# my female short tailed opossum.........



## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hi people,

i have finally got my hand on a short tailed opossum, iv had her for a couple of weeks now, shes doing fine and had settle in well. it took me ages to get hold of one, and now im looking for a male to hopefully breed with her, as this is proving hard to find one, i am putting in an offer to anyone who has a male that would be willing to breed with my female for half of the litter.

thanks

chris


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

cmullins said:


> hi people,
> 
> i have finally got my hand on a short tailed opossum, iv had her for a couple of weeks now, shes doing fine and had settle in well. it took me ages to get hold of one, and now im looking for a male to hopefully breed with her, as this is proving hard to find one, i am putting in an offer to anyone who has a male that would be willing to breed with my female for half of the litter.
> 
> ...


i think amelthia (sp i cnt remember her name's spelling) has a male but im not too sure if shes looking for a female to buy and own as a pet as these are hard to come by atm : victoryics?:whistling2:


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

yea its hard to get hold of these guys, im looking for a male at the moment, but having no luck thats why im seeing if anyone has the male.

chris


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

cmullins said:


> yea its hard to get hold of these guys, im looking for a male at the moment, but having no luck thats why im seeing if anyone has the male.
> 
> chris


well i can always do a qwiuck look for you where are you willing to ravel to?


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Love to see pics  I am hopefully picking up a female this week for my Oliver. Am totally excited 

I am a bit dubious about studding Oliver out, though, because of the damage they can do to eachother during mating.


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

Amalthea said:


> Love to see pics  I am hopefully picking up a female this week for my Oliver. Am totally excited
> 
> I am a bit dubious about studding Oliver out, though, because of the damage they can do to eachother during mating.


 
cool thats exciting

and surely the person who ask's for the stud would be aware of the damage? xoxo


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Yes, but there is more likely to be damage to MY Oliver (the males end up the worse for wear)... I am taking steps to reduce this, but until I know if my plan will work, I'd be very wary of letting somebody else's female hurt my Oliver.


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

Amalthea said:


> Yes, but there is more likely to be damage to MY Oliver (the males end up the worse for wear)... I am taking steps to reduce this, but until I know if my plan will work, I'd be very wary of letting somebody else's female hurt my Oliver.


well in that case its catch 22 isnt it :'( xoxo


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Yup... If my plan works, it may be possible, but I want to see if it'll work first.

To the OP: How old is your new girlie?


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

Amalthea said:


> Yup... If my plan works, it may be possible, but I want to see if it'll work first.quote]
> 
> cool heehee xoxo


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hiya, i will get some pics of her tonight.

im from wiltshire, and all the other people i know of with short tailed opossums seem to be up north.

and she is still young 7months, but iv been told that she is able to breed at this age.

thanks

chris.


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Can't wait for pics ;D


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

shes still a lil bit shy lol


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Aww bless her


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Hi Jen

Is this a variation on my plan that we discussed and appears to work.

Would be interested to know if it is and if you have refined it ?.

You are definately getting Annie this week if we can arrange to meet.

Pm'd you

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Yup... I have made a fine mesh divider for a tank. That way, they can see AND smell eachother without being able to actually touch eachother in any way. 


I am so excited for Annie to get home... *lol*


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

You do realise that we would like regular updates and photos of our baby :flrt:though : victory:. Pleassssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeee.


Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

You will totally get them!! *lol* My hubby complains from time to time that we've got more pictures of the critters than eachother *lol* Oliver thanks you for telling me about the parrot food, as well... He really likes it and I've noticed his fur is much smoother than it was before (although, he's always been a scruffy little bugger)


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Another tip for you if you don't mind.

In health shops you can get mixtures of de - husked seeds.

They contain many types of seeds including Pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, sesame seeds as well as many others. They love them but only give sparingly as they are high in fat. I normally give them two or three times a week and in small amounts. With being part of healthy diet will do no harm.

I have found a good way of getting veg into them aswell, I don't know about Oliver but mine won't eat veg. I use a Suger Glider mixture with blended vegs included. They go mad for it.

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I know the seed mixes you are on about... I used to give it to the mice when I was breeding them and they were lactating  Will start getting it again  Tips are always welcome  Oliver isn't too impressed with veg, either... Certain fruits he loves, bbut not so much with veg (banana is his favorite!!).


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hiya i got some pics last night, took a while as she never stays still, so i got the pics and then my internet had a funny turn lol. so i will go get all leads and crap to go with it and get some pics up now 


chris.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hiya, i have finally got some pics of her, took a while as she dosent stay still.

(pictures have been taken in low light so quality not so good)

here is her home, not 100% complete, needs some more branches ect..










racing in her wheel...










dont jump! 










whos smelly hand is that?????










Having something to eat.....


