Possums and Gliders
What is a possum and glider?
Greater glider
Possums range in size from small, pigmy-possums to large brushtails.
Gliders also range from the minute feathertail to the large greater glider.
Diets vary depending on the species. This section does not cover all possums and gliders; however, the information will help you until you can find a specialist.
Capture
The best way to catch a possum is to grasp it by the base of its tail and quickly put it into a bag or small cage. To avoid being caught, possums will grab hold of nearby objects. If this happens, gently apply pressure to the base of the animal's tail; it will eventually let go. If you have to carry an animal in your hands over a distance, hold its shoulders as well. Possums are strong and agile animals, so take care that they do not climb up their tail or pull out of your grip.
Tailing a ringtail
To stop a possum biting or scratching you while you catch it, cover it with a towel or blanket. The cloth will keep it busy while you pick it up and move it.
Holding a mahogany
glider
Catching a glider requires more care, as they are smaller and more fragile than possums. To catch a glider, put a bag over your hand, grasp the base of the glider's tail and pull the bag over its body.
Housing
Possums and gliders can be kept in a large pet carry box during the initial stages of rehabilitation. Cover the box with a blanket and put the animal in a quiet room. You should put a heat source at one end. Food and water containers should be attached to the side of the carry box so they cannot be knocked over.
The animal can be moved to a 1m x 1m cage when it begins to move around.
The cage floor should be lined with clean towels, fresh straw or newspaper and include a hide box or log. A few climbing branches and a branch of native leaves and flowers can also be placed in the cage. To keep the branches upright, twist the end of a piece of black poly pipe over and attach it to the cage. Place the branches in the pipe. To keep them fresh, fill the pipe with water.
Possums and gliders should be moved into a 4m x 4m x 2.5m aviary during the final stages of rehabilitation. An aviary of this size will give smaller gliders the space to practice gliding (provided you leave an open space in the middle of the cage). The aviary should contain nesting boxes (more than the number of animals), which should be detachable. This enables the animal to be released with its nesting box. Nesting boxes can be made from timber or hollow logs. They can be lined with leaf litter or peat moss. The cage should also have a number of perches made from tree branches with rough bark (stringybark or ironbark).
Gliders should have a feeding station that is off the ground. Place some fruit and vegetables on the perches (do this by hammering in some thick nails) and fill the poly pipe branch-holders with fresh browse. For larger fodder branches, use PVC pipe capped at one end and with a small hole near the open end for hanging on the side of a cage or perch.
Feeding
Animals should always have access to fresh, clean water.
Possums eat a variety of fruits and vegetables (e.g. apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, melons, pawpaw, mangoes, fresh corn, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and lettuce). However, it is important to give them natural foods such as new leaves and flowers from eucalyptus, bottlebrush, grevillea, melaleuca and wattle trees. Native fruits, leaves and flowers should make up to least 30 percent of their diet while they are recovering. This should increase to about 90 percent a few weeks before release.
Severely debilitated or very thin possums can be fed a mix of high protein baby cereal (four teaspoons), honey (1/2 teaspoon), Pentavite (one drop) and water. This will give them a boost of energy and protein that will help them gain weight. This mixture can be syringe-fed to possums that will not get up and eat for themselves. Sustagen mixed with water is another good supplement for severely debilitated animals.
Glider nectar and possum fruit
Sugar gliders enjoy eating insects and should be offered mealworms, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers or moths daily (about six mealworms a day would be sufficient for one glider). A nectar mix should be provided three to four times per week. This can be an artificial nectar mix such as Wombaroo lorikeet and honeyeater mix or a homemade nectar mix.
Homemade nectar mix:
- 1 teaspoon of high protein baby cereal;
- ¼ teaspoon honey;
- 1 drop of diluted Infant Pentavite (diluted to 1ml of Pentavite to 9ml water);
- 1 pinch of calcium powder;
- 1 teaspoon of unsweetened fruit nectar;
- water.
Mix the ingredients until they form a porridge-like consistency.
Gliders can have a small amount of fruit each day (e.g. apple, orange, pear, banana, grapes, fig, stone fruit or melon). They should also have access to fresh branches of native trees with new shoots and/or flowers each day (as for possums). Flowers can be dipped in dry Wombaroo nectar mix to encourage animals to take nectar from flowers. Native flowers, leaves and insects should make up at least 90 percent of the glider's diet in the final weeks before its release.
Last updated: 11 January 2005