Possums carry a disease called bovine Tb (tuberculosis) which they spread to cattle. Is it “possum or opossum?” That’s always a point of confusion. The most common number of baby possums in a litter was 8-10. Do not attempt to hydrate or feed it. Depends on the location, ringtail possums have varied diet. N.B. Contrary to popular belief, a group of possums is not called a "passel". The New Zealand Government spends over $110 million per year on possum control. The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox", previously in the genus Phalangista) is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia, and the second-largest of the possums. They particularly like young new plant shoots and unfortunately are drawn to domestic gardens. Female opossums often give birth to very large numbers of young, most of which fail to attach to a teat, although as many as thirteen young can attach, and therefore survive, depending on species. [citation needed] Thus, possums eat the skeletal remains of rodents and roadkill animals. Any opossum baby found wandering without its mother should be taken into rehabilitation. Helping a baby possum. Common ringtail possums like to eat eucalyptus leaves, flowers, and fruits. The New Zealand Government spends over $110 million* per year on possum control. Always look around to try to find the baby’s mother. Have you ever stood by and watched helplessly as pesky possums make a meal of your roses and budding fruit? They also eat pasture so there is less food for farm animals. It is very easy to aspirate a baby, which can be fatal. Other possum predators are dogs, feral cats, raccoons, bobcats, Rufous Owl, Spotted-tailed Quoll, raptors, great horned owls, and snakes not to mention humans. Australian Possum Species: Common Brushtail Possum Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecular) has adapted to different habitats like eastern eucalypt forests, tropical rainforests of northern Australia, and the karri forests of South-western WA. When it is warm and you feel it's time to eat, feed it a little Gatorade first, this … Snakes and pythons also eat possums. Possums live in the trees and occasionally come down to the ground to look for food. The ringtail possum diet consists primarily of eucalyptus leaves. Much like koalas, the ringtail possum has a specialised stomach that allows them to digest eucalyptus leaves. Many possums are killed by vehicles every year. Your fruit trees are the same. It is a common occurrence for joeys to be brought into the veterinary clinic. If you live in Australia then you already know that there are plenty of possums in the […] Possums also help maintain the population of rats and cockroaches, because they all compete for the same food. What can you do? Both kinds of possum may live in our roof if they can’t find suitable homes in trees. When a baby possum is found alone, most of the time it is because they lost their grip from their mother. If baby is cold to the touch when you receive it, do not try to feed it; the body has shut down and it cannot digest food. They prefer forests, woodlands, rainforests and shrublands but with habitat loss are increasingly moving into urban areas.