Drama Daze

Well we had a very drama filled night two nights ago. Big Mumma ventured out and thought it time the new brushy baby start being a little more independent. This was a bit too early it seems, mumma was sitting with me eating her pear and baby was a few branches above when big daddy became a little too curious. He started heading towards the baby with malice in his eyes. Baby let out huge cries and that's when big mumma swung into action. She dropped her pear and within a few seconds it was on! she attacked daddy with all she had, he still headed towards the baby when big mumma slashed her claws into him and gave him a few choice bites with her iron jaws. This was enough to make him turn and head for the hills. But the baby brushy in her frightened state managed to find herself just hanging on upside down on a very narrow branch. The whole time I'm outside witnessing this event. I saw the baby struggling and was so afraid she was about to fall at any moment. I whipped my shirt off and held it between my arms to catch the baby if she fell while still hoping she wouldn't. Mumma was frantic trying to reach her crying baby but she was under the lip of the roof on a branch too thin to hold mumma up. Mumma came down near me and i pointed up and said "there she is, there she is" and with that big mumma scaled the tree and the next minute i see her stretched over the lip of the roof and hoisting up baby in her jaws and swiftly rescuing her. I must say i was relieved as were both Big mumma and baby. Mumma came down about 10 minutes later after they had a chance to calm down, baby was safely tucked up in mumma's pouch and mumma was ready for more pear. I'm not saying Big Mumma understands me or understood what i was pointing out, that's just nature and her mothering instincts that saved that little baby but i think she realised I'm no threat. So glad that they are safe and still unsure why the daddy brushy wanted to hurt the baby.

Here is big Mumma enjoying her pear, baby is keen to get back into the safety of the pouch.



But the other exciting news is that her previous child came back to visit us after almost two months of being absent. He is about twice the size now and looks very handsome. He still remembers us but is a little more timid of humans which isn't a bad thing. He is unmistakable with his almond shaped eyes and jaw line. Scary but after so many years with the possums i don't find it at all difficult to recognise any of them they all have unique points which make them easy to tell apart. We were very relieved to see him as his departure was sudden and all sorts of thoughts went through our heads about what happened to him, now we know he's safe and well. Its not unusual that the ringtail or brushtail kids try and return but typically are chased off by the parents. Strange thing was that Stumpy and Grabby the ringtail girls recognised him too and were happy to sit on the same branch to eat together which is something they wont do with the daddy brushtail and rarely with the mumma brushtail. I think because the little boy grew up so close with the ringtails he doesn't get aggressive with them. Anyway each day with the possums is a blessing and I'm just so lucky to share their space.

The New Addition

Sadly the baby boy brushtail has moved on, i hope to start his own family as he did get rather big. I do worry alot about where they go, if they dont turn up one night etc. So i make a concious effort to make anytime i spend with them special as it could be the last time i see them.

But on the good side of things we have a new baby in the family. A new baby brushtail has finally emerged from the pouch of big mumma.

Clinging to mummy's back 

What a beautiful baby, such a little thing

Wants to go back into the pouch, the world is too big and scary.

This new addition is warmly welcomed into our family, name is pending, still need to find out if its a little boy or girl and then its depending on its personallity.

Im hoping this time its a little girl....i will have to wait and see

Possum Politics

Big daddy brushtail awoke the other night, mighty hungry but a bit shy, he will come up to the window as close as he can get and just stare at us until we get up, but as soon as we open the door he runs down the tree to its base and awaits a game of fetch the banana. He won this game as he does most nights.

Meanwhile.... The ringtails are buzzing about, they tend to get flustered when the big boy brushtail is around. But they still come for fruit with one eye on the banana and the other on the brushtail.

(Little baby boy ringtail)

Little Daddy is such a sweetie 

Balancing the feeding of the Ringtails and Brushtails can be tricky

Especially when they inhabit the same small space

Large claws and big teeth dont help either!!



Feeding time at the zoo

So the girls have woken up at their usual time 9pm, hungry as usual. First up is grabby, she sleeps in a drey (nest) which is in our backyard. She is usually the first awake. And as per usual i'm greeted with open arms and then "Bum face" pose

 Once she has eaten enough she likes to preen, or clean herself which in itself is rather adorable

Next possum awake was Stumpy, she slept in the roof last night, she alternates between the drey and the roof but lately she has been favoring the roof.

As you can see from the photo above she was rather glad to see me today.

next awake was the baby of the family, he is the most keen of all the possums and a little sweetie

Daddy has yet to stir but he will be awake any minute now......

Will keep you posted on more adventures soon!

The Family Tree

I started this blog so i could share some stories and photos of some wonderful ringtail and brushtail possums that live in my backyard. These guys have been visiting us daily for the last 5 or so years, some have come and gone while others have been around since the beginning.
I have been feeding and interacting with the possums off and on for the last 5 or so years, i feed them a variety of fruits, their favourite being Banana which was difficult when banana's were around $15 a kilo until very recently due to the Qld floods.

I suppose it all starts with the matriarch, Her name is Stumpy, when she first appeared in the backyard 5 odd years ago she was missing 3 quarters of her tail, she has a ten cm tail with a little stump on the end. Don't get me wrong, this is not a problem for her. She is strong, brave and playful. She is a very successful mother, countless babies have been raised since i have known her. She is the leader of this little family and the oldest member.

Next in line is Grabby, she has been with stumpy at least 5 years that i have known them. She is a rather large possum, not quite as brave as stumpy but sometimes she surprises me, especially when she took a swipe at a brushtail who was at least 5 times bigger than she is. When she is handed a piece of banana often the response to it is what i call "bum face", she swivels around and turns her back to you and all you see is a furry possum bum!. She is very gentle and loves to be talked to, while she eats she curls the tip of her tail around my finger, its almost like holding hands i suppose, but she does it so she feels secure like I'm a branch of a tree. The photo above is grabby, this is her favourite pose, she does it alot.

Then we have "Mr" or "Daddy", he is the adult male and stumpy and grabby's partner. A cute little guy, he's a little shy and reserved but coming out of his shell a bit more recently. When their not breeding the girls would often chase daddy around the backyard as they like to be bossy. They chase him a bit less these days but they keep him on his toes. He currently lives in our roof along with his son. He looks after the baby possums and does a good job of it.

Last of the ringtails is "Rugrat" a cheeky baby boy possum, only a few months old but getting bigger every day. He's a bright soul who loves to play and eat as many leaves as he can. Doesn't really eat the leaf but the bud on the end. He is the son of Stumpy and Mr. Time with him will be limited as when he gets big enough the girls will chase him off the teritory as he needs to go start his own family.

Not only are we blessed with the ringtail possums but we also have a family of Brushtail possums.
They interact with each other but prefer to come at different times as to not annoy each other.

The matriarch of the brushtail family is "Big Mumma", she is massive!! huge claws and a powerful jaw (trust me i know, she mistook my finger for a piece of banana and it more than hurt!) she enjoys various fruits but overdosed on banana one night now she wont even touch it anymore. She now prefers pears and the occasional donut or "flat" peach which are hard to find and rather expensive. She currently has a small baby in her pouch and only just had a little boy i called "little man" and he only recently ventured off to start his own family.

Then we have the male brushtail i call "Big Boy" he is very shy and likes to eat alone. All the other possums can be hand fed, but bigboy likes to keep his distance, he eats from a cup i attached to a branch, he also likes playing banana fetch, i call out "ready??" and he climbs down to the base of the tree and i throw a piece of banana down to him and he pounces on it (literally) and then climbs up to a nook in the fork of the tree and wedges himself in that spot and eats his banana.

More info, photos and stories coming soon....