These
two little Ringtail possums came
into care under unusual circumstances.
A dog owner was alerted when his little Silky Terrier came back
inside acting very strange, growling and not himself at all. Clinging
to the fur of the dog were 2 baby Ringtail Possums, much too young
to be separated from their mother.
The question would be how did they come to be in such an unusual
place, when they should have been safely either in the mothers
pouch, or on her back.
Dogs unfortunately are hunters by nature, no matter how well fed
your pet is, the instinct of the dog is still to hunt when the
situation arises.
Whether
the mother possum was killed, or injured the baby's grabbed onto
the first thing they could get hold of being the dog. Needless
to say they were in shock, and I am sure the dog may think twice
next time he meets a Possum in his yard.
Ringtail Possums usually have two babies, in this case a male
and a female and they have done well whilst in care. They choose
at this stage, to sleep the day away in a hollow log in their
pre-release pen, coming out at night to explore and eat Eucalypt
tips, and other native food provided.
