Short-Tailed Opossums will live for 4-6 years WITH PROPER CARE!!!!

Where Can I Get A Short-tailed Opossum?

1. From A Trusted/ Reputable Pet Store.
2. Reputable Short-tailed Opossum breeders.
3. Reliable Adoption Agencies/ Rescues.

It is up to you, but Breeders are recommended. Why?

The recommended age to acquire a young STO is 3-5 months old. You can also get an older STO if you want.

This will depend on how your child handles things. 10+ years is recommended.

 Is It Okay to Get One or Do I Need More Than One Short-tailed Opossum?

It is okay to get one. In fact, STOs are solitary animals and live alone.

If you must have two, get separate cages.

Yes, they are nocturnal

How to handle Short-Tailed Opossum

Majority of individuals have found Bonding Pouches working for them. Place your STO in it and she/ he will love it.

• US Amazon: Bonding Carry Pouch for Sugar Gliders and Other Small Pets (Multiple Styles Available)
• Etsy: Sugar Glider Plain Color Bonding Pouch
• UK Amazon: Bonding Carry Pouch (Black) for Sugar Gliders and other small pets

-If your short-tailed opossum is snarling and showing his or her teeth it means leave them alone.

-DO NOT pick them up by their tail. You can always scoop them and let them walk on your arm.

10 BEST SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM CAGES

• Height and Length of the cage is important as (STOs) short-tailed opossums love climbing, need space to forage and need space for the exercise wheel. A solid bottom is also important.
• Minimum cage dimensions are 12 w x 24 l x 18 h inches.
• Bigger the better!!! Taller the better!!!
• Their optimum environment temperature is between 75-85° F that is 24-30° C and 50% humidity.

Here are some of the recommended short-tailed opossum cages:

#1. Midwest Critter Nation Single Unit with Stand with bar spacing of 0.5” or less as STOs are escape artists.

#2. Midwest Critter Nation Double Unit with Stand

#3. Savic Suite Royale Navy Blue Small Animal Cage 95 x 63 x 159 cm 

#4. Savic Rat & Ferret Cage Royal Suite 95

#5.  Zeno 3 Savic Empire

#6. Savic Small Pet Cage Zeno 2

#7. Zilla Fresh Air Screen Habitat for Reptiles 30” W by 18” L by 30” H. If you choose this type of cage, you may find it extremely easy to maintain. DO NOT put dusty bedding in this cage. Also, be creative and find a way to place or hang a nest, whichever you find convenient for your cage (small perforated plastic basket/ hammock hanging bed/ double fleece hang-n-tent/ triangular hanging hammock or fleece pouch). This has more ventilation than the Exo Terra.

See video at  #8.

#8. Exo Terra All Glass Terrarium, minimum size 24 by 18 by 12-Inch

If you choose this type of cage, you may find it extremely easy to maintain. Whether you want a tall one or a short long one it’s up to you. DO NOT put dusty bedding in this cage. Also, be creative and find a way to place or hang a nest, whichever you find convenient for your cage (small perforated plastic basket/ hammock hanging bed/ double fleece hang-n-tent/ triangular hanging hammock) near the top of the cage as that’s where there is more ventilation.

See video on this type of cage:

Short Tailed Opossum cage

#9. 20+ gallon long Aquariums for these type of housing, you will need long ones, not tall, so that it can be easy for you to reach in them. Get a mesh lid for the aquarium. You can DIY or get the Zilla Fresh Air Screen Cover (make sure the measurements of this cover match your aquarium measurements). Also, be creative and find a way to place or hang a nest whichever you find convenient for your cage (small perforated plastic basket/ hammock hanging bed/ double fleece hang-n-tent/ triangular hanging hammock) near the top of the cage as that’s where there is more ventilation.

See image on this tank:

#10. DIY cages- Creativity will be needed here and you have to maintain the minimum dimensions. Mainly you can use wood and mesh and make sure the cage fits all the accessories required by your STO.

Caring For Short-Tailed Opossum (Recommended Short-Tailed Opossum Bedding)

When determining what material to use for bedding, various factors are considered:

• Safety to your pet
• Characteristics of your pet (does she/he like to burrow)
• Ease of cleaning (Do you mind regular cleaning? What cleaning works for you?)
• Your financial situation (what can you afford for your pet)
• Hygiene of the cage

Best short-tailed opossum bedding materials:

Short-tailed opossums are clean; they tend to choose a corner to urinate or defecate in. It is, therefore, easy to train.

