Basic Care & Requirements
The short tailed opossum or STO is a small grey nocturnal marsupial without a pouch and prehensile tail,There geographical distribution is mainly Brazil but they are also found in Bolivia,Paraguay and Chile with a life span of 4+ years in captivity.
The STO lives closely to humans in there native countries where they are referred to as "cachita" and considered to be good look,They are encouraged by most people due to the fact they eat many pests including insects,rodents and scorpions
Housing
A good secure enclosure is a muct as they are well adapt climbers and escape artists,either a wire mesh cage (not wider than 1/2"x1/2") a aquarium or terrarium are all suitable to house a STO,The temperature should be regulated anywhere in the range of 70 - 85 degrees Fahrenheit (21 - 29 degrees Celsius) with a humidity of around 40% - 60%, A humidity of lower than 40% may lead to dry,cracked ears and tails,
placement of the cage is important it should be in a warm area out of drafts and anything else that may cause cause stress and out of direct sunlight or any uv lighting you may have, This is important as STO's a susceptible to skin cancer
A nest and soft bedding should also be provided, I find strips of paper towel and a small amount of cloth to work best, They should also have access to a wheel, A 8" one is probably the best to use,
Diet
Handling
Short tailed opossums require bonding with to make the best pets, This can be done in several ways from from placing items of your clothing in there cage to a bonding pouches, Once they have bonded they love attention and will come running when you enter there cage to get some out of cage time, mine love to run about my shoulders and snooze in my pockets, If you have the required time to put in they make excellent pets
Sexing
sexing short tailed opossums is an easy task as the male have distinct furry testicles and the female has a circle of nipples
male female