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

That is an amazing viv for her!! Very impressive 

And she is gorgeous!!!  She looks a lot smaller than my Oliver


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

yea compared to my hand she looks small in the pic, how old is your oliver?

chris.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Hi

Is it possible to get a photo with something in to gauge the size or even sitting on you hand.

She really looks small in the pictures to be 7 months old ?. If she is 7 months old from the photo she appears far to small to breed.

She looks about the size of my babies which are about 10 weeks ?.

Hope this reply does not offend you, it is not meant to.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

well her next to my hand , does that pic help?

i also have very big hands lol

i will measure her tonight when shes out, off the top of my head i would say she is about 6-7 inches long, but will measure her tonight


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

(looking at the pic with my hand in it, it does not really help as it is out of proportion, as shes not that close to my hand)


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Oliver is a year old now... But he looks massive compared to your pics of your little'un... Maybe put her next to a can of soda or something?


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Pictures can be very deceiving, hence her appearing small. 

Males do appear to be slightly larger and more robust than females though.

Look forward to seeing more pics.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

yea will get some more pics when shes has settle down a bit more.

also a question.........


what do you feed as a daily diet for the opossum?

thanks

chris.


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

My Oliver gets about half a sachet of wet cat food (meat flavored), a mix of dry cat food and parrot food, and a bit of fruit daily... Plus insectivore fare every now and then and the odd pinkie... Oh! And bugs.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

how do they do with a small animal pre made mix food?

thanks

chris


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Well, there isn't really anything that is suitable for them as a complete diet. They are insectivores, but should still be getting a bit of fresh fruit and veg. Their diet is very different from the usual small animals that people keep.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

at the moment im giving her, fruit and veg, small animal mix, which she eats a small amout of, and i will start giving her mealworms.


thanks

chris


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

cmullins said:


> at the moment im giving her, fruit and veg, small animal mix, which she eats a small amout of, and i will start giving her mealworms.
> 
> 
> thanks
> ...


 I know nothing about these animals but I was a bit concerned so see that you keep an insectivorous animal, but you feed it on fruit and veg. Is there any particular reason you aren't feeding it the diet she evolved to eat? It's a bit like me trying to feed my cats on nothing but fruit and veg with a bit of hamster mix spinkled on top.


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

She needs a meat based food...


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

i will get some more mealworm ect in her diet, to meet her insect diet.


and chill out fenwoman


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

cmullins said:


> i will get some more mealworm ect in her diet, to meet her insect diet.
> 
> 
> and chill out fenwoman


 I'm perfectly chilled dear, just wondering why anyone would get an insectivorous animal and feed it fruit, veg and hamster food. Unless of course they did no research before getting the animal and thought "well it looks like a mouse so it must eat the same thing as mice".:whistling2:


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## pgag_1_york (Mar 12, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> I know nothing about these animals but I was a bit concerned so see that you keep an insectivorous animal, but you feed it on fruit and veg. Is there any particular reason you aren't feeding it the diet she evolved to eat? It's a bit like me trying to feed my cats on nothing but fruit and veg with a bit of hamster mix spinkled on top.


if you know nothing why comment? in some cases a wild diet isnt the best for the animals when in captivity and i dont see you jumping on the skunk keepers backs about the diet they feed!

but in the wild they would eat fruit as part of their staple diet anyway

as to what to feed an opossum i fed,

fruit, baby food, cat biscuits, live food and some meat i cant remember the % off the top of my head tho with a few other things

this is a good site on the care: Know Your STO


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

To the OP: I think her diet should be _mainly_ meat based. Yes, a bit of fruit and veg is good, but the main part shouldn't be a rodent mix.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

pgag_1_york said:


> if you know nothing why comment? in some cases a wild diet isnt the best for the animals when in captivity and i dont see you jumping on the skunk keepers backs about the diet they feed!
> 
> but in the wild they would eat fruit as part of their staple diet anyway
> 
> ...


 I know nothing apart from they shouldn't be fed fruit/veg and hamster mix. Is that better?
I would be most interested to hear which particular animal has a better diet in captivity than the one it evolved to need.
As for skunks? I rarely read the exotic section. And I know only a little about their diets. If I wanted to learn, I could always ask my bezzie mate Nerys, or Rory off TSKA as Nerys keeps and breeds them. I know they are not the pets for me even though I like cuddling them when I visit and I know they like the mealworm treats I give them, but that's it.
I'm not really into exotics, more into livestock and the more common pet species.
What I can say though is that were I to get a skunk,(or anything else I was unfamiliar with) I'd do research into it's dietry requirements and fulfill them, and not feed an unsuitable diet.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Short Tailed Opossums are in fact omnivores and in the wild are opportunist feeders. 
In the wild they would eat insects, small rodents, carrion, lizards, fruit, veg, seeds and flowers of certain plants.

