"Is It Okay My STO Won't Eat..."

Questions About Short Tail Opossum Diets

By Molly Kalafut

short-tail opossum eating from a tablespoon

Many, many owners are worried about their short-tailed opossum's health when they refuse to eat certain foods. Many short tail opossums are very picky about what they will and won't eat, and have definite preferences. Some will starve rather than eat certain foods. The good news is that even picky 'possums usually stay healthy with what they do eat. Unless your STO won't eat anything at all, they're probably normal. So don't worry too much! As long as your STO seems healthy, has thick and healthy fur and gets plenty of exercise in their wheel, they are probably fine.

"Won't Eat" Questions

My STO won't eat anything, is that okay?
My STO won't eat dry food, is that okay?
My STO won't eat fruit, is that okay?
My STO won't eat insects, is that okay?
My STO won't eat [insert food here], is that okay?
My STO won't eat Brisky STO food, is that okay?
Should I force my STO to eat [insert food here]?

"Won't Eat" Questions

My STO won't eat anything, is that okay?

No. If you are sure your short-tailed opossum isn't eating anything, take your STO to a vet! This can be a serious issue for older STO near the end of their life because it can signal digestive problems.

I've spoken to many people who thought their STO wasn't eating, when really they just eat very little. This is normal! Because short tail opossums are marsupials and have different metabolisms, they eat less food than other small animals their size. While my gerbils may eat 1 TBSP of food per day, my STO eats 1 TBSP of dry food over 4-5 days.

My STO won't eat dry food, is that okay?

Yes. Many short-tailed opossums refuse to eat any dry food. My first STO wouldn't eat any dry food, and he was very healthy on his diet of fruit every day and meat, tofu, egg or insects 1-3 times per week.

If your STO eats fruit regularly, and gets at least 1 meal high in protein (meat, tofu, eggs, avocado, insects) per week they should be nutritionally fine.
If the STO is very young, try the exact dry food brand used by the breeder or pet store that weaned them because they may be more familiar with it.
You can leave a dish of dry food in the cage all the time in case they decide to try it.
Switch the type of dry food offered every few weeks or months - cat, ferret, hedgehog, fox, etc. as long as it is high protein and low fat.
Fresh fruit and live food is probably healthier than dry food anyway so don't worry.

My STO won't eat fruit, is this okay?

Yes. This is unusual, but as long as the short-tailed opossum is eating dry food, live food or other protein sources they should be fine nutritionally.

Try different preparations of each fruit - fresh, mushed, pureed, baby food, etc.
Make sure their dry food has high protein and low fat.
Feed insects, meat, egg, tofu and avocado on a regular basis.
Offer fruit on a regular basis as they grow up anyway in case they start to like it.

My STO won't eat insects, is that okay?

Yes. This is unusual, but as long as the short-tailed opossum is eating fruit and/or dry food they should be fine nutritionally.

Young STO sometimes don't realize what to do with the insects but they typically grow out of it.
You can try a variety of insects - live, freeze-dried, pre-killed, insect powder added to food, etc.
Occasionally offer insects as they grow up to see if they change their minds.
Make sure they get enough protein from other sources such as pieces of meat, egg, avocado or tofu.

My STO won't eat [insert food here], is this okay?

It's probably fine. Whatever it is your short-tailed opossum won't eat is probably fine as long as they are eating other types of food.

Some STO love mealworms or crickets and some don't.
Some STO love applesauce or bananas and some don't.
Some love dry food and others won't touch it.
Etc. Don't worry about it! Just try a bunch of different food types and find out what your STO prefers. There are plenty of suggestions for food to try on this page.

My STO won't eat Brisky short-tailed opossum food, is that okay?

Yes. Most short-tailed opossums refuse to eat it and only a few will stand to eat it. Some people's STO have died from starvation refusing to eat Brisky food and other exotic rescue organizations report rescuing seriously malnourished STO from the Brisky diet. Don't believe me? See my Brisky Short Tail Possum food review, quoting dozens of opinions on the Brisky short-tailed opossum food. None of my STO will eat it. Personally, I don't blame them - I think it smells terrible, has a horrible crumbly consistency and I wouldn't want to eat it either.

Should I force my STO to eat [insert food here]?

No! Some owners ask if they should remove all other food from the cage until their short-tailed opossum eats whatever it is they want their STO to eat (dry food, fruit, insects, etc). The theory is that the STO may not know it is food, and if they get hungry enough they will eat it. This is a dangerous mistake. STO (like many birds, ferrets and other animals) will starve to death rather than eat certain foods. They may not know it is food, or may just not like it. Either way, they could die.