Opossum stuck in a jar rescued at von Arx Wildlife Hospital

A Virginia opossum was rescued after getting stuck in a décor jar after being admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

After coming home from a month-long trip, a good Samaritan called von Arx Wildlife Hospital after finding the opossum stuck in the jar. Since the opening was too small to remove the mammal, staff from the hospital asked the woman calling to bring the jar to the hospital.

After more than two hours of attempting to get the opossum out of the jar, it seemed the animal was making itself at home. Suddenly, while the staff was considering a new approach, the opossum moved into the neck of the jar.

Then, gently and safely, staff freed the opossum from the jar, keeping both hind feet and legs flattened to its body during the removal.

It’s unclear how long the animal was in the jar since the good Samaritan was gone from their home for a month. Nevertheless, notwithstanding being slightly underweight, the opossum was in fair condition.

Staff put the animal in a recovery enclosure and gave it food, water and space to rest and recover.

The opossum spent three days in the mammal room in the hospital before moving to an outdoor recovery space. This area encourages animals to behave as they would in the wild such as natural foraging behavior, building muscles and acclimating to the outdoor temperatures.

Click here for more information about the rescued opossum, how to volunteer at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and more.