Not a great two weeks.
Littler and his brother Biggler came to me on April 22, 2025 and I spent nearly every day doing something special to make their lives interesting and enjoyable. I think they were happy and knew they were loved.
At the end of April they both became critically ill and rapidly declined. Littler died on April 3 and Biggler on April 5. I did not get the help or answers I needed and I feel ok making a critical statement like that. I reached out to no avail and I do not know what happened. I have deep guilt and remorse for not panicking sooner but I did all I knew at the time to help them.
I will have more answers after tests and such but probably not THE answer as to why they were so sick, and died.
I would like to especially thank Ashley Kennedy for being very involved in their life and happiness. I do not have a lot of joy right now even with new babies but I will get better and my friends have been supportive and kind.
But on to happy things...
Finally an oddball I get to keep and don’t have to pass up because I am overwhelmed with opossums!
Miss Alabama the groundhog is still a baby drinking milk and getting cuddles. It’s been a long time since I had the joy of raising one but know she needs playmates and will be reaching out for one to join her.
Groundhogs love to dig and love vegetables so I will be building a special new enclosure for her happiness and enrichment and spending a lot of time at the farmer’s market for fresh, locally grown organic produce.
Thank you Lee for rescuing her and making the trek to me, and thank you Nicole and Lee for keeping her cozy and happy in the meantime.
Volunteers Sydney, Rich and Ashley have all returned to help out and I have a few new people interested in lending a hand.
Thank you Hannah and Jeanne for being there on a moment’s notice to help me try to save The Boys.
My friend Lynn has started volunteering, too. She is a huge opossum lover. I will need all the help! I have 30 babies right now, 4 Mamas with babies of their own, and Alabama the groundhog. Full house!
If you are interested in volunteering, email suzie@primarilypossums.org and I will send you the documents.
Serve UGA has been so helpful this season and I look forward to working with them in the future. They sent out a huge group to paint the fence and they painted the whole side that faces the house- so a nice view for me out the back door.
The fence not only shields the enclosure inhabitants from the public (and my dogs) but offers an additional measure of security.
HUGE thanks to Dominguez Landscaping and Tree work for building the fence, and to everyone who donated to the construction.
I ran two fundraisers over 2 years to set enough aside to buy the materials, pay Cornelio and Eric to build it, and now to purchase the gallons and gallons of stain to turn it into a peaceful green. THANK YOU ALL!
And now everybody's favorite photos- babies!
People continue to be so supportive and sending things they have purchased off the various wishlists. Some of the items, like the puzzle toys, were for The Boys so it has been bittersweet. There are so many babies who will enjoy them, though. The next big project is tearing down The Possumary and building an updated 12′ x 16′ enclosure that will serve as a flight cage for bats!
The Boys were in the Possumary when they got so sick and I don’t want anything else to happen in there. It was built as an aviary but ended up housing opossums, hence the name. I suppose the new enclosure will be The Battery.
Thank you for reading and waiting patiently between posts while I catch my breath or deal with trauma. 2026 is going to be a great year, though, and I am ready to take it on!
