‘Possum pilling

I went around turning lights on this AM and checking on all our indoor animals, and stopped in the opossum exhibit, where Sonny and Cher live, to give them their meatballs.   They get some fatty acid and cosequin supplements daily, and we get them to eat it in a little bit of canned cat food,  sardines, eggs, or bread. They are usually ready and waiting when you open the door! To my surprise, Sonny, who doesn’t do a whole lotRead more

Big Word of the Month: Marsupial

The next time you are strolling through Carolina Wildlife and pass Sonny and Cher opossum, stop to appreciate what a rare beast you are viewing. Pshaw! you protest, it seems you can’t drive 2 miles in North Carolina without seeing a deceased opossum by the road. Although very numerous as individuals, the Virginia opossum is a taxonomic rarity. Didelphis virginiana is in fact the only species of marsupial that exists north of the Rio Grande river. Originally found in theRead more
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In Memory of Beaker

A while back Marilyn did a post about our off-exhibit opossum, Beaker. Beaker can also be seen enthusiastically eating a pumpkin as part of the pumpkin montage. Sadly, Beaker was an old opossum (he was 3, which is about as old as they get in captivity), and on Sunday when our vet was here he had a seizure and had to be euthanized. He had been showing signs of going downhill for that last couple of months, so while thisRead more
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QuikPost: Enrichment serving its purpose!

I just wanted to share some photos of our opossums making good use of their enrichment. This is Sonny and Cher, our Carolina Wildlife opossums that live together on exhibit. As you can see, they like to sleep together, whether it be in an old tree trunk, a hammock, or a shoe box. You may only be able to see one face peaking out of the shoe box, but both of them were in there. It was kind of funnyRead more

Creature Feature: Cher the opossum

This beautiful opossum is Cher! She lives on exhibit with her brother, Sonny, in Carolina Wildlife. In the picture above, she was in a tub of random enrichment items that was on the support hall. She had climbed into it during her exercise time while her exhibit was being cleaned. Cher (along with her brother, Sonny) was born in March of 2009 and arrived at the museum in late April. Both of the opossums were found motherless when they wereRead more