Update 19th July 2016

Sasha, Farley, Wasabi and Ruby have been visiting fairly regularly. Maple has been seen a couple of times, and Toto has also visited a few times recently. Flynn hasn't been seen for a considerable time and has probably left the area. It's a very dangerous time for young possums when they leave to find their own homes and I wish him all the best.

Farley - 16^th July 2016

Farley has been picking up a few pluckings and scratches, which is normal for him. Luckily there hasn't been any sign of infection.

Wasabi - 8^th July 2016

Wasabi had his face swell up a second time (the photo above is after it got better, I don't have any good photos of it in the swollen state). Like last time, this happened after there had been high winds. I wonder if he's sleeping in a dangerous location and subject to getting knocked around in bad weather. Fortunately - also like last time - this swelling quickly went down.

On another occasion his abdomen appeared a little swollen, but this too looked normal the next time he visited.

The swollen abdomen was a little worrying because it's a symptom of Caecal Stasis. Caecal Stasis generally only affects very young ringtails and is linked to being fed an improper diet and/or antibiotics when in care. It's therefore unlikely that Wasabi would be suffering from this, however it's something that's difficult to treat and usually fatal, so it's worth being cautious and keeping a careful eye on him.

Wasabi's fur has also been looking a little uneven. There doesn't seem to be any sign of mites or any particular injuries, but he was treated with Ivermectin just to be sure. It's fairly harmless stuff and we had plenty left over from when he was in hospital.

Needless to say, Wasabi has been his usual cheerful, friendly self at all times despite his mishaps.

Ruby - 16^th July 2016

Ruby was seen with a large patch of fur missing from her back. She was wet from rain in the photo above which makes it look a little worse than it is. The fur looked more like it had been plucked out (possibly by Sasha who has been known to bite other possums when then get in her way) than the result of mites, but she was also treated with Ivermectin. It's possible the she and Wasabi may be sharing the same drey and if so, it's better to treat both of them.

Toto - 18^th July 2016 [Photo by Xesce]

Toto is currently sleeping in the ceiling space. At the moment, she is pretty safe there because Sasha is far too big with a baby in the pouch to go in after her. In fact, one time recently, Sasha had to back out of Box 2 after getting half way in and being unable to go any further.

Toto rarely visits and is often chased away by Sasha when she does (hence her nervous expression in the photo), but at least she is in good condition. She is smart and agile enough to evade fights with the larger Sasha, despite sharing the same territory.

Sasha - 18^th July 2016

Sasha is starting to get weighed down by her latest baby (who featured in the previous blog entry). Soon, there will be hands and feet of the little one protruding from Sasha's pouch when she visits.