In captivity we try to feed them a broad range diet.

We would include, Fresh fruit, baby fruit, baby dinners ( chicken / turkey / veg ), defrosted pinkies / fuzzies, chicken mince, wet catfood ( non fish ), dry catfood ( non fish ), a very extensive seed mix, hulled seeds, Sugar Glider food ( which includes veg ) eggs ( inclding some shell ) and although not a food as such they love nectar. These are just a few of the many foods we feed.

To be fair to the OP he has asked for my care sheet and diet sheets which I am in the process of reformatting for him. So he is more than willing to ask and learn :notworthy:.

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Oh yes!! One of Oliver's favorite treats is a pinkie/fuzzie!!  And he really enjoys hunting live insects!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> Oh yes!! One of Oliver's favorite treats is a pinkie/fuzzie!!  And he really enjoys hunting live insects!


 
What time do you pick up the new girl?


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I am meeting Neil between 7 and half past tonight


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> I am meeting Neil between 7 and half past tonight


Oooooo i bet your soooooooo excited i know you have wanted a gurly for some time :2thumb:


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Oooooooooooopppppppppppppps 

Forgot to mention all the live insects, dried insectivore mix etc. :blush::blush::blush: good job I sent it on the care sheet :2thumb:

They especially like the dried insectivore mix mixed in with some baby fruit etc.

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

SOOOO excited, Emma!!! *lol* I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve *lol* Keep going into the critter room just looking at her tank! Sad, eh??


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> SOOOO excited, Emma!!! *lol* I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve *lol* Keep going into the critter room just looking at her tank! Sad, eh??


LOL bless ya nopes not sad at all because we know she will be in their later on this eve :no1:


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

If she's up for pictures tonight, I'll post a thread for her when we get home... Will see what she thinks when I put her in her new home  Might thaw out a couple pinkies for her and Oliver tonight, as well.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Hi Emma

You are supposed to say things like, you won't be disapointed and Neils animals are stunning, gorgeous, really healthy, friendly and whatever else you can think of :lol2::lol2::lol2:.

Jen 

Annie has got her bags packed ready to go. I must admit I have a tear in my eye as it appears she is not going to miss us :sad::sad:.
Must of heard what a nice home she is coming to :notworthy:

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

*lol* She prolly heard all about her future hubby... He's a stud, ya know  I understand completely, though... I always get a bit sad when rehoming critters. I really struggled when I was breeding gliders! Don't know what I am gonna do if/when things go to plan with Annie and Oliver. You don't have to worry, though... Will definitely keep you updated with news and pictures


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Thanks Jen

Looking forward to meeting you !!!.

Neil


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Ditto!! 

Am just spending the day tidying up the critter room for something to keep me occupied til Gary gets home and we can set off *lol*


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> I'm perfectly chilled dear, just wondering why anyone would get an insectivorous animal and feed it fruit, veg and hamster food. Unless of course they did no research before getting the animal and thought "well it looks like a mouse so it must eat the same thing as mice".:whistling2:


did i say i was feeding hamster food... no shut up


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

thank you everyone else for helping me with her diet
ive got pinkies which i use for my snake, mealworms and crickets along with fruit and veg 

thanks chris


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

cmullins said:


> no shut up


 How mature.:lol2:


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

adlock: if you dont wonna carry on thee arguements


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

can we just carry on with the thread, and can people who dont av a clue stay out of it please.

thanks
chris


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

i love the way you put that 

and also they dont actualy look like my kinda pet tbh


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

some people say they look like rats, but i think they are lil cuties.
i think iv got her diet sorted for now, will try to give her as much variation as possible.
and will post some more pics of her...... better ones lol


thanks
chris


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

here are some more pics of her from last night............

































































and a pic of my african dwarf dormouse....


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

She is very sweet!!!  Glad you got the diet figured out


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

yep all good now, thanks alot 4 help


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

No problem  Glad to have helped


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## sizedoesn'tmatter (Jan 24, 2009)

My female STO comes into school with me to meet the children, they love her but she is known as "The Rat-Thing" in the staffroom! My two enjoy an incredibly varied diet - waxworms are particularly relished as an occasional treat.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

also, kinda on the subject about eating...... my STO eats her poo? is this natrual?

thanks

chris


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## sizedoesn'tmatter (Jan 24, 2009)

Haven't noticed this with either of mine but thats not to say they don't do it when I'm not looking! I do clean mine out daily - easy to do as they go in just one spot so I guess I'm removing the "temptation"!


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

do you have any care guids are they social and do they anjoy company? or are they solitary? xoxo


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

quilson_mc_spike said:


> do you have any care guids are they social and do they anjoy company? or are they solitary? xoxo


 
they are solitary connor should only be put together to mate though that hold risks of one of them getting injured


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> they are solitary connor should only be put together to mate though that hold risks of one of them getting injured


:mf_dribble:do you have a price range any1? and thanks for the info hun i seem to like solitary animals now xoxo


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Maybe PM kodakira and ask for an approximate price for when he had babies...


