Rare, hairless opossum rescued in Texas is getting a winter wardrobe from volunteers

A Texas wildlife center rescued a common animal in a rare predicament earlier this week.

“This is a first for us,” the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock said Wednesday, posting a photo of a tiny, mostly hairless opossum.

The wildlife center estimates that the opossum, which weighs less than one-third of a pound, is between 3 to 4 months old.

“She would never survive in the wild,” the center said, adding the opossum “is going to need a winter wardrobe.”

Volunteers were quick to raise their hands, offering to knit sweaters, crochet tiny coats, or donate unused pet clothing.

“What’re the measurements for her waist, around her shoulders/neck, and from her shoulders to her butt?” one commenter asked. “I can knit her some shirts and dresses.”

The center replied: waist, 4 inches, shoulder and neck, 3 inches, neck to butt, 4.5 inches.

“I’m not really sure how it survived,” Gail Barnes, executive director of the wildlife center, told McClatchy News.

By the time a good Samaritan found the animal and dropped it off at the center, it was in bad shape.

“It was really hypothermic, so we warmed it up in the incubator,” Barnes said.

Since arriving, it’s been eating better than most opossum’s ever will.

“Today, it had crickets, it had yogurt, it had cottage cheese, it had baby food, it had soft cat chow, and it did have some pieces of beef heart,” Barnes said. “But it really went for the crickets and the yogurt.”

It’s likely the opossum’s lack of fur is a result of alopecia, she said. The autoimmune disease that causes hair loss in people is found in the animal kingdom as well.

As a result, Barnes said, “I don’t think this opossum can ever be released.”

Still, the marsupial isn’t completely hairless, and Barnes hopes that with time and proper care, they can not only improve its overall health, but promote more fur growth.

“She does have a little peach fuzz on parts of the body, so we’re going to try a real good diet and bring some of that out,” Barnes said. “She’ll be in rehab for quite a while.”

For those interested in donating to the naked opossum’s wardrobe, or in helping fund her care, visit the center’s website, SPWRC.org