All About Opossum Mating Habits (how they mate, when they have their babies, how they raise their young)

All About Opossum Mating Habits (how they mate, when they have their babies, how they raise their young) An opossum’s mating and reproductive habits used to be a well-kept secret. This was because it was rarely witnessed. This secretive reproductive cycle led to plenty of folklore before science proved otherwise.

While the mating habits of opossums are not extraordinary, the birthing experience can be. A female opossum may have up to three litters of young per year with each litter producing as many as twenty infants. The average litter seems to be between eight and twelve, depending on species and geographical location. Older females seem to birth fewer young in each litter.

The gestation period is only about thirteen days. When the young are born, they are hardly the size of a dime. Most newborn opossums average between .1 and .13 grams at birth, give or take a little.

They must make a long climb up into the mother’s pouch and latch onto a teat where they typically stay for about two months. The mother opossum licks the hair leading up to her pouch to show her young the way.

An infant must latch onto a teat to grow and survive. Most female opossums have an average of about thirteen teats in their pouch but sometimes they aren’t all functional. This is the main reason many opossums die at birth.



After Birth

After nearly two months on a teat, the young opossums become too large to stay in the pouch. At this time, they begin to climb out and latch onto the mother’s back. They will ride there for nearly a month, learning important survival skills as they slow her down.

When the young are nearly five months old and seven inches long, they will separate from their mother and begin their own journey. Since the average life span of an opossum is only one to three years, they typically mate shortly after leaving their mother.

The mother is also ready to mate again soon. With such a short gestation period, the next litter may be born as soon as fourteen days after the last litter is weaned.

Change in Habits

Female opossums bearing young are especially vulnerable to predators. They must spend more time foraging and scavenging for food, keeping them out in the open. The young in their pouch or on their back slow them down, making them more susceptible.

Most infant opossums are born between March and June, but this may fluctuate with geographical location. They are typically born in the warmer seasons.


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