Rodney the Virginia Opossum
Born: March 2025
Arrived at WSWC: July 9, 2025
Sex: Male
Rodney was admitted to City Wildlife in Washington DC with a traumatic tail amputation which caused him to lose over half of his tail. Since Virginia Opossums need their tail for balance and gathering nesting materials, Rodney was deemed to be non-releasable by the folks at City Wildlife. They reached out to us to see if we would be interested in him joining the team of ambassadors and we knew we couldn’t say no!
About Virginia Opossums
Size: Can weigh up to 14 pounds with males usually being larger than females. On average, they weigh about the same as a house cat.
Lifespan: In the wild, Virginia Opossums usually only live one to two years. In captivity, they can live up to five years.
Diet: Virginia Opossums are omnivores, eating just about anything in the wild! Their number one food source is insects, but they also enjoy carrion (decaying flesh of dead animals), fruits, nuts and plants.
Reproduction: Opossum joeys are born only the size of a bumble bee. The joeys make their way into their mother’s pouch where they spend the next several weeks attached to a nipple. As they age, the joeys start exploring outside of the pouch and riding on their mother’s back while she forages. Opossums usually have two litters per year, averaging eight joeys per litter.
Range: Opossums inhabit a variety of habitats from deep forests to inner cities. Virginia Opossums are the only marsupial in the United States and Canada, occupying nearly every state in the U.S. except in the most northern areas as the winters are too cold.
Other Facts: Opossums have opposable thumbs just like humans which means that they are great at climbing trees, especially when they are younger, and are also great maneuvering object.