- Joined
- Dec 15, 2003
- Messages
- 538
Evening folks,
I have some questions about STO's (Short Tailed Opossums) for those of you who have kept them and have experience / knowledge.
What internet research has shown:
They are solitary animals that will probably injure or kill any cage-mates and often injure each other even when being bred. They are nocturnal, should have a high protein diet mixed in with fresh fruits, vegetables and crickets / mealworms. Some people apparently feed them pinky mice (seems a bit cruel to me) once in a while. They live normally only 3 - 4 years (although I've seen people mention them allegedly living 7 - 8) and are extremely active pets that like to exercise and explore.
The Questions:
What dry food do you recommend / believe has the most health benefits and is the most nutritious? I've noticed hair thinning on her lower back, this is supposed to be the result of either allergies to bedding or a protein deficiency. I keep mine on Care - fresh (grey clumps of what seems like paper). Assuming it's not the bedding, what is the best protein supplement I can give her? I've been told hard boiled eggs with the shell are a good supplement, has anyone tried this? Can't the shell possibly damage her stomach? I've been feeding her Marshal Farms Premium ferret diet to fill her bowl and have been feeding her scrambled eggs on occasion, a few crickets and mealworms a day, and fresh apple slices. Should I feed her something else?
The temperature of my room during the day is usually 70 - 80 Fahrenheit and about 64 - 68 at night, is that okay? I take her out at around 12:00 AM and play with her in my hands for about a half hour and then I let her run around in a giant storage tub with empty food boxes and tissues for 1 - 3 hours. She usually runs inside each box at lightning speeds and sometimes rips the tissues up and makes a nest in one of the boxes. She never really bites and only threatens with her teeth if you surprise her. Although sometimes she'll lick my fingers and then feel it's safe to start trying to eat them.
When I initially purchased her she would have moist stools and urinate at the same time and it usually was one giant horrible smelling mess. These days she usually urinates separately from when she craps and her stool is drier and more solid (like a moist larger version of what rodents usually produce). Is this a sign of illness or need for medical attention or has she just started going to the bathroom out of necessity rather then having it fear induced?
Shes extremely fast, pretty ambivalent about being handled, rarely stands still for longer then a few seconds (unless shes asleep) and has been getting extremely brave when scaling up furniture and leaping from one place to another. She pretty much jumps first and uses her tail and back legs as a plan B if things don't seem like they are going well (and pulls herself back onto the surface she jumped from using her tail / back feet). Her personality has been fairly stable and she seems very alert once shes awake.
Does it sound like she is happy and healthy? I was told she was 6 months old when I got her. Will she get much bigger then she is now? She's the size of a small rat at the moment. Are there any vegetables, fruits, foods or items that are toxic or dangerous to her?
All information is appreciated.
Thanks
Eric
P.S. I added a picture for those of you who clicked on the thread just to see a picture. Here she is in the corner of her tub next to an empty box that used to have rice crispy treats inside of it.
I have some questions about STO's (Short Tailed Opossums) for those of you who have kept them and have experience / knowledge.
What internet research has shown:
They are solitary animals that will probably injure or kill any cage-mates and often injure each other even when being bred. They are nocturnal, should have a high protein diet mixed in with fresh fruits, vegetables and crickets / mealworms. Some people apparently feed them pinky mice (seems a bit cruel to me) once in a while. They live normally only 3 - 4 years (although I've seen people mention them allegedly living 7 - 8) and are extremely active pets that like to exercise and explore.
The Questions:
What dry food do you recommend / believe has the most health benefits and is the most nutritious? I've noticed hair thinning on her lower back, this is supposed to be the result of either allergies to bedding or a protein deficiency. I keep mine on Care - fresh (grey clumps of what seems like paper). Assuming it's not the bedding, what is the best protein supplement I can give her? I've been told hard boiled eggs with the shell are a good supplement, has anyone tried this? Can't the shell possibly damage her stomach? I've been feeding her Marshal Farms Premium ferret diet to fill her bowl and have been feeding her scrambled eggs on occasion, a few crickets and mealworms a day, and fresh apple slices. Should I feed her something else?
The temperature of my room during the day is usually 70 - 80 Fahrenheit and about 64 - 68 at night, is that okay? I take her out at around 12:00 AM and play with her in my hands for about a half hour and then I let her run around in a giant storage tub with empty food boxes and tissues for 1 - 3 hours. She usually runs inside each box at lightning speeds and sometimes rips the tissues up and makes a nest in one of the boxes. She never really bites and only threatens with her teeth if you surprise her. Although sometimes she'll lick my fingers and then feel it's safe to start trying to eat them.
When I initially purchased her she would have moist stools and urinate at the same time and it usually was one giant horrible smelling mess. These days she usually urinates separately from when she craps and her stool is drier and more solid (like a moist larger version of what rodents usually produce). Is this a sign of illness or need for medical attention or has she just started going to the bathroom out of necessity rather then having it fear induced?
Shes extremely fast, pretty ambivalent about being handled, rarely stands still for longer then a few seconds (unless shes asleep) and has been getting extremely brave when scaling up furniture and leaping from one place to another. She pretty much jumps first and uses her tail and back legs as a plan B if things don't seem like they are going well (and pulls herself back onto the surface she jumped from using her tail / back feet). Her personality has been fairly stable and she seems very alert once shes awake.
Does it sound like she is happy and healthy? I was told she was 6 months old when I got her. Will she get much bigger then she is now? She's the size of a small rat at the moment. Are there any vegetables, fruits, foods or items that are toxic or dangerous to her?
All information is appreciated.
Thanks
Eric
P.S. I added a picture for those of you who clicked on the thread just to see a picture. Here she is in the corner of her tub next to an empty box that used to have rice crispy treats inside of it.