Short-Tailed Opossum Personalities
From Sweet to Skittish
By Molly Kalafut
This article describes some of the common temperaments of short-tailed opossums and what many pet owners say about them. My hope is for people to:
- Develop realistic expectations about their pet
- Encourage their STO to be sweet and friendly
- Find easy ways to live with some of the downsides
Sections of this article:
Personalities
Short-tailed opossums usually express a mixture of sweet or timid characteristics. Some are primarily sweet, others primarily scared and skittish while most fall somewhere in between. In general they are not aggressive, unless provoked, suffering from stress or think they smell food. And many can be bribed into being more friendly using lots of treats!
I usually compare the short tail opossum personality to cats because every STO is a very unique and individual little pet. Some cats beg for attention, while others are aloof and only come out if they hear food. Many cats only want to be petted or receive attention on their terms, not their owner's. There are cats that jump into your lap and other cats that struggle, fight and scratch if picked up. It is hard to know what your cat will be like when you buy a kitten, and you certainly can't force them to be the kind of cat you want them to be.
I've been lucky in that my STO have been sweet, curious and interesting little pets. My first STO was happy to snuggle in my lap and sleep, while my second STO was more interested in running around and exploring.
Sweet STO
Many short-tailed opossums are sweet and wonderful pets. I had one STO who would climb up to his "treat" area and whicker softly at me when he wanted a treat. One man's opossum would let himself out of his cage, and then climb up on his bed to find him. Friendly STO can be an absolute joy.
These are some of the ways people describe them:
- Climb all over their owner
- Climbs on the cage door chattering to be taken out
- Clings to owner rather than go back into the cage
- Crawls up and down owner energetically
- Cuddles in owners hands
- Curious
- Cute
- Docile
- Friendly
- Hangs out in owner's pocket
- Inquisitive
- Intelligent
- Loves to be petted and held
- Only nips if frightened out of sleep
- Personable
- Rides on owner's shoulders
- Runs around laps, arms and shoulders
- Sits curled up in owner's hands
- Sits on owner's shoulder and grooms
- Snuggles in owner's hair to sleep
- Sociable
- Sweet
- Takes treats and nesting material from owner's hands
- Very clean
Pet Owner Comments
"They are very clean animals, curious and friendly." -Tony Cueto
"Cute and personable." -Dale Cozort
"They are very cute and curious and love to be held." -ZooQuatics
"Docile and friendly as well as cute, curious and cuddly." -Dr. Naomie Poran
"He's extremely friendly and loves to be held and enjoys hitching a ride around on our shoulders."
"Mine climb all over me, but will sit on my shoulder if I'm walking around the house...I have one that will come and take pieces of Kleenex out of my hands and drops it in the corner and races back for more, she'll usually climb up on me after that." -Connie of Exotic Pets
"He does not get mad when I take the tissues off from above him to see what he is up too. I can pet him all the time and he seems to like it." -Shelly Atkinson
"If handled at an early age, they become very docile and friendly and are low maintenance to keep."
"I don't have a bonding pouch but I don't really need one with my STO. She likes being held. And is very curious."
"I just got my STO a few months ago and I absolutely love him!"
"We interact every night, and since I don't sleep at night very much she's usually hanging out in my pocket or running round on my arm or shoulder. Basically to cut it short, she's the best pet I've had."
"This little animal has got to the be the sweetest thing I've ever seen. I instantly fell in love! The previous caregivers named him 'Peanut' but, I think I will rename him "Pockets" as he is always going into my pockets as I go around the house. I am really enjoying having him as an addition to our family and so thrilled I was introduced to this amazing, fascinating creature."
Mixed
The majority of short-tailed opossums can be described with a mixture of sweet and timid behaviors. For example, my STO doesn't always enjoy being taken out of his cage, but enjoys himself once he's out.
