Comments on: Archie and the Possum

By: Possum TV

Possum TV — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:14:38 +0000

It’s very good to hear about a young guy who not only has the compassion to rescue an injured possum, but is also interested enough to want to care for it. Very few people stop for injured wildlife and most people don’t have the nerve and skill to handle a possum (I myself got bitten the last time I tried to pick up a ringtail). Archie seems to be a natural at it.

But I’d like to encourage people to learn a little more about native wildlife, since despite everyone’s good intentions, things could easily have turned out badly in this case. Here are a few things to bear in mind:

Possums are nocturnal. They need to be left undisturbed to sleep during the day if at all possible. Being handled during the daytime is very stressful for them; it’s like being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. Stress can be a killer for possums.

Diet is a problem with possums (and particularly ringtails). They need to be given natural foliage to eat. A little fruit is OK, but strictly in moderation. It’s quite common for young possums rescued by members of the public to die from improper diet.

Unlike dogs and cats, possums are a prey animal and they try to hide their distress so as not to be targeted by a predator, so they can be in a really bad way and not show it. This makes them hard to care for because they can appear normal in the evening and turn up dead the next morning.

Ringtails are social animals who live in family groups. A ringtail, and especially a very young one like this, is always going to be happier with its family. Unless you have an orphaned baby, the priority should be on releasing it as soon as possible, and as close as possible to where it was found. They’re territorial and don’t have a homing instinct over long distances so they need to be released very close to where they were picked up (the law says 25 m in some states, 50 m in others, probably a little further would be OK). The possum should be released just after dusk so it has the maximum time to find its way home while it’s still dark, and never released during daytime.

I hope the above doesn’t come across like I’m being critical. I want to encourage people, and especially people like Archie, to take an interest in the amazing native animals we have here in Australia, and to do so based on knowledge so that no harm is inadvertently done.

By: Nanette

Nanette — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 21:32:03 +0000

it’s great your son rescued the possum and took good care of it, but you might like to let him know that it’s actually illegal to keep native animals as pets, and if there’s a next time, he must contact the Wildlife Rescue Service immediately (WIRES). Shame on the vet who checked it out and then just handed it back, he should know that native animals must be taken into care by WIRES. Fortunately a happy ending for the possum.

By: Lisa the Gourmet Wog

Lisa the Gourmet Wog — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 22:57:23 +0000

Arggghh our veggie patch was attacked last night and I now have the biggest grudge against possums. In saying that, I couldn’t help but go nawww when I saw the little one in these pics.
Lucky they’re cute….

By: Charles

Charles — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 21:25:57 +0000

Haha, that’s so cool – I’ve never seen a possum before… just heard about them and always thought they were a bit vicious, but that’s just the brush-tailed ones apparently you say? That one is adorable… cool thing it does with its tail too!

By: Amy @ Elephant Eats

Amy @ Elephant Eats — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:31:33 +0000

That possum is so cute!!! I can’t believe it was so docile and didn’t try to bite Archie. Who would have thought a wild animal could be so tame…or perhaps Archie is just a possum whisperer.

By: Nuts about food

Nuts about food — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 10:24:55 +0000

Love the dogs’ reaction… too cute!

By: hotlyspiced

hotlyspiced — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 02:15:24 +0000

I think Suzanne, you only have the brushtail possums in NZ and yes, they should never have been introduced to your country as they’re a terrible pest but the ringtail are much nicer and live in trees not in roofs! xx

By: Suzanne Perazzini

Suzanne Perazzini — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 02:10:40 +0000

What a wonderful chap he is! Not many would have stopped for a possum.She does look awfully cute but here in New Zealand they are a terrible pest.

By: Daisy@Nevertoosweet

Daisy@Nevertoosweet — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:14:33 +0000

HAHAHA that’s so FUNNY!!! I saw the photo on Instagram and have been dying to read this post but haven’t had time ~ But why am I not surprised that Archie brought a possum home and he wanted to keep that little thing! It is sort of cute but it’s simply not possible!

I’m glad the possum wasn’t hurt though because I’ve seen so many possums that have been hit before 🙁

By: ChgoJohn

ChgoJohn — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 12:10:29 +0000

That is one lucky possum, Charlie! Not only to survive a car but to land into the hands of someone willing to care for it. Here. our possum aren’t nearly so cute and I cannot imagine anyone holding one, no matter how young. I once had a terrier that would catch them and lay them at my feet. Nice.