If You Think Opossums Are Scary ‘Pests,’ These Rescue Opossums May Change Your Mind (40 Pics)

On their website, itsmesesame, you can learn much more about the opossums and how they live their lives. They are quite popular, even starring in TV, newspapers, and having over 184k followers on Instagram.

Here are some fun facts about opossums: opossums are the only marsupials native to the United States, they are immune to snake venom and more resistant to rabies than other similar animals, and, of course, they are super adorable.

Many opossums live with Ally Burgueires; here are stories from two of them. First, some information about Sesame: "Even though we look oh-so-cute in jammies, it's important to note first and foremost that opossums deserve a life of freedom! When I was a baby, a dog found me and two of my siblings. My siblings ran right back into the wild, but a human came to see what the fuss was about and decided to take me inside to make me a pet! At first, things seemed great—who doesn’t like being hand-fed grapes? Unfortunately, I got sick since I wasn’t getting the proper nutrients. The woman who took me in was overwhelmed with the amount of attention I needed. She had thought I'd make a great pet, but didn’t realize that nature designed me to thrive best in the great outdoors. At this point, I had forgotten how to even live in the wild! We both grew sad, as it seemed I had nowhere to go—not a pet, but not a wild animal either. We were really in a pickle."

Sesame was then found by the current owner and rehabilitated back to health. He got all the nutrients he needed to be a healthy opossum again. "Even though my story is happy, I hope to remind people that the big wide world is the best place for an opossum. You certainly don’t want to take a baby from the wild, and then run into a VSP—a very sad predicament! Sometimes I dream about spending my nights wandering under the stars and maybe even having a few baby Sesames of my own that would look just like me. But I’m happy now to share a love of opossums with my human friends. I love encouraging people to care for animals and the environment, and inspiring them to treat wild babies like the beautiful, strange, and adventurous beings they are. The more humans take care of the Earth, the more wildlife will thrive and prosper." Sadly, Sesame passed away.

Here is the story of another opossum named Starfish: "My name is Starfish! I am Sesame's protege. Since Sesame passed, I use my iPad to send him emails and he wrote me back and told me I should say a bit about myself so everyone can get to know me. Welp, I have no tail. It was nipped by some baby opossums when I was a baby and the vet said it had to go! Ever since then my motto has been, 'No Cob, No Prob!' (Sesame always called his tail a corncob.) Since opossums are not 'pets,' the reason I stay at Sesame's house is that without a tail, I cannot do some of the things wild opossums need to do to stay alive. These things include carrying nesting materials to make a fluffy bed, balancing on tree branches in an acrobatic fashion, elegantly escaping predators in the fashion of parkour, and descending from trees without falling straight down and bonking my head. Staying at Sesame's Bed & Breakfast means I get to climb and exercise and have adventures while benefiting from a 'spotter' who can catch me if I tumble."

We asked the owners of the opossums some questions. First, they answered why they adopt these animals: "I adopted Starfish, Daffodil, and Cornelia because they are considered 'nonreleasable.' In wildlife rehab, nonreleasable means an animal who cannot be released back to the wild, even after they are rehabilitated. Starry and Daffodil both lost their tails as infants, and an opossum’s tail is an important tool for their survival outdoors (they use it to balance, grip branches, and carry nesting materials.) Cornelia is nonreleasable because she is leucistic, which means she has decreased melanin and special health considerations."

"I’ve always loved opossums! When wildlife is nonreleasable, it is a very tough situation. Nearly all wild animals live their best lives in the wild, and opossums are no exception. They love being wild! Fortunately, opossums adapt easily and can thrive indoors (though not in cages) with the right diet and care, and I knew I could provide that for them (mine live like cats, with free run of the house.) An added bonus is that my babies’ sociability and love for people makes them great ambassadors for their species! By being so close to us humans and letting us get to know them (whether in person or social media), they encourage people all over the world to care for their wild cousins."