Possum Help!! (feeding)

[Rhapsody]

Was needing a little advice with Ruby the Possum on her feeding.....

Ruby is about 2 month old and eating her Fox Valley good, but she really isn't taking to other foods to well....
all I can really get her to eat is applesauce and a few bites of chopped banana's every once while.

Any suggestions on what I should try to introduce for her to eat?

:thankyou

[pappy1264]

Are you giving her yogurt? What does she weigh? Blueberries were a fav with my guys (they would not touch bananas or grapes, although I have heard grapes are usually a hit with them. Tiny pieces for all but the grapes, which I just cut in half.)

[lilidukes]

We make a slop made with canned cat food, yogurt, fox valley, chopped grapes, apples and bananas. Mix well and stick possies front feet in this nasty stuff. They love this icky mess:shakehead

[Gina]

We make a slop made with canned cat food, yogurt, fox valley, chopped grapes, apples and bananas. Mix well and stick possies front feet in this nasty stuff. They love this icky mess:shakehead

I am going to try this!

[Gina]

If you are interested I can PM you a recipe that the rehabber I am working under gave to me. It is a mixture of formula, soaked puppy/kitten chow, yogurt, baby food meat, ground*possum diet, insectivore, bugs&berries,eggs, & cuttlebone. You make a big batch and can freeze. She advised me that possums are very prone to MBD and diet is really important.

This "possum porrige" is started once they are starting to wean from formula-yours sounds just the right age.

Healthy snacks in between meals are great too.
Mine LOVE Yo Baby organic yogurt that has the fruit & veggie on bottom.
Their favorite baby foods are the fruits & desserts.

*can order at www.squirrelsandmore.com

[pappy1264]

Can you post the link for the possum diet? I just looked and couldn't find it on Chris' site (although did find adorable possum fabric I have to order...lol) (And could you send the recipe, please?) Thank you!

[Gina]

Can you post the link for the possum diet? I just looked and couldn't find it on Chris' site (although did find adorable possum fabric I have to order...lol) (And could you send the recipe, please?) Thank you!

Sorry, I quoted wrong website...you can get esbilac or fox valley at squirrels&more the correct site is:
www.exoticnutrition.com
for dried insect, berry food & possum diet

I got this recipe from a local rehabber who has done rescues for 35+ years.

Base Recipe-

1 1/2 cups Esbilac / 4 cups of water
1 Jar Gerber meat baby cereal (strained turkey, chicken, or beef)
1 Jar Gerber mixed fruit yogurt baby cereal
1 Tablespoon Cuttlebone (ground)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Vionate Vitamins (can get at feedstore or Petco)
2 Tablespoons Insectivore -Fare (ground)
2 Tablespoons Berries & Bugs (ground)
2 Tablespoons possum diet (ground)
1/4 cup puppy/kitten food (soaked)

I mix all my dry in one bowl and all the wet in another then combine the two before adding water. I use very warm/hot water, adding slowly, using an egg beater to combine everything.

I use 3 ice cube trays then dump all in a ziplock freezer baggie once frozen. This makes servings easier - 2-4 cubes per serving depending on size/appitite of your possie.

I was advised to start with all porridge (once weaned from formula)
Add more puppy chow
Wean to all puppy chow
Supplement with fruit/veggies/yogurt

PS- I use foxvalley

[pappy1264]

Never saw that before. Since my guys are very close to release (and they HATE soaked cat food....would never eat it....will only eat canned) I wonder if they will eat it (they are long since weaned). Thanks for posting it, as even if I don't use it at this point, will keep it for future reference!

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

What I do with my guys is give them yogurt and grapes first. Mine always love both and eat it well. I also get them lapping their formula from a bowl. Once they are drinking all their formula from the dish and not getting tubed, and are eating the yogurt and grapes, I start them on a regular diet. My guys regular diet is:

Bil-Jac (it's a frozen dog food that is moist and high protein, it easilly breaks into little pieces and is soft- my guys love it) When they are in the prerelease cage I switch Bil-Jac with hard cat food.

Hard-boiled egg (with the shell on for calcium)

Grapes- cut in half

Fruits and veggies (diced at first and then gradually increasing the size of the pieces as the babies grow):

Banana
apple
strawberry
orange(they don't really like them, but if I have it for the squirrels, they get some and will sometimes eat it)
Sweet potato
carrot
broccoli
clover or dandelion (be sure to pick in an untreated area)
Cucumber


Their diet should be about 70% the high protein stuff (yogurt, hard boiled egg and bil-jac or cat food), 10% fruits, and 20% vegetables

I never mix formula into their regular food, I let them lap it from a bowl at feeding time then take it away. That seems to get them to drink it better and it doesn't spoil that way either.

[Rescue04]

i start with stage one baby food. i add the formula to it and the possums love it. i starte with fruits and slowing add some veggies. they seem to love the sweet potatoes.....make sure if you are giving them solid foods....cut them up really small. also wet cat food they seem to love. plain yogurt is fine...just watch how much you give them. i currently have nine possums. if you have any questions just email me.