Given below are several options for bedding. It is up to you which one you are comfortable handling.

#1. Anti-Pill Fleece– easier to clean and considered best by most people, especially if you are using the critter nation cage. Read more details on using fleece. Very Important!!

If you go with fleece bedding, in the litter pan/ box/ tray use:

• Yesterday’s News Unscented Recycled Paper Pellet Cat Litter or
• Back 2 Nature Small Animal Bedding or
• Disposable puppy/pee pads 

Place this Litter Pan/tray below the short-tailed opossum exercise wheel. This is mainly because she/ he will pee or poop around the wheel area.

See video of the use of fleece and litter pan:

The hedgies & opossum cages & sets

#2. Kerbl Hemp Rodent Mat, 40 x 100 x 1 cm – STOs are clean and will not just pee anywhere. They usually pee around the wheel area and corners. Therefore, in these areas, you can sprinkle some hemp chips (Dr. Hemp All Natural Pet Bedding) to lengthen the use of these mats. They can even go for a whole month without changing.

-If you go the substrate bedding way, that is you do not want to go with fleece or mats and the type of cage you have does not have a place to pour substrate, for example, the critter nation cage, you will need some . These bass pans are made by bass equipment company. You can give them your specifications/ measurements. The bass pans will give your cages a place to pour the substrate.

See video of bass pans in critter/ferret nation cage.

Bass equipment critter ferret nation cage

NOTE:

1. Whatever bedding you choose for the entire floor, choose a different one for the litter pan.
2. Mixing 2 or more beddings can have beneficial results in terms of your STOs comfort and your financial comfort.

Here are some recommended STO substrate bedding:

#3. FiberCore Eco-Bedding Natural

#4. Dr. Hemp All Natural Pet Bedding

#5. Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding (White in color) UNSCENTED or

Kaytee Clean & Cozy Natural Small Animal Bedding (Brownish in color) UNSCENTED

#6. Yesterday’s News Unscented Recycled Paper Pellet Cat Litter for the entire cage floors. This will also depend on the type of cage you go for. Your short-tailed opossum will love corners and the wheel area for the bathroom, you can scoop out these areas once you notice they are too soiled. To change the entire substrate can be after 1-2 weeks or when needed (if you notice it has become too messy). STOs are very clean. Mix this bedding with kaytee clean and cozy or throw in some toilet paper for nesting material.

Here is a video showing this substrate use:

Brazilian Short Tail Opossum gathering nesting supplies in her tail

#7. Pillow Wad Eco-Nest

#8. Fitch Paper Pet Bedding for Small Animals

#9. Boxo Comfort Small Animal Bedding

Short-tailed opossum accessories

#1. Ceramic Food dish

• Ensure they are heavy enough to prevent them from being moved around as your STO feeds.
• Alternatively, get those bowls that you attach to the cage.

We have made a summary list of great recommendations here:

 #2.Water bottle

• A short-tailed opossum water bottle is preferred to a bowl because water bowls can be messy.
• You can see some good recommendations here, but it would be wise to first read some important facts about pet water bottles, so as to get the right ones and learn some simple hacks.

#3. Strips of plain paper rolls and fleece strips  

• STOs love these as nesting material.

#4. Small perforated plastic storage baskets

• Hang the small perforated plastic storage baskets with shower c-links or zip ties.
• Before getting the baskets, check whether they can fit in your particular STO cage.
• Here’s where to get them.

#5. Litter Pan/tray

• You need about 2 or 3 litter pans.
• Place 1 litter tray under the exercise wheel, 2nd and 3rd one in all dark corners.

Here are some great recommendations

• Place Yesterday’s News Recycled Paper Pellet Cat Litter, back-2-nature or disposable pee/puppy pads in it.

• Yesterday’s News Unscented Recycled Paper Pellet Cat Litter or
• Back 2 Nature Small Animal Bedding or
• Disposable puppy/pee pads 

#6. Different climbing materials

• Remember, short-tailed opossums love to climb. Therefore, add rope ladders, wooden ladders and branches.
• You can also make levels if you want.

Here are some great examples of climbing materials.

#7. Hideaways

• Short-tailed opossums need places to hide and sleep.
• Great examples include fleece hammocks and igloos, Cubes and tents (soft), Lightweight “tent” and fleece bonding pouches.

Here are some excellent choices.

