“[T]his was the first time our team had ever responded to a situation like this” 😰
Lindsey’s home was filled with activity as she prepared for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. But amid the excitement and planning, an unusual sound suddenly stopped everyone in their tracks.
Lindsey was convinced she heard scratching coming from inside the walls. However, when everyone gathered to listen, the noise disappeared.
Because the house backs onto a large wooded area, hearing small animals around the home wasn’t unusual. In most cases, animals that wandered inside the walls eventually found their way out on their own. Assuming that was what happened, Lindsey returned to helping with the wedding preparations.
But later that evening, her husband made a discovery that changed everything.
A Tiny Opossum Found Alone in the Basement
“When Lindsey came home, her husband found a single baby opossum all by itself in their basement,” Deema Al-azzeh from Opossum Hollow Wildlife Rehab (OHWR) told The Dodo. “We were shocked! Our first thought was, ‘Mom has to be here somewhere.’”
Lindsey, who volunteers with OHWR, carefully rescued the tiny animal and immediately began providing care. She and her husband searched throughout the house, trying to locate where the baby had entered and whether the mother opossum was still nearby.
They looked for any opening or sign that could reveal how the animal had gotten inside the walls, but they found nothing.
With the scratching noise gone, they decided to stop searching for the night.
The Missing Mother Was Still Trapped
“Lindsey called it a night, hoping that wherever mom was, she had made it back outside,” Al-azzeh explained. “At that point, we assumed she had accidentally left one baby behind.”
But the following day, Lindsey heard the scratching again.
The sound confirmed their fears — the mother opossum had never escaped.
“She was still trapped,” Al-azzeh said.
Rescuers Cut Through the Wall to Save the Family
Lindsey immediately contacted her OHWR colleagues, and Al-azzeh arrived with another volunteer, Cynthia. After carefully locating the source of the scratching, the rescue team began opening the wall.
Inside, they discovered another baby opossum in extremely poor condition.
“We believe mom had fallen inside the wall cavity, and when she did, that baby became separated from the rest of the family,” Al-azzeh said.
The rescuers carefully removed the weak baby and immediately started giving him the fluids he desperately needed. While Lindsey focused on helping the injured little opossum, Cynthia continued working through the wall until she finally found the mother.
The mama opossum was still protecting the rest of her babies.
The Whole Family Receives Emergency Care
Cynthia safely removed the mother opossum while Al-azzeh collected the remaining babies. After thoroughly checking the area to make sure no animals had been left behind, the team transported the entire family to OHWR’s rehabilitation center.
When they arrived, every member of the family needed intravenous fluids. The baby who had been separated from the others was in the most serious condition.
He needed antibiotics and regular nebulizer treatments after inhaling dust from the damaged wall.
A Full Recovery and Return to the Wild
With dedicated care from the OHWR team, the fragile baby slowly regained his strength. Eventually, he recovered completely and graduated from rehabilitation alongside the rest of his family.
“Thankfully, everyone recovered well, and we were able to release the entire family back into the wild together,” Al-azzeh said.
The rescuers were overjoyed to watch the opossum family return to their natural environment. Lindsey was also relieved that the unexpected guests inside her walls were safe — allowing her to focus on celebrating her daughter’s wedding.
A Rescue the Team Will Never Forget
Although OHWR volunteers have handled many wildlife rescues over the years, this particular case stood out.
“While we’ve certainly heard of wildlife getting trapped inside walls, this was the first time our team had ever responded to a situation like this,” Al-azzeh said. “We were incredibly grateful it happened at one of our volunteers’ homes — she was more than willing to let us cut into her walls to save the family!”
What started as a mysterious scratching sound became an unforgettable rescue story — one that gave an entire opossum family a second chance at life.