The Joy of Raising Orphaned Possums

Back in September this year, I was asked to raise two little orphaned brush tail possums. I was delighted to be asked, but decided to wait before blogging and in my last possum update I promised I would blog about these little guys separately. Things have been going well with them and I feel confident now to share a little bit about the experience so far. So, firstly, I'd like to introduce you to... Penny and Sheldon.

Sheldon

Penny

They have come a long way since they first arrived. It has been a very busy year for me taking care of four baby possums, working and fitting in family life. I also have experienced some health issues this year, so I haven't always been able to get back to update my blog and capture the wonderful moments that we've experienced this year. But, I think I'm well and truly back to normal and now that the holidays are here, it is the perfect time to update everyone who is interested. Thanks to those who have commented on my blog previously. You know it makes the writer happy that someone has, not only read what I've written, but took the time to drop a quick line of encouragement. I know this writer really appreciates it. I'm not writing this for any sort of recognition though. This is purely a place for me to practise my writing and technology skills and write down my experiences living here at Willow Pond. But even still, it is nice to know I am not always alone. So, thanks guys - you make me smile.

Raising Penny and Sheldon has been a totally different experience compared to Tamigotchi and Saori. Penny and Sheldon grew very quickly and did not spend very long in their little basket, or the cocky cage. Here are some pictures of the transition from inside accommodation to outdoor accommodation.

I used the cocky cage as the next step in the transition from indoor life to outdoor life. The brush tails only spent a couple of weeks in here because they grew so quickly. They were each given a pouch to sleep in, however, they always climbed into the same pouch to curl up and sleep, wrapped tightly around each other. I added lots of fresh leaf tips daily to supplement their diet of Divelact (special dietary formula) and, at this stage, they were also enjoying some chopped fresh fruit.

I continued to prepare the other side of the aviary for these little guys, which included making another dome home. I made a dome home for Tamigotchi and Saori as well, which proved to be a huge success. The dome home I made for the ringies was the first time I'd ever had a go at something like this and I did not know how it would go, or, if indeed it would work. I didn't attach the top of the dome to the chain and as a result, the first time the ringies climbed up on top, the roof collapsed. I thought this was a disaster, until I realised that they had just added their own touches and now, according to Tami and Saori, it was perfect. The ringies love to collect leaves and twigs to make a drey, and now the dome home was perfect for this. You can see from the photo below just how they have added their touches.

For the dome home that I made for the brush tails, I attached the coconut husk dome top to the chain so that even if the brushies climbed up on top, it would keep its shape. It worked out perfectly. I also cut a little doorway into the husk so they could come and go as they pleased. This shape of dome home turned out to be perfect for the brushies because they have grown much larger and they sleep either curled up together or lean back into the round shape of the dome and use it like a big armchair. Because there is the little doorway, I can take a sneaky peek at them sleeping when I am preparing their new fodder and fruit. There is absolutely a stack of room inside each of these homes for the possums. It is also very cosy in there and I love the smell of coconut husk that you can smell in their fur. Here are some photos of the the dome homes.

Tami & Saori's drey

Penny & Sheldon's dome home

Penny and Sheldon have been happily sharing the aviary with Tamigotchi and Saori. Each species has their own separate enclosure and I have added climbing ropes and branches to make it interesting and as natural as possible. I have allowed some of the old fodder to build up on the floor of the aviary so that it emulates a natural bushland. Ian helped me put some large branches and parts of trees inside the aviary so that they get a real taste of life in nature. Here are some photos of the special, custom-made aviary that we had made especially for these little guys.

Tami & Saori's side without foliage

Penny & Sheldon's side without foliage

These are early photos of when I was setting up the aviary. There is no foliage in the aviary as yet.

Climbing frames, high ropes & trees

It is important to make each area interesting and challenging for them so that they grow and gain strength and agility for climbing.

Below are some photos that will show you where these possums are today. All possums are fully weaned now and Saori and Tamigotchi are getting very close to the next stage in their journey ~ their release.

Sheldon having a drink - lapping

Penny and Sheldon won't be too far behind them, although they are still quite young and have more growing to do.

These little guys are so affectionate and friendly and love their life I am sure. My husband, Ian, already suspects that there will be lots of tears and mixed emotions when the time comes for these guys to go out into the wild. I think he is right, but in my heart I know that I will have done everything that was possible to ensure these babies have had the best start in their life, considering their bleak circumstances from the very beginning. I hope that I've been a good surrogate mum and that I haven't made too many mistakes along the way. I know that I'll be happiest if they survive the hazards but, unfortunately, there are no guarantees. It has been an absolute joy for me to raise these little critters and do I have any regrets? None! 

Enjoy the rest of the photos.

Penny enjoying some fruit & nuts

Penny

Tamigotchi & Saori

Enjoying their fruit & flowers

Saori coming out to play - Tami eating (still)

Saori (left) - Tami (right)

Ready for some action

Swinging in the trees

Exploring

Armchair Travel with Joss & Chris - Day 5 & 6 @ Kibale Forest National Park

Joss and Chris have ventured onto the Kibale Forest National Park where they got to walk with the chimps in equatorial rainforest in Kibale Forest National Park. We received a text from them saying were just 2 metres away from the chimps...and as Joss said...'it is freaking awesome'. Meeting the chimps were one of the highlights for them and it sounds like the promise was fulfilled.


