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Born: |
Spring 2005 |
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Male |
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Indiana came to the centre from a person in the United States that was breeding Opossums for household pets. Indiana was being fed wet cat food and has developed Metabolic Bone Disease, this disease is caused by improper nutrition. As a result of this disease his right ankle has become twisted, and although it looks painful, it is not. Indiana is now receiving a well balanced diet, specific to opossums, that we hope has stopped the progression of his disease. Indiana is the perfect example as to why wild animals do not belong in our homes and do in fact belong out in the wild in their natural habitats. He will spend the rest of his life here at the Muskoka Wildlife Centre educating people about this unusual animal. |
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This nocturnal animal leads an extremely opportunistic lifestyle. They will eat whatever is available; carrion forms a large part of their diet, along with small mammals, insects, frogs, birds, eggs, fruits and vegetables. The opossum prefers areas with cover, whether it is woodlands, farming areas or urban centers. When in search of a den site opossums are not picky, because they are unable to dig they rely on the abandoned dens of other animals, brush piles or even open buildings. |
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One of the most common causes of mortality here in Ontario is our cold winters; opossums are only recent residents to Canada and are not built for our extreme weather. Because of their taste for road kill (carrion), many opossums are killed by automobiles. Natural predators of the opossum include domestic dogs, coyote, bobcat, fox, raccoon and birds of prey. This solitary animal will breed in early spring and have a litter of 1-14 young. The new opossums are born 13 days later. At birth the young are the size of a kidney bean and are blind and extremely underdeveloped. They crawl up the mother and find their way into her fur-lined pouch where they continue to develop. After 60 days they start to venture outside the mothers pouch and will cling onto their mothers back. Another 30-40 days will pass before the young are ready to be weaned and eat solid food. Two to three months after weaning the young disperse and begin their solitary lives. |
