xesce: comments: possum tv 2012

The Possum TV site is still retired. Footage of nestboxes appears on GK's Possum TV Live site. GK also has a Possum TV blog and a channel on YouTube, where all of the old possum clips, and many new ones, can be found. GK is working on additions to his possum site, which now include bios of various possums and will eventually include individual galleries. He has also acquired a Facebook page in the name of Possum TV, but aside from a few photos, he is at present just squatting there.

So far this year I have only a few brief comments. I may add more later, but most of the possum news better fits GK's sites. This page was updated 18/09/12.

[The photos on this page were taken by me.]

Švejk

Švejk is now about 6 years old. He is looking good.

Kiki and Flea

Kiki is quite a character. She's also a very good mother possum. She is now 4 1/2 years old, and has had 7 babies.

Flea

Flea is Kiki's 6th baby, and is a female. She has a pronounced bit of white on the tip of her tail. When she was still in the pouch, there was a lot of movement in there, so much that at times it seemed that Kiki would hold on to a branch for support. When Flea came out, she was very hyperactive, and would leap about and climb all over Kiki constantly. She also would sometimes just leap or fall into nestboxes.

Marlon

Marlon is an adult male who has been in the area for about a year. As he gets older, he begins to acquire a bit of the reddish colouring that Švejk has. When he started to get red, a similarity to Švejk was noticeable. It is possible that Marlon is one of Švejk's offspring.

Marlon is probably the most shy of the brushtails I've met. I got to know him while treating him for an infection, but after the infection was cleared up, he went back to being cautious about approaching. He's shy, but seems noticeably happier than when first spotted.

Gumdrop

Gumdrop and possibly one of her babies (Lychee or Wasabi) was attacked and eaten by a carpet python in February 2012. The python entered the nestbox in which Gumdrop and her baby were sleeping, struck quickly and began constricting. It then dragged at least one body out of the nestbox, probably to the ground where it could swallow. Then, the python returned to the box to digest its meal. This was the first evidence of a possum being killed by a python, although pythons have been in the area all along.

Gumdrop was a very friendly and cheerful little possum. I had had more contact with her than any other ringtail. She is very much missed.

Wasabi made contact a while after, so either he survived the attack, or was not the possum in the nestbox with Gumdrop when the attack occurred.

Kiki and Flea

This photo was taken earlier in the year. Flea is a lot bigger now and has her first baby in the pouch.

Pinot

A Mystery Possum had been spotted earlier in the year. At first, he checked out some nestboxes, and then slept in box 2. This was a bit nerve-wracking, as Gumdrop was attacked in box 2, and there was always the worry that the python (Grendel) would strike again.

A few years ago, on a very hot day Queek was in box 2 and must have been aware that a python was in a tree nearby. It had been thought that he was looking out of the box because he was having trouble sleeping in the heat, but maybe he was actually keeping an eye on the python. If a brushtail is in the entry hole, it could possibly use its claws and teeth to keep a snake out, and also block the hole with its body.

The Mystery Possum had some markings that were similar to Piranha's, but it was eventually evident that this possum was not Piranha. The new possum was named Pinot.

Pinot is very assertive and persistent, not very shy. He seems to have scentmarked himself more than most possums do such that much of his fur is stained and I have wondered if this is similar to how some people are more likely to douse themselves in cologne than others. Pinot is very sexually successful, or perhaps something of an exhibitionist. In more than 7 years I had never seen any possums mating (although plenty of babies kept arriving). Pinot is the first observed and photographed in the act: 1. with the young Flea, and 2. with Kiki. He seems to be adaptable: with Flea he was gentle and the two of them were fairly quiet, but when it came to Kiki he very aggressively pinned her down and the pair of them made a hell of a lot of noise (which went on for a very long time).

Wasabi

Wasabi is a regular visitor, which is extremely rare here when it comes to male ringtails. Another unusual thing is that he likes banana, whereas the other ringtails I've met have refused it.

Like his mother Gumdrop, he has a very amiable personality.

Wesley

Wesley is another new young male in the area, considerably more shy than Pinot, but still fairly persistent. Actually, I think anxious is more of an accurate description than shy. It took him a while to get the hang of taking food (he would come forward but not sink his teeth in and would have to try again a few times). Once he overcame his fear he became a regular visitor. He often comes back several times in one evening, although he is only fed once. He seems to like to wander around the house a bit. He still looks pretty young, but is developing rufous colouring.

Kiki and Nosferatu

Kiki's 7th baby has a completely black tail and has been named Nosferatu. Kiki shows her teeth more than other possums, and in one of the first photos of Nosferatu, little fangs were visible, which is unusual for the babies here. As of 18/09/12, Nosferatu has not been some time.

Flea

Flea on the roof in August 2012.

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possum tv 2012
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Note: I receive both antibiotics and advice from a vet who has extensive experience treating wildlife - Dr Jim Pollock.