They carry their young in a pouch

Baby opossums are known as joeys, much like all other marsupial pups, and the pouches that marsupials are so well-known for are an important aspect of the joeys' development. Opossum mothers only carry their young for 13 days before giving birth to infants that are no bigger than honeybees. The joeys will immediately crawl into their mother's pouch where they will continue to grow after birth. Not all joeys will survive because of their small size. Although there have been surviving litters as big as 20, the norm is at about eight.

Joeys spend about two months in their mother's fur-lined pouch, but even after that, they remain close to their mothers for some time. The joeys won't stay in the pouch all the time between the ages of two and four months, but they still rely on their moms for food and shelter. The baby opossums may be seen at this time riding around on their mothers' backs, which is a very cute behavior. The joeys are able to thrive on their own after roughly 100 days.