Choosing Your Short-Tailed Opossum
By Molly Kalafut
This article offers suggestions for people looking to buy or find a short-tailed opossum, issues to consider in shipping, questions to ask when receiving a STO, and how to choose a pet store or breeder.
- Choosing a STO in Person
- Shipping STO
- Questions To Ask
- Choosing a Pet Store or Breeder
- Tell Me Your STO Story
Choosing a STO in Person
My main suggestion in choosing a short-tailed opossum is finding one in person if possible. If you've never seen a STO before it can be valuable to hold and play with them before deciding to purchase one. They may not be what you expected or you may find them charming. If you can choose one out of a litter it is valuable to see and hold them, find out how social or curious they are, and make sure they are in good health.
If you can choose your short-tailed opossum in person, look for:
- Alert, outgoing, curious (though even tame STO may be nervous around strangers)
- Clear eyes, not cloudy or watery
- Clear nose, not dripping or sneezing
- No audible "clicking" noises when breathing which can signal respiratory illness
- Ask if the STO has been handled/tamed
- Healthy conditions - is the cage dirty? Do they have a nest box or hiding places? Is their environment noisy and stressful for them? How long has the STO been in that environment? STO kept in stressful environments may be harder to tame
- Knowledge about STO - Does the breeder or pet store staff seem knowledgeable about the STO and their care? Do they have adequate access to food and drink? Does the breeder or store care enough about their welfare to feed them fruit and insects or do they just dump dry food in a dish for them?
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Shipping STO
Finding a short-tailed opossum in person isn't always possible. There may not be STO breeders or pet stores near you. You may want a particular color variation unavailable in your area, or want to buy a STO not closely related to your current STO for breeding.
If you can't choose your short-tailed opossum in person and need to find a breeder for shipping, look for:
- Knowledgeable and caring breeder
- USDA licensing – their care and facility had to pass rigorous testing
- Think twice about a breeder or store that suggests illegal shipping methods (US Mail, UPS or Fed-Ex). It may be cheaper, but it's illegal and far more stressful for the poor creatures. The journey is 24+ hours and rough/bumpy conditions compared to 4 hours for an airline.
- Consider asking for references of other STO owners who have purchased from the breeder or store. Contact them and ask about their experience.
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Questions To Ask
If you can, these questions will help make the transition more comfortable for you and your new pet.
Questions to ask of a breeder/pet store staff (especially if a baby STO):
- How old are they? This is important for getting vet care later, knowing if they are weaned, when they will be full grown and when they reach sexual maturity.
- How long has the breeder/store had the STO? STO kept in pet stores for a long time may be more stressed out, or conversely if they've been handled frequently by the breeder or pet store may be more friendly.
- If a baby, how long has the opossum been weaned? On what kind of food? This lets you know if you need to help soften their food until they're fully weaned and if you'll need to help them learn to use a water bottle.
- What kind of food is the STO used to? Providing the food they're used to helps transition them to their new home. Young STO in particular may be reluctant to try new foods and so it is good to have some they are used to.
- Do they have any care/information sheets available? Many caring breeders and stores provide information about the animals to help the owner provide the best care.
- Do they offer to sell any books, booklets or information on them? Some breeders and owners even offer STO literature at a discount if you buy one from them.
- Can they include some of the opossum's bedding and normal food when bundling up for transport? The STO might feel calmer about the transition with familiar smells.
Questions to ask the previous owner if you're receiving an adult STO:
- Does the owner know the approximate age? This is important for getting vet care later or breeding.
- Where did the owner receive the STO from? You can perhaps contact the original owners if you have questions later.
- What foods are preferred? This can save you a lot of trial and error, plus make the STO happier in his new home.
- What are the STO's normal activity and sleeping habits? This helps you get an idea of what their normal routine is like.
- What kind of toys are used, and how? The STO will be happier if you provide the toys and activities they like.
- How does the STO like interaction with people? Does the STO like to be in a pouch? Curl up on you and sleep? Climb around like a maniac? Try to escape? This can help ease the transition and know what to expect from your new pet.