#8. Toys and Tunnels

• You can give plastic ball toys, tunnels ping pong balls, PVC tees.

Here’s where to get these items.

#9. Short-Tailed Opossum Exercise Wheel

• STOs love the exercise wheel and will most of the time be running on it and even going to the bathroom while running, so don’t fail to get him or her one.

Here are the best exercise wheels for short-tailed opossums. If you get the Carolina storm bucket wheel (CSBW), get the one with the litter tray.

Caring For Short-Tailed Opossums (What, when and How to Feed Your STO)

What can you feed your Short-Tail Opossum?

STOs are Omnivores but more of carnivores. What do they eat?

Megan (professional pet expert and nutrition consultant) from Happy Trails YouTube channel has given a well-researched account of what you should and shouldn’t feed your short-tailed opossum | rain forest opossum | Brazil short-tailed opossum.

Watch her clip and see a summary of what she has talked about below

Nutrition and feeding short-tailed opossum Brazilian short-tailed opossum rainforest opossum

Minute 5:48 Foods in bowl

• Chicken, banana, grapes, apples and cucumber
• Chicken liver, grapes, apple, peas and carrots
• Fish, papaya, blueberries and veggie baby food
• Chicken liver, fruit baby food, veggie baby food and apple
• Chicken, veggie baby food, apple and grape
• Egg, peas, cranberry, carrot and fruit baby food

4 Categories That Constitute Short-tailed Opossum Diet (What Do Short-tailed Opossums Eat?)

• Fresh Food- meat (fish, chicken breast, ground turkey), hard-boiled egg, scrambled egg, small amounts of fresh fruit (e.g. cantaloupe berries, grapes) and small amounts of fresh vegetables (if your short-tailed opossum fails to eat vegetables, blend it with some fruit-e.g. zucchini with kiwi and banana), yoghurt drops. Remember that fresh food goes bad after time and should not be left in the cage – give in the evening and remove in the morning.
• Rodents (They like Baby mice pinkies)
• Treats such as insects, meal worms and cooked eggs (You can get Freeze dried cricket/grasshoppers, super worms and dubia roaches. 1-5 bugs a day is okay.)
• Water- The importance of water to your short-tailed opossum cannot be emphasized enough!!! She or he can become dehydrated quickly. Always ensure there is enough clean water in his or her cage. Use a water bottle, you will see recommendations below.

DO NOTS

• Avoid out of the bag foods. According to Megan, dry food (kibble) is more likely to give short-tailed opossum | rain forest opossum | Brazil short-tailed opossum health problems over the course of time.
• Kibble is also one of the reasons your STO might experience hair loss.
• Do not give your STO grains, for example, rice, oats and corn. In fact, the reason why most out of the bag food (kibble), which might include dog food, cat food, ferret food and hedgehog food is bad is that it might be of low quality, meaning it has grains. This will hurt your short-tailed opossum.
• Do not give dairy products, for example, milk and cheese
• Do not give tomatoes, onions, garlic, avocados and mushrooms

How frequent should I feed my STO?

• Late evening 5pm to 12pm when they are about to wake up: 1-1 ½ tablespoon of High quality dry cat food for adults or High quality dry Kitten food for young ones. You can also give treats like insects, meal worms, eggs to supplement the cat food.
• Fresh water at all times.

• They are clean and do not really smell, however, clean their cage at least once a week or when needed.
• Females are much tidier than males. They will only use one side of the cage as a restroom.
• Males can have a musky smell, but not really noticeable.

Caring for short-tailed opossums (cleaning their cage)

#Spot Cleaning

You can spot clean daily or when needed, that is tidying up and removing soiled substrate.

#Weekly cleaning

This will depend on the cage you will have chosen and the type of bedding.

• Remove your STO and place him or her in a safe place (usually a large perforated basket that has some fleece strips or Strips of Plain paper roll, STOs travel cage or bonding pouch)
• Remove accessories and wipe them down with water and white vinegar mixed in a 50/50 ratio.
• For all cage types, the wheel has to be cleaned, not only weekly but daily or every 2 days. Be on the lookout for a dirty wheel as your STO will definitely pee and poop in the wheel area most days. You will need to place your litter tray or some bedding below the wheel.
• For fleece, you can Machine wash and either sun dry or machine dry. DO NOT use scented detergents or any kind of softeners!!! DO NOT use dryer sheets!! You can use unscented free and clear detergents like All Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & Clean. Also, add in white vinegar. You will need to have several fleece fabrics/liners/pillows to be changing out frequently. Read more about cleaning fleece here.
• In the case of substrate, you can scoop it out, wipe the cage surface with water and white vinegar mixed in a 50/50 ratio and replace with fresh bedding.

Let’s see some cleaning videos

Cleaning the Zilla Fresh Air Screen Habitat for Reptiles and Exo Terra All Glass Terrarium cages

Short Tailed Opossum cage

Aquarium Cleaning

Cleaning Aquarium 1

Cleaning Aquarium 2

Critter Nation Cage Cleaning

We could not find a video on cleaning a STO’s Critter Nation Cage, but it is very similar to how you clean the pet rat Critter Nation. See video

Cleaning Our CN Rat Cage

See organization after cleaning Critter Nation Cage for STO

Short-tailed Opossum Cage

Cleaning dirtied fleece

How to Wash Fleece Liners and Cozies

How to travel safely with your Brazilian short-tailed opossum | rain-forest opossum

• Before travelling with your STO, think of getting a pet sitter or letting a family member or friend take care of him or her.
• If you are moving house or going to the vet, get a good STO travel cage or even a bonding pouch minding the spacing of the bars.

Here are some good recommendations

If you are travelling for a short time and distance

#option 1 – Bonding pouch

• US Amazon: Bonding Carry Pouch for Sugar Gliders and Other Small Pets (Multiple Styles Available)
• Etsy: Sugar Glider Plain Color Bonding Pouch
• UK Amazon: Bonding Carry Pouch (Black) for Sugar Gliders and other small pets

#option 2 – Small short-tailed opossum travel cages 

• IRIS Animal Carrier
• IRIS Small Animal Carrier
• Catit Design Cabrio Multi-Functional Carrier System (Amazon.com)
• Catit Design Cat Cabrio Carrier Warm Flight and Airline Approved (Amazon UK)

If you are travelling for a longer distance and you will take quite some time:

• Hagen Zoozone Indoor Guinea Pig / Rabbit Cage
• Zoozone Habitat, Medium, Blue
• Zoozone Habitat, Medium, Pink

Inside the carrier

• Place strips of fleece or Strips of Plain paper roll to act as nesting material. You can also place a bonding pouch.
• For food, you can put in some freeze dried bugs, baby pinkies or dry cat food.
• Put in cucumber chops, these will be a source of water (water bottles leak as you move). Remember, STOs need to be hydrated so you can carry a water bottle but only put it up when you stop moving to prevent soaking the travel cage.
• Remember also that STOs are nocturnal and she or he may sleep throughout the journey.

If you are going on holiday get a friend or family member to look after your STO or hire a pet sitter.

If there is no one or you do not want to leave your STO with anyone or you are going to your relative’s place for a couple of days you will require to have another STO cage where you are going.

Perform health checks (once or twice a week)

What to look out for when getting or caring for a Short-tailed opossum

STO’s are pretty hardy. The only things they are affected by are dehydration, cold weather and they can have some respiratory problems so be wary of the bedding you use.

• Eyes, ears and nose– look for discharge, crusty eyes and running nose or eyes. Look inside their ears to make sure they are clean and no fleas or parasites are in there. Eyes should be clear and bright.
• Fur- They should not have hair loss, no bald patches.
• Respiratory health– Check how they are breathing. You should not see any wheezing or heaving. A healthy short-tailed opossum will breath lightly, barely noticeable.
• Mouth– You should not see any drooling. Gums should be pink and there should be no odor from the mouth. Swollen mouth is a problem and so is difficulty in eating.
• Teeth– Check if there are broken or missing teeth. Teeth should be well aligned.
• Behaviors– Inactivity/lethargy is a problem (they should be active and explorative). Loss of appetite and weight is also a problem. Limps are also not good. Tilting of the head is also a problem, so is paralysis, agitation, seizures, jerking and circling.
• Weight– Check your STO’s weight weekly to make sure it is not dropping rapidly.
• Body- Check for lumps and cysts as well.
• Tail– It should be long, cylindrical and thick at the base tapering to a point.
• Feet-You should look out for inflammation and sores
• Anal and genital area- should not be bloody, should not have any discharge, should not have faeces stuck to the fur. Check for abnormal droppings in the cage.

Vet

Try and get a short-tailed opossum savvy vet not just a random one. (See a vet once or twice a year or when you notice something wrong with your STO)