Know Your STO
Short-Tailed Opossum Guides
Keeping and Caring for These Pets
by Molly Kalafut
Years ago when I became a new short-tailed opossum owner it was frustrating trying to find good pet care information about them. Even vets didn't know what they were! In order to help other pet owners I have spent the last 7+ years researching them, publishing care information online, running a STO mailing list and writing a book on their care. I am soon to publish a book and series of booklets available at a low cost to help STO owners, breeders and anyone curious about whether a STO is right for them.
About "Know Your STO"
Short-Tailed Opossum Book & Care Guides
Know Your STO: Short-Tailed Opossum Guide is a soon-to-be published book about keeping a happy and healthy STO. A series of care guides will also be available soon. The booklets will be published and available hopefully in 2007 for purchase through this website, certain breeders and pet stores that sell STO.
- Book: Know Your STO (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #1 Choosing a STO (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #2 STO Care & Feeding (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #3 STO Taming & Training (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #4 STO Biology, Breeding & Health (Coming Soon)
See a preview of the book chapters and sign up for the Know Your STO newsletter to be notified when these guides become available.
STO Booklets and Book
- Booklet #1 Choosing a STO (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #2 STO Care & Feeding (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #3 STO Taming & Training (Coming Soon)
- Booklet #4 STO Biology, Breeding & Health
- Book: Know Your STO (Coming Soon)
Know Your STO Newsletter
About The Book
Know Your STO: Short-Tailed Opossum Guide is dedicated to help STO enthusiasts of all kinds; those curious about them, pet owners, breeders, pet stores, veterinarians and anyone interested in their health, happiness, characteristics and biology. It will be published soon.
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Chapters |
Contents |
Species Information |
Names Taxonomy Biology |
STO in the Wild |
STO in South America Habits Activities Feeding Nesting Breeding |
STO In Captivity |
Import from South America STO in Research STO in the Pet Market |
STO As Pets |
Is a STO right for me? Characteristics As Pets STO and Children STO and Other Pets Practical Warnings |
Choosing a STO |
Baby or Adult One or More Male or Female Color Variations Domestic or Wild What To Look For Prices |
Characteristics |
Appearance Brain Chromosomes Cloaca Ears Eyes Feet Fur Lactation Legs Length Maturity Noises Nose Pouch Saliva Size Skeleton Sex Tail Teeth Waste Weight |
Behaviors |
Activity Biting Carrying Chewing Climbing Defensive Eating Exploring Grooming Intelligence Nesting Nocturnal Sleeping Scent-Marking Smelling Speed Training |
Environment |
Temperature Humidity Cage Location Cage Cleanliness |
Cage |
Cage Options Glass Wire Tube Terrariums Storage Containers Size Security Lining and Bedding |
Nestbox |
Types Location Rejection |
Toys |
Wheels Climbing Toys Fun Stuff |
Food |
Feeding in the Wild Feeding in Captivity Dry Food Fruit/Veggies Live food Meat Supplements Treats Food Dishes |
Water |
Water Sources Bottles vs. Dishes Training Water to Use |
Bonding |
How Long it Takes What to Expect Materials Ways to Bond |
Litter Box Training |
Where They Go Litter Box Training Litter Box Litter/Lining |
Escaping |
How They Escape Where They Hide What They Do Prevention How To Get Them Back Escape Stories |
Health |
Health Concerns Common Health Problems Treatments Preventative Measures Hygiene Finding Veterinary Care Lifespan |
Breeding |
Marsupial Breeding and Genitalia Breeding in the Wild Laboratory Breeding Ages For Breeding Timing Litters Choosing Breeding Pairs Breeding Preparations Introducing (and Separating) Pair Estrus/Mating Gestation Lactation Development Sexing the Young Weaning Separating Mother/Siblings |
Resources
Information for these booklets and book came from many places during research for my forthcoming book on short-tailed opossums, including:
- Interviews with owners, research specialists and breeders.
- Books focusing on many areas, including veterinary manuals, marsupial nutrition, South American biology texts, zoological and taxonomy histories plus all STO-specific literature.
- Indexed website and Internet information pages, even paying to translate foreign language STO-care into English.
- Scouring message boards and mailing lists for STO information.
- 200+ collected scientific research articles about STO from medical, physiology, neurology and behavioral journals.