Below is a link that shows something of what they experienced.


http://www.ugandansafari.com/uganda-national-parks/kibale-forest-national-park.html


Here is another link from youtube showing the chimps in action.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5IyqnbAT0E
We were so glad to hear their news and know that they are safe.


So, until next time...
cheers

Armchair Travel with Joss & Chris - Day 3 & 4 @ Kariandusi School Project

Joss & Chris head into their third and fourth day of their trip. This sees them travel to Eldoret and Kampala. They are set to visit the Kariandusi School Trust project where they will spend time either helping teach the children or help with some construction work. Click on the link to find out more about this project.

http://www.kariandusi.co.uk/

What a privilege to visit and mingle with these special children. I'm sure this experience will be life changing.

After their visit to Kariandusi, they will travel and enter Uganda and camp at Kampala. Below is a link for those of you who are interested in seeing what Uganda is like according to their tourism bureau.

http://www.visituganda.com/

Here are a couple of interesting video stories about gorillas and witch doctors...showing wide diversity throughout this country. Click link for story on gorillas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM5FI1D36hM

Click link for story on witch doctors...sadly, yes...they actually do exist. Sometimes this link goes to the newspaper version. If it does this, come back here and try again. The video is quite interesting...and scary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8441813.stm

Next and final link shows a variety of photos from other explorers of what Joss and Chris may experience.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotos-g293841-w4-Kampala.html

It would be great to be a fly on the wall to see all the wonderful things they are seeing and experiencing. Our family back home are really hoping they are having a blast.

So, until next time...
from the Armchair Traveller...
cheers.

Joss & Chris' Big African Adventure

I know a lot of you are interested in finding out how Joss and Chris are enjoying their trip of a life time to Africa.

I'm sure they will come back with lots of stories and fabulous photos/videos of their own. For those of you who don't know, Chris celebrated his 30th birthday last Saturday (8 Oct) and Jossy got him a lovely digital SLR camera...so there'll be no stopping all those action shots.

Joss and Chris headed off to Dubai on the first leg of their five-week trip to Africa last Thursday at 2:30am. After a very long 17 hour trip, and spending a bit over a day in Dubai experiencing the heat, crazy shopping malls, and luxury, all that Dubai has to offer,
they boarded a plane to Nairobi, the amazing capital of Kenya.

I've decided to be an armchair traveller on their trip. I am extremely interested in where they are going and what they are experiencing, so I've decided to track and learn...following them in their footsteps.

I have no idea what Nairobi is like, so I decided to google and found a number of interesting videos...here's one I'd like to share via a link. It gives me a little idea of the location, people and life over there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOBYdsLk-Wg

Their first night in Nairobi, they stayed at the Kivi Milimani Hotel where they met up with their fellow travel buddies. Click on link to get the taste of what they are experiencing. Looks very nice to me.

http://www.kivimilimanihotel.com/about_hotel.html#

We received a late call last night to say they had arrived safely and were enjoying themselves. The phone reception was quite poor, and the call was short, but it was great to know that they were safe and sound. They both sounded very happy.

Today, they headed off on the second day of their adventure to Lake Nakuru where they will listen out for the chatter of black and white colobus monkeys in the treetops above Lake Nakuru, see pink flamingos and other wild native animals.


Here is a link for Lake Nakuru that shows the many interesting facets of its heart.


http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/kenya/safaris/parks/lakenakuru.asp


We really hope that they had a great day today seeing things for the very first time. I think they will see lots of God's wonderful handiwork where they are travelling.


Have fun guys...looking forward to seeing where you go tomorrow and what you experience.


So, until next time
from the arm chair traveller...
cheerio

Possum Update

Where to begin...

My last blog back in May about Tamigotchi and Saori talked about them drinking from a 5ml syringe...and they were just little babies. I'd only had them for a couple of months at that stage. Well, things have changed since then.

I've had my little guys for six months now and they are happy little campers. Shortly after I moved them into their small plastic/wire (cat sized) cage, I moved them out and into a larger cocky's cage. I put lots of climbing branches in with them so that they could exercise and play now that they were getting bigger.

They finally got the idea about lapping and that made life a little easier. Saori was the first to get the idea. Tamigotchi seemed to want to remain a little baby and have his mummy feed him by syringe, still. So cute! The above photo is of Saori.

The photo opposite, shows Tamigotchi enjoying his syringed dinner. Notice how much they have grown, yet they still enjoy getting down the front of my top! They really are just like little babies.





Be the first to check out my first video clip of the babies.

While Saori and Tamigotchi resided in their cocky cage, we hired someone to come and build them a custom made aviary/hutch so that we could get them closer to a soft release situation and familiar with outside and all the noises the outdoors brings.

I still have to take photos of the completed aviary, but after several weekends the aviary was finished and ready for the little guys. I did the majority of the painting but, at one point, Ian rocked up and gave me a hand as well. We still have a little more painting to go on the smaller side of the aviary, but we're nearly there. The larger side is for Tami and Saori and that is now completed.

After the aviary was completed, we found out we needed to snake proof it, so we had to get the handyