This little cutie was found wandering alone , with mum no where to be seen.
A Ringtail Possum Joey, which weighed only 72grams. It was transported to an emergency carer, where it will be assessed and rehomed with a carer, until it hopefully reaches a stage where it can be released back into the wild.
Ringtails are not endangered, but a seen much less than their bigger cousins the Brushtail Possum.
What a sweetie
How old would it be? I hope that it grows up to be a lovely strong possum
It's a generalisation to say that Ringtails are less seen than Brushtails. I see Ringtail Possums all the time in Katoomba. In my street I've only occassionally see the 2 resident Brushtails but at least 6 Ringtails. I think there's actually 2 groups at each end of the street.
Oh bless, you surely can't get much cuter than that. So lucky to have been found and placed with carers like yourself Dale. Hope it grows into a beautiful strong and healthy adult one day. Just so precious.
West Coast Tasmania
Hi Elsie, based on the link below, it would be about 115 days (60-80 grams). It would be emerging from the pouch, we refer to them as "jockeys" at this time. They are at risk of being thrown off if mum becomes frightened and tries to get away quickly, or becomes injured. In Tasmania you need a permit to keep a Ringtail in captivity, and be registered as a carer. I am a registered carer, but specialise in reptiles. I believe Ringtails are difficult to raise and are usually given only to "expert" carers with many years experience. This increases the chance of survival. Thanks for looking.
http://www.wildliferescuemagazine.com/ringtail-possum.html
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Hi Owl of Kedumba, I believe Ringtails are more common in some states of the mainland. I would gladly swap a hundred brush tails for ten Ringtails, as Brushies are in plague proportions in some areas of Tassie. Thanks all.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I feel for you there dwatsonbb!
Ringies in Victoria are reasonably easy to raise although the shock component is always present. Many carers have 30 plus ringies at a time during breeding season which has been greatly extended this year due to a false breeding weather pattern But in contrast to that article they are not as solitary as indicated - we find them in family groups of dad, mum and babies - the male will banish teenage males in sometimes a violent and fatal manner but daughters are considered part of the harem until space is a premium.
Brushy males are solitary here and are more territorial so are not as prevalent but the female spends around 10 mnths to a year raising her joey with female joeys staying longer than the males. Animal populations will normalise and fit the environment without human intervention but as Brushies are prone to inhabiting the roof space of human dwellings (where they can find access) their environment then becomes larger than it would otherwise be.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Thanks Alison, interesting the differences between the states. We certainly are overrun with Brushtails, and I think they have impacted on our Ringtail presence. I have only seen a handful of Ringtails in the wild, and always solitary (apart from mum and Joey). Because we see much fewer Ringtails, they are always given to experienced carers. September and October are considered "Joey Season", as we get far more at this time. The emergency carers who get almost all Joeys (Southern Tasmania) for initial assessment and care, until considered stable enough to move on, told me they had 118 joeys in six weeks, with 20 arriving in a single day. Mostly so far they are Bennetts Wallaby and Brushtail Possums. Pademelons don't start appearing en mass until early to mid October. We see joeys all through the year, but this time of year sees an increase. This month I have had a couple of days with 3 joeys/day (2 Bennetts, 2 Brushtails, 1 Ringtail and a Pademelon). Of course, these are only the ones reported, I am sure many more are left to die on the roadside.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I lIve in Tassie and several years ago I spotted a Raven attacking something on the side of the road near Golden Valley. I pulled up and walked towards the raven which flew away when I got close enough a baby ringtail jumped in my arms! It was so cute and so trusting, I gave him to a local carer who had a small colony of ringtails and when he was able he joined the colony and did very well