- Can be loving and sweet, once chased and caught
- Can be timid or calm
- Enjoys being handled, but doesn't volunteer to come out and play
- Enjoys being handled, but runs around instead of sitting still
- Enjoys being petted and taking treats, but not being held
- Enjoys being petted and held, once caught
- Friendly and curious, but not very tame and doesn't like handling
- Fun to watch, but not affectionate
- Had an unfriendly phase then started to demand handling
- Sometimes sits nicely, other times runs around like crazy
Pet Owner Comments
"He lets us pick him up and pet him (once we catch him) and he doesn't bite (unless you do something totally stupid, like stick a finger into his nest)."
"They seem to enjoy being handled but they would rather move around rather than sit still in your hand."
"They sleep a lot but come to love their time being held."
"Would rather jump onto something else than sit still."
"Likes being petted in the cage but nervous about coming out."
"I love my little STO to death, he really is so much fun to watch and occasionally play with, but I recently lost my dog to old age, and am looking for a small pet that gives lots of attention back like a ferret."
Scared STO
Unfortunately, not all short-tailed opossums are the sweet pets their owners hope for and describe them in these ways:
- Acts terrified
- Bites and runs away
- Boring
- Did not develop any relationship with owner
- Doesn't like to be picked up
- Hides in corners and hiding spots
- Hides in nest box all day
- Hisses when picked up
- Jumpy
- Nips when startled, afraid or picked up
- Not calm or cuddly
- Poops when scared
- Runs away from owner
- Runs to hardest spot for owner to reach
- Scared of hands
- Startles easily
Pet Owner Comments
"It clearly did not develop any sort of relationship with me as it's owner."
"I am having so many problems with him! He refuses to use the litter box as a potty box. Instead he will go and lay in there and eat the litter! Is that healthy? Also, he is big on biting. How do I make him stop biting? On average he bites me about 3-6 times a day and I bought him chew sticks but nothing is working. I need help!"
"It's not very friendly, nor does it like being touched. It tends to run away. If I try to hand feed it - it snatches it from me and hides."
"He hasn't really settled down much and is like a wild animal, not a pet. I only wanted a hand-tame opossum and that isn't what I got. My attempts to work with him have failed and he is still terrified of me, and will bite given the opportunity."
"Also, since he is not awake as often during the day as the mice are there are not as many opportunities to play with him."
"He usually poops and pees on us, too, which is less pleasant."
"Jumpy little guy."
"He used to run up to me when I opened his cage, now he finds the darkest, hardest place for me to see him and he sits there. He also hisses and squeaks when I pick him up."
Taming Your STO
I am frequently asked "How can I make sure I get a nice STO?". Many factors can affect STO personalities. This is some of my advice to maximize your relationship with your pet.
Before Buying
Make every effort to find a good breeder. Find STO raised in a stimulus-rich environment with toys, space and good food. If the breeder has interacted and socialized the opossums, make sure it was a positive result - stressing the animals at a very young age can make it difficult to bond later on. Try to see and interact with your STO before buying it - look for one with a curious and friendly attitude. Minimize any traumatic stress when bringing your STO home – avoid shipping if you can. For suggestions about selecting a good breeder/pet store and STO, see my article on Choosing A Short-Tailed Opossum.
After Buying
See my Care and Training section for hints and tips. Be calm and patient with your STO. The more consistent you are with their handling the better. I recommend giving them a small piece of food every time you open their cage - it makes them more likely to rush over to you every time they see you or hear their cage door open. To make sure the food rewards stay effective, identify their favorite foods and then use those to feed by hand (crickets are tough to feed by hand though). Make sure your STO's environment is comfortable - warm, quiet, not too bright with a good nest box for hiding and sleeping. Even the sweetest STO will be unhappy if they are stressed.
Keep in mind that while you can encourage your STO to enjoy you, you cannot force them. And some may stay timid no matter how loving you are – it's not your fault, the breed isn't completely domesticated yet. Hopefully as the breed becomes more domesticated, the sweet and cuddliness factors will be here to stay.
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