Their Mother, Baby Opossums Found Are Adopted By The Sweetest Pup

The cuteness is almost TOO much

Kylin

• Published in Animals
• September 30, 2022

A tragic part of life is the inevitability of death. And as humans continue to inhabit and build upon existing wildlife habitats, more animals end up displaced, injured, or killed.

If an animal happens to be a mother, it’s not just one life that is affected. It usually works out that if mom is gone, the babies aren’t too far off.

Like I said, tragic. But for as much as humans have negatively impacted wildlife and their habitats, we have also worked to help save those who may have been displaced or injured.

Take for instance a wildlife enthusiast and professional dog instructor, Stephanie Maldonado. After her Uncle’s dog attacked and killed a mother opossum, they collected the opossum joeys and reached out to Stephanie for guidance.

Being the animal lover that she is, Stephanie jumped at the opportunity to help the joeys. She attempted twice to bring the opossums to a wildlife rescue for proper care, but the first time they were closed, and it was during her second attempt she learned the center was overcrowded and did not have the resources to care for the joeys.

Determined to do right by the helpless babies, who were still so young that they had yet to open their eyes, Stephanie set to caring for the five orphaned joeys. To her surprise, she wasn’t the only one ready to care for these tiny cuties. 

Keep scrolling to read more about Stepanie's story and see the pictures and videos from her experience.

The opossum joeys were so young their eyes hadn't opened yet

Stephanie care for them around the clock, feeding the orphans every 2 hours

You can watch a video of mealtime below

The cutest pile of babies

And then came Pretinha

As far as Pretinha was concerned, these babies were HER babies.

As they continued to grow, the opossum joeys effortlessly took to Pretinha as a mother figure

“It’s very nice to see all the care that she has with them, licking them all the time and nestling them”

“She’s like a mother for the little creatures.” Stephanie shared on her Facebook.

The cutest blended animal family

Pretinha and the joeys are so sweet all nestled together

"My babies"

Watch Pretinha in action as opossum Mama

All babies are good babies

Peek-a-boo!

When Pretinha went for walks, the joeys would cling to her back, just like they would their mother opossum

Pretinha seems so happy to be able to play the role of Mother to these cutie-pies

All Mom's know this feel

Thankfully, Stephanie got more than just pictures of the family walks

As they got bigger, Stephanie was able to ditch syringe-feeding and start them on soft foods

Maybe not the most appetizing to us, but that little joey looks STOKED for it's feast

That tail touch 😍

Even though they are so small, they were thriving

Look at that grip. 💪🏻

To help nurture their skills, the joeys were given plenty of climbing practice

And they quickly started looking stronger and bright-eyed

As they grew and gained strength, their climbing practice moved outdoors for added exploration

I swear, they only managed to get cuter as they got bigger

Check out that cutie's post-breakfast face.

I love how they fell asleep holding a full belly

They have been given the absolute best chance at life and are thriving.

Thanks to Stephanie and Pretinha the opossum joeys have come so far from being itty bitty orphans

Once the opossum joeys are old enough to fend for themselves, Stephanie plans on helping with their release back into the wild. But with how much they have bonded with Pretinha, I hope they are able to stay close by to visit every so often. 

If you enjoyed this very sweet story, hit that Share button and send this to a friend who will love to see these cuties.

Kylin