# short tailed opossum toilet training



## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hello

is it possible to toilet train a short tailed opossum and has anyone done it?

many thanks


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## Freya Louise (Oct 28, 2009)

hi, its possible to toilet rain most mammals as they are clean animals and some use toileting as a form of communication. i have never kept opossums myself but the basic principles are the same i should imagin

wait to find out the favoured location of the toileting area, you may notice this more if you read up on specific species and the natural behaviour. i.e rabbits build 'poo piles' and the edge of the boundry, whilst rats urita allong their path. both forms of communication.

Next you have to manipulate the animals thinking without it noticing, not as hard as it sounds, choose a suitable container, litter trays are expensice commercially, i settle with a seed tray often, but also consider an animal mite like to feel safe and prefer an enclosed location such as plant pots, this is key really, substrate aswell, some like shavings, compost, litter, theres loads
initially i recommend using the same substrate as the one already being soiled on. bury the tray so deep the animal does not noice and continute using the same location, pick up any soiled substrate and put it in the container, this is vital when refreshing. slowly you can begin to reduce the ammount of substrate used to bury the container untill the animal becomes accustomed to toileting in the box in its preferred location, sometimes, slowly you can relocate the contain to your desired location.

Bit of a mouth full sorry but thought id get it all out, oh and if they just throw the tray around, persivere...


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## pepsirat (Feb 5, 2009)

Reading this reminds me of when i potty trained my rats. One of my rats Angel use her potty as kind of a bin aswell anything she didnt like when in, it was so funny.

She also had a smally teddy she liked in her bed and didnt like you to take it out lol.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

Freya Louise said:


> hi, its possible to toilet rain most mammals as they are clean animals and some use toileting as a form of communication. i have never kept opossums myself but the basic principles are the same i should imagin
> 
> wait to find out the favoured location of the toileting area, you may notice this more if you read up on specific species and the natural behaviour. i.e rabbits build 'poo piles' and the edge of the boundry, whilst rats urita allong their path. both forms of communication.
> 
> ...


ok i see the basis of that.

at the moment i take her poop and put it into her "toilet" with the hope that she will reconise it being her waste and think this is her usual spot


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