Quick update after having had this little fella for nearly two weeks now. Well he's FAT! He's a total pig, he eats twice as much as he should be and he's developing lovely little chubby cheeks. He sees me coming now and run and jumps into my hands.

 

Then:

 

Now:

 

Very cute, must be like having another child

Yeah except this one doesn't scream at me and throw it's toys

Sounds like my kind of child, where can I get a trade in!?

hahaha, Yeah i will trade 2 for the price of 1

 

Your little possum is adorable

there should be a warnng of "cuteness factor" overkill that is just too adorable.

You're all lucky you do not see him in person cause he is cuter then the pictures look!

I bet I am the forunate one out of reach, a different country, oceans between us thank GOODNESS....

Mmmm tuberculosis

Mmmm tuberculosis

 

 

huh?

Possums in New Zealand are a major disease vector for tuberculosis, infecting cows, deer and humans that they come in contact with. Thus when they infect cows they doubly infect anyone working with cows. Apparently Australia does not have tuberculosis in their wild possum population. Over here we sorta think of them as disease-ridden animals = equal to rats but more disease ridden. We also don't like them cause they eat our native birds. They are kinda cute, but I've heard horror stories about panicked ones climbing up people's legs and faces and shredding them as they go.

One cool fact that you guys would probably like. Possums here graze on grass like cows and then go hide in the trees during the day.

 

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (in cows) which is zoonotic (meaning it can cross species) and is spread by inhalation of aerosols and saliva (I think) or ingestion of infected milk (and faeces?). It usually sets up base in the lungs where granulomas form. The bacteria invade immune cells and thus can never be eradicated from the body, so the way the body reacts is to wall them off in granulomas. If you get stressed or your immune system is compromised the bacteria can escape from the granuloma and set up new infection. Once you are infected you are infected for life. Every country has tuberculosis and about 1/3 of the whole population is currently infected. But they may not be showing signs because their immune system is covering it up. Once they get stressed (bad stress, stress from sickness, ill health etc, not everyday stress) or immunocompromised they can get reinfected. This goes the same for those who are vaccinated. Vaccinated people carry the vaccine form of the disease which acts the same as the wild form but is not as dangerous. It only really becomes a problem when they are immunocompromised, like have AIDS or something.

Possums make eradication of the disease difficult because they act as a reservoir. If we did manage to get rid of all infected cows, then the possums would come down to the pasture and reinfect the cows.

 

(To people who don't know, Aussies introduced the brushtail possum into New Zealand where it's population has grown to huge numbers (70 million) and eats our forests and native birds, not to mention infecting us and our livestock - so now you can see why we don't like em lol )

 

Sorry that went waaaaaaaaaaay off topic, but she did ask.

You don't have to read that, I like to write it because it helps me study.

Edited July 18, 200816 yr by Sailorwolf

very interesting SW. I never knew these cute little things could be so "feral" elsewhere.

Thanks for sharing

Edited July 18, 200816 yr by **Liv**

That's okay, was a little worried I might offend.

When I went to NZ there were shops selling possum fur items including bedspreads! If it wasn't for the fact that I don't know whether I would have got it back to aus (doubtful) I would have bought one, it would have been very luxurious to sleep under. I love possums and I don't condone the breeding of animals specifically for skins but I have no issue with making use of the furs of feral animals which are being killed anyway.

LOL SW we traded you Possums for Russle Crowe

And both scream at the top of their lungs so it's a fair trade

Only one throws phones though

I dunno Libby, have you met a NZ brushtail!?

Haha no, but by the sound of their diseases i don't want to LOL!

Gorgeous oh so cute pics What a little darling

This takes me back to when I used to handraise baby wallabies in Tasmania when I lived there. Some of my babies were hairless when brought to me and began the size of walnuts and I raised them successfully and some even went back to the "wild" in the end. I loved it...so rewarding. I may well start doing it again now that I work from home and have that kind of timeframe to do so.

Haha and you can keep Russell Crowe too.

Yea for some reason we got really scary versions of your possums, like they were mutated by radiation or something or got crossed with Tazzy Devils.

 

The fur made from possums is made from possums that had to be killed in order to reduce their numbers. So every time you buy a NZ possum fur, you are saving our environment.

I had the chance of raising a baby possum, but the farmer took it out of my hands and killed it. I don't know what I would have done with a possum anyway. Vets can't treat them (apart from euthanasia) and you have to have a license to keep one. Cute though.

 

Not al of the possums carry TB, it's just like any disease in any animal in any country. We get to learn about lots of diseases and where they come from and fortunately NZ because of its isolation has very few. Australia on the other hand.... lol Just kidding, Or am I????? he he

Edited July 18, 200816 yr by Sailorwolf

He is very cute :hap:

The possum is so cute. We get them in at work all the time and the career that collects them is so dedicated.

:hap: SW

Hope so - Cause your just a hop, skip and a jump away