It’s not every day a midnight snack leads to a wildlife rescue — unless you’re a chocolate-obsessed opossum who mistook a Costco cake for the buffet of your dreams.
This is the tale of one marsupial’s sugar-fueled misadventure, a lesson in dessert moderation, and why wildlife rehab centers might need a “no cake” sign. The saga began when Nebraska real estate agent Kim Doggett discovered an unlikely intruder lounging on her patio furniture. The culprit? A Virginia opossum sprawled beside the remains of a 10-inch Costco Chocolate Mousse Cake, her paws dusted with fudge icing.
Vets work to help an opossum who devoured a Costco chocolate cake. Photo by Nebraska Wildlife Rehab
“She didn’t look so great – she was kind of panting,” Doggett said, describing the marsupial’s post-feast slump. Chocolate footprints trailed across the deck, evidence of a sugar rush gone wild, and the little creature’s hands were covered in fudge.
Doggett’s fridge had been too full for the dessert, so she’d left it outside — a decision that backfired spectacularly. “I always have a house full and we cook a lot and when you run out of room in the fridge you just sit it on the table outside in the winter,” she said. But her son soon spotted the aftermath: a nearly vanished cake and a dazed opossum too full to play dead.
We googled chocolate with opossums because I know with dogs it’s poisonous and thought this would not be good for this little girl,” Doggett said.
The family rushed the critter to Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, where staff nicknamed her the “Cake Bandit.” Veterinarians discovered she’d not only overindulged in chocolate but also had lead toxicity—a common issue in wildlife. “This is a common issue in wildlife, with different causes for different species, and it will take several weeks of treatment and supportive care (to heal) her body,” Laura Stastny, the center’s executive director, said.
The opossum’s favorite cake came from Costco. Stock photo
While the opossum’s sweet tooth made her an internet sensation, her rehab stay hasn’t been all treats. The center’s Instagram post cheekily noted her disapproval of their “zero chocolate” policy: “But until then, she is definitely a little cranky about our strict ‘zero chocolate’ policy! Same, opossum…. same.” Supporters even flaunted “Cake Bandit” t-shirts to fund her care.
Sympathetic fans flooded social media. “We’ve all been there, girl,” one Facebook user wrote. Another added, “It’s okay, lil dude. I don’t know how to act around chocolate cake either.”
Thankfully, the opossum is expected to return to the wild by March—hopefully with a newfound appreciation for salad bars. As Doggett quipped, “I knew there was no way I could just leave a sick opossum there overnight. Obviously, it had too much of a good thing.”
The moral of the story? Always lock your cake. And if you’re an opossum, maybe stick to bugs—they’re less likely to land you in detox.
