Triage Orphaned Possums

Guide to South Australian Possums
for Veterinary Clinics

Pinkie

Totally dependent on adult, still in pouch and either naked or with 'peach fuzz' covering

Cannot thermo-regulate
Likely attached to mother's teat
Viability depends on species and presentation

Viable brushtail pinkie.

Joey

Viable ringtail joey.

Mostly dependent on adult, emerging from pouch to back-ride and beginning to forage.

Starting to thermo-regulate, but still require heat
Developed coat

Adult

Full adult coat as shown below.

Common Brushtail Possum

Joey viability: 28 grams, pink with eyes closed, must be uninjured and warm on arrival
Adult weight: 1500-4000 grams
Tail: Black tail
Nose: Normally pink
Ears: Large pointed ears
Number of young: One young, twins are rare
Diet: Native foliage/leaves and native flowers - 5% body-weight supplement of fruit & veg

Common Ringtail Possum

Joey viability: 55 grams, furred with eyes open, must be uninjured and warm on arrival
Adult weight: 700-1000 grams
Tail: Normally have a white tip 1/3 length of tail
Nose: Normally black or brown
Ears: Small and rounded
Number of young: Two or three young
Diet: Native foliage/leaves and native flowers ONLY - no fruit

Joeys

The important things to do when a joey comes into care:

Obtain the exact location, date found, name and mobile number of member of public
Obtain any history known e.g cat brought in, on ground covered in ants
Weigh the joey
Check hydration status

The weight of the joey will give you an idea of how often to feed it, what to feed it, the temperature requirements, whether it needs to be toileted and viability. It is also good to know the weight when calling so volunteers know what size pouches and what heat sources to bring when collecting the joey.

Joeys normally come in dehydrated unless they've just been removed from a recently deceased mother. Using the skin of their shoulders or on the bridge of their nose you can check hydration status with a simple pinch test.

Joeys that are dehydrated should be warmed-up and then given 10% of their body-weight in subcutaneous fluids. Offering milk to a possum that is dehydrated (or the wrong milk formula) can result in further dehydration and should be avoided.

Adults

Main reasons adults come into care:

Trauma (domestic pet attack, hit-by-car, electrocution)
Disease (Exudative dermatitis, poisoning)
Old age

Adult possums are prone to stress when in care and should be kept in a quiet, secure, dark and warm place away from other clinic animals. They should be provided with native browse and flowers if they'll be at the clinic more than a few hours.

Found locations for adult possums are important to obtain as they must be returned within 50 metres of the area they came from.

Guide to South Australian Possums​for Veterinary Clinics