- Has he/she had any health problems? What did the owner do about them?
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Choosing A Pet Store or Breeder
Choosing a pet store or breeder can be difficult. There are pet stores that love their animals and handle them daily, and other pet stores that keep short-tailed opossums in terrible, stressful conditions. There are hobby breeders who breed for the love of the animals and playing with babies, and hobby breeders who know next to nothing about their animals, breeding or socializing them.
These are some of the places where you can find STO:
- Large scale breeders that do not operate a retail storefront (usually have a company name)
- Small scale breeders that breed animals they own and enjoy (usually have a company name)
- Hobby breeders who breed some of their pets occasionally (probably don't have a company name)
- Large chain pet stores - sometimes receive STO litters as special sells or breed the STO themselves
- Small pet stores - sometimes stock unusual small pets like STO
- Exotic pet stores - many look for unusual pets like STO to sell
- Reptile or other small animal specialty stores - they sometimes have other unusual pets
- Mall pet stores - not as likely to sell STO, but might
All of these have pros and cons depending on the conditions they keep their animals in and how much they know about the animals they breed. Rather than comparing and contrasting, I'm listing good conditions to look for and ones to avoid.
Look for an environment comfortable to the opossum.
Warm, quiet and comfortable environments are best for the STO to be raised in. STO need a nest box and hiding places or else they are likely to be very stressed and hard to handle. While some places breeding STO prefer to keep them in tiny holding cages, there are many places that breed STO who keep them in 20, 30, or even 60+ gallon tanks.
Look for sellers who are knowledgeable about short-tailed opossums.
The more they know about short-tailed opossums the more likely their STO are to be healthy, socialized and fed properly.
If they don't know the pet's name, how can they know their care or nutrition needs? Some places advertise their STO as "dwarf opossum" or "pygmy possum". While those names may sound more exotic, enticing and marketable than "short-tailed opossum", they should know they are called short-tailed opossums if asked. A good breeder or store should also know their scientific name (Monodelphis domestica). If the clerk on duty at a store doesn't know their name, they should be able to suggest a store manager or owner who does know their name.
Some sellers don't seem to know that short-tailed opossums need nest boxes to sleep in, or worse remove the nest box or nest to force the STO to been seen by potential customers and cater to impulse purchasers. I would not personally want to buy an animal from a place that is willing to damage the health of their animals in favor of a quick sell. STO without a nest or nest box are likely to be more neurotic and skittish, not to mention stressed. They are nocturnal animals and should not be forced to be in harsh lighting all day just so people can see them.
Places knowledgeable about their short-tailed opossum are more likely to provide a healthy diet, wean the young properly and separate the siblings from each other before fighting and injuries occur. Many people have reported rescuing malnourished and ill STO from pet stores and breeders with torn ears and tails because they were kept in a small cage with their siblings.
Look for staff that takes time to care for the animals and handle them.
Ask about the conditions the short-tailed opossums are kept in prior to sale. If they are kept in a tiny, bare cage with no toys, climbing branches or nest boxes they may not be cared for as well as STO kept in a stimulus-rich, entertainment-filled and attractive cage and may not be as curious and friendly. I am personally partial to stores and breeders that supplement the STO's diet with insects - it shows that they know the STO's nutritional needs and are willing to care for them well.
Ask other customers what they think.
Have other people bought short-tailed opossums from that pet store or breeder and been happy with their animals? Keep in mind that if the pet owner keeps their STO in a stressful environment and then complains they bought a stressed-out STO it may not be the breeder or stores fault. But if they have legitimate concerns about the professionalism of the transaction, the knowledge displayed by the staff, and the health and temperaments of the STO directly after purchase it can be valuable to know ahead of time.
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Tell Me Your STO Story
I hope that using some of these questions and guidelines will help you find the best, most friendly short-tailed opossum and allow you to support ethical, caring breeders and pet stores.
I am always interested in hearing stories from people about where and who they bought their STO from. Please feel free to email me about how you found your STO - let me know the name of the store or breeder, their city/state and what your experience was like.
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