[pappy1264]

Mine would live on strawberry yogurt alone if I let em'! lol But they eat well and are really doing good eating pinkies, too. I do leave dry cat food out, but they have never eaten it! Will have to try to weigh them (have to find a box they will fit in first...lol), but the biggest is the size of a very big full grown ferret! They are still nice to me (will bite on my hands, but more like 'mouthing', never biting down. Only time they did that was the day they were really hot!!! Hey, guess they were grumpy, but can't blame them, it was BAD!!!) Waiting for Apple, the smallest to get a little bigger. he has always been a good bit smaller then the others, (he is good size would like him to grow some more before releasing.) Took new pics, but have to download. Will put them up later.

[Rhapsody]

Sorry GUYS that I'm late to my own party - lol - spent the day taking my dear mother to doctors and wound care for an infected leg
that is two months old (6 looooooong hrs) - Can we say I was finally GLAD to be HOME and in MY OWN BED by 9 PM...... :tilt

Any Hoo ---I have tried all these foods and she HATES them ALL (except FV)

blueberries
wet cat food
dry cat food
soaked car food
banana slices
sliced soft vegetables
kiwi slices / oranges
full fat vanilla yogurt
fresh sliced apples
soaked rodent block
mixed: cat food, yogurt, veggies
*applesauce (depending on her mood)

______


I am willing to try the Possum Mix that was graciously provided here as I want to make sure
this little one will eat other foods so she can grow up healthy and be released ...... :Love_Icon

BTW --I have read they eat worms and insects. When can I introduce these critters into her diet? - now?

[Rhapsody]

i start with stage one baby food. i add the formula to it and the possums love it.Do you mix these two together and place it on a plate for them to eat it? --Ruby is finally licking her FV up off the plate..... :alright.gif :alright.gif

and..... when say stage one ---is that fruit ONLY? - then giving them veggies later on, but only after they have taken to the fruit..... I want to make sure I get this right.

:thankyou

[Rescue04]

ok, we mix the two together in a plate yes. I see alot of poeple posting up about fruits - too much fruit will hurt them and quickly.

We try to stick to the veggies, sweet potatoes, peas, ect. as they get older we introduce protiens and catfood. el usually starts with the wet pouch or can, the puree style - not the chunky. you can soak the cat food in formula & mix with yogurt - that works well too.

It is best to make your on food if possible, frozen veggies are usually good to start with. As they get older you can introduce raw meat, crickets, mealworms (live), baby chicks - this is what they will get in the wild.

Alphalpha sprouts, mushrooms, pine cones, eggs - right before release (cooked while young then raw before release). If you want a good comedy hour toss in a whole raw egg......yea..good times there!

Sometimes we give the left overs from dinner, not much but just gives them a diverse food base. They are not called mother natures garbage disposals for nothing!

[Rhapsody]

Thanks...... I mixed some applesauce up with the FV (since she already likes it) and she ate it like there was no tomorrow.
I am going to Walmart on Sunday and I will make sure I pick up some Stage 1 vegetables and fruits.

:thumbsup :thumbsup :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :thumbsup :thumbsup

[pappy1264]

If she is younger, she may just not be ready. My guys took a while, yogurt was the first thing they would lap out of a dish (I actually mixed their formula and strawberry yogurt together....THEY LOVED IT!!!! They would not lap just formula from a dish, though....which is why I tried mixing it with the yogurt....ta-da---they ate all their fv! Might want to try that.

[Gina]

We roasted a turkey yesterday and my possies loved, loved, loved the scraps. Baby Stosha's primary diet is still the "possum porridge". She is so cute...has to test new things by licking it off my fingers. I guess to make sure it is safe:rotfl

I have an older possum, Opie, who has neuro issues. I am going to give him a boiled egg today. I need to extend his food choices. He loves his porridge but needs to more "chewy/crunchy" foods.

:wave123 Loving all these new food ideas

145116
I got Stosha from Jackie in Tampa. She was found on the side of a highway

145117
Opie was found on the side of a residential road. It appears he was hit/grazed by a car. His broken arm has healed and the abraisions on his head, neck, & chest are all gone now. He still drags his left back leg and may have permanent neuro damage but we are giving him all the time he needs to get well.

[pappy1264]

They are bot adorable, but my goodness, that pic of Stosha....where was the 'cute overload' alert??? lol

[gs1]

Opie and Stosha omg ... clunk!!!!


:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[Rhapsody]

STOSHA........ is the BOMB!! :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon (to CUTE to CUTE to CUTE) * (Blinded BY Cuteness)

[Rescue04]

Thanks...... I mixed some applesauce up with the FV (since she already likes it) and she ate it like there was no tomorrow.
I am going to Walmart on Sunday and I will make sure I pick up some Stage 1 vegetables and fruits.

:thumbsup :thumbsup :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :thumbsup :thumbsup
glad she took to it...sometimes they have to convinced to try new foods. mixing it with the formula helps.

[Rhapsody]

Ruby fighting me for her food..... the Good Stuff --Fox Valley (yum yum). :D

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Possum/Feeding001.jpg

[Rhapsody]

Little Girl "RUBY" is starting to FILL OUT & GROW UP even though she still mainly insist on eating her Fox Valley as her STAPLE....... :)
Ruby is eating some Stage 1 Baby Food as suggested (mostly fruit with some meats mixed in with her formula) - :thumbsup :thumbsup

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/Rhapsody_1/Possum/GrowingAug2011.jpg