The images above are of a little female Brushtail Possum that we've called Miss Victoria. Vic came to us as a pouchling, about 5cms long from tip to tail, she's now 10.5 cms long ( big for her age). Her release date is late April.

Vic's mum was hit by a car and she suffered too, being rolled inside the pouch. She had some neurological damage and wasn't well at all. After her first 3 days of initial treatment and care it was still touch and go whether she would make it and if she did, she was not expected to thrive. Ultimately, she came to me as a 'test run' for future work I will be doing.

I am pleased to say that despite  everything, little Miss Victoria ( so named because we found her in Victoria St and she has that starlet attitude) has grown into a healthy Brushy and is quite the gymnastics expert, enjoying her tweenagehood as only a possum can.

As she was my first full time caring role, it has been a huge journey for me too. I was literally overwhelmed with information and support which was at times very conflicting and left me not quite sure at first whether I should trust my instincts or not. As an ex SES volunteer, I am more used to caring and rescuing humans so this was a big leap for me.

In the end I found two local 'possum mum' mentors, who both have had extensive experience in the field and I went to see them. Their advice and generosity of spirit and little tips and hints helped me to overcome my own fears and to raise this gorgeous girl and now, to face her release date with some measure of pride in the accomplishment.

When Vic came to us, we had to quickly start gathering essentials from scratch,  'borrowing' di-vetlac (baby mammal milk) and pet crates to house her in, 'skillfully acquiring' heat pads and procuring local flora to engage her.  Anyone who has ever tried and failed to procure and sneak a 4 foot eucalypt branch past nosey shop keepers knows the fun we've had.

Today and thanks mostly to Victoria's presence and insistence to live and her steadily growing out of each of her crates, my house is now set up with the trappings, tools and knowledge to cater for 3 pouchlings at a time and two rehabilitating tweens or adults at one time. We're currently readying for the 2009 fire season and I expect to be very busy transporting and housing and feeding and pooping...yes I said pooping.

One of the least glamorous tasks of being a possum foster mum is the toileting aspect. Young ones need to be actively stimulated to pee and poop and it was a shock to begin with just how much crap could come out of one little body and at what velocities! I think, seeing as how my kids are now grown or getting there, I had forgotten that particular joy of parenting.. I just thank the Great Spirit for small mercies that ours come out already knowing how to do it themselves!

When I fed my first ever possum* at my local rescue team leader's house, it was such an amazing uplifting experience. Smack bang in the middle of a horrible sadness I was experiencing, there was this little creature that needed help and we made immediate connection. It was a real 'be in the moment'  and breathe experience. This darling little thing looking right into me with such huge eyes and trusting me that much. There was a momnent of real inquisitivness in his galre and it just made my day. It was a special day for me as it was the day I chose to become a 'possy mum'.

Such a placid boy he was too! ( *his name was Irwin and he is now released and going well)

Connecting with Victoria was more difficult at first as she was so frenetic. Still highly agitated from her ordeal, it was some days before she settled with me.  It required a patience and persistence from me I had not expected but one I am grateful for today. She would not take a teat no matter what I tried and wouldn't stop attacking the feeding syringes and, still suffering some neurology symptoms, she'd often bite at herself too which was desperately sad to witness.

Then after she began to recover, her symptoms subsided and then she became lazy and would just open her mouth and want her milk poured in! Cheek!

Right from the beginning she had a very strong and determined 'life force' and a very cheeky and animated personality. She came with me everywhere in a special possy pouch, and for the first few weeks was fed every 3 hours.

She's now at what I call possy 'tweenage' stage and teething too...biting wood in her pen and me at times, just nips but painful enough. She's still filled with this amazing vitality and while she is reasonably compliant for cage cleaning, she is very much 'her own possum'...she will take a mile if you give her an inch and she can run really fast!

I've learned a great carer lesson this last week..and that is not to poke your head into the night crate...she pounced on me like a jack in the box and my poor nose is all scratched as she made for my hair and shoulders. Vic loves sitting on my back and ruffling my hair, though her little claws are like needles, we've adapted and I now wear a scarf and keep a possum bag handy...she just loves scooting outside with me into the fresh night air.

We're preparing for release now which for us means handling her less and less, varying her diet regularly and offering more foliage and room to run. Soon I will drop her off at her new environment, a farm way out of town, and she will go to a semi wild situation where she will have her own tree and be protected by a long term rehabilitation carer. Unlike most releasee's,  she will be 'shelf fed' ( offered nightly food with the other possums but otherwise left to herself) for the rest of her life.

Its sad to see her go in one way, we will miss her greatly and she has become such  an integral part of our lives I'm not sure what I will do with all the spare time, that said, this is the completion of a mammoth personal goal, so its a happy thing and to see her returned to the wild she belongs to, will fulfill a big dream for me. This is why I commited to doing this..so they can go home...and can remain free.

Knowing there is a safe place for her to go has been a boon for me as most other possy's do get returned to their original environs or close to them leaving them at constant risk for urban predators and cars.  As Vic was so young and has no family group, this complete relocation option was the best one. Scoring a new home for her was a matter of good timing really, and as with all things associated with this little ball of life, it feels designed to be this way. She will have 6 brushtail brothers and sisters to squabble and live with and I reckon she will show them a thing or two too!

Victoria's recovery story and my own personal story in life are very similar. I think this is why I will miss her most. Neither of us was expected to live let alone do well, so we've both overcome the hurdles and fumbling incompetencies of the world around us with good attitude, humor and a special knack for surviving and thriving.

Caring for Victoria has bought up issues of control,  patience, trust and the processes of commitment into my life. The decision to live, to make pro-active choices, to commit to something greater than self...it's all come out at some point or another during her stay with me. Its been a very emotive growing time. And while it might sound a bit odd, she's also been a source of pride for me and my son, and having her here has helped me feel a 'part of' the natural processes around me for the first time in a long time.

In joining up with the wildlife group, our entire family going out on rescues together and attending days out and functions, I feel a member of a network of people who really do care and are caring, and makes me a participant in a new form of emotional spiritual and practical economy, one that I had never conceptualised  belonging to before and one that is happily sending me broke, but for all intensive purposes is free...and Freeing.

Vici's been a gift to my life, a trying, furry, scratchy, bitey, cuddly, loving, bright, entertaining, pooping gift.


NEWS: UPDATE: VICKI IS NOW A MUM!


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Check my blog for updates on Victoria