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Youngsters can and do sometimes eat poop.

It is a way of getting beneficial bacteria into the stomach. I am told it does normally stop.



> do you have any care guids are they social and do they anjoy company? or are they solitary?


I have sent Chris care sheets, if you require one pm me your e mail address.
As Emma has mentioned they are solitary animals and any interaction before breeding is liable to end in serios injury or death. You can't keep two females together or two males either. They are a completely solitary animal.

Neil


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

kodakira said:


> Youngsters can and do sometimes eat poop.
> 
> It is a way of getting beneficial bacteria into the stomach. I am told it does normally stop.
> 
> ...


thanks for that neil im happy to send you my email address but first my loptop needs sorting i will finish what i am doing and post my e mail address im not too fussy unless you specifically want me to pm it to you? thanks


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

my opossum keeps biting me any handling tips?

thanks
chris


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Hi Chris

Do not try to go in from above. Place your hand flat and palm up. Try and usher like this into a corner and slowly slide hand under if.

If that does not work its, Start at the very beginning !!!!.

Feed her tasty foods such a banana or her favourite treats from your fingers.
I will almost guarentee she will take banana off you this way, never met one yet who does not like banana. Do not feed too much though, use it as a treat. If she does not take it just persevere.
Feed her for a week or two like this without trying to pick her up then place a bit of banana / moreoworm or favourite treat on the palm of your hand, hopefully she will get straight on.
If she does just slowly lift your hand with her on, just do not grab her. Once she feels comfortable you will be able to just pick her up.

Worked for me !!!!!.

Neil


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

well she will climb onto my arm, and then she runs down my arm to my hand and bites my fingers lol, i have also tried feeding her a bit of fruit out of my hand and she just bit me rather than the food lol.

thanks

chris


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## sizedoesn'tmatter (Jan 24, 2009)

She certainly sounds like a character! They are such funny little creatures...


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

What soap do you use?? Maybe she really likes the smell of your soap. So try and get that smell off before handling her... Rub your hands in her substrate


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

yea i get the substrate on my hand, she just wants to eat me lol

chris


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

*lol* You're tasty then


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

i will just keep trying to get her used to me every night, do you think there may be a difference between handling her before i feed her or after she has had her dinner?

she might be hungry and thinks my finger is on the menu.

also last night i gave her a small pinkie, which didnt last long lol yummy.
and i brought her some cat biscutes (dont think i can spell lol) today, so will give that a try tonight.

thanks

chris


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I've never noticed a difference in personality during various times of day, except for being atad grumpy if woken up (Oliver).

Oh, pinkies are LOVED!! *lol*


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

i will just keep at it lol

she has been awake for most of the day for some reason....?

chris


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Let us know how things go


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

will do cheers


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hiya 
can i feed her wet cat food?


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Yup  As long as it's meat flavored (ie: not fish), then it should be a big part of their diet.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> My Oliver gets about half a sachet of wet cat food (meat flavored), a mix of dry cat food and parrot food, and a bit of fruit daily... Plus insectivore fare every now and then and the odd pinkie... Oh! And bugs.


 

Here is the answer to your question:2thumb:


LOL you beat me by 2 minutes


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

ok thanks guys, i think i have her diet sorted now.
just gotta keep giving her different things each night, last night she had mealworms, cat buscites (still cant spell lol) and some apple.

thanks

chris


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

kodakira said:


> Short Tailed Opossums are in fact omnivores and in the wild are opportunist feeders.
> In the wild they would eat insects, small rodents, carrion, lizards, fruit, veg, seeds and flowers of certain plants.
> 
> In captivity we try to feed them a broad range diet.
> ...


Hi Chris

Above is a post about foods we feed, included is wet catfood, also it is included in the care sheet i gave you.

As already mentioned in my pm / email to you I tend to feed differing foods constantly. I do not use any one particular food more than another. I may feed a number of food items at the same time.
I believe if you vary the food daily the STO is not going to get bored of the same food, is not going to get hooked on the same old diet, the more varied foods the better the diet and consequently the STO will be healthier.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

cmullins said:


> cat buscites (still cant spell lol) and some apple.
> 
> thanks
> 
> chris


heehee chris i cant spell either but with the hoggies biscuits is spelt pften think of fox's buis-cuits (yes the one with the panda).

Mc Spike


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

ok guys, thanks


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

i have another food item to add to the opossums menu ........

my fingers lol she still likes to have a nibble on my fingers, its really unexpected when she bites, she comes on to my hand, has a walk about then takes a random bite lol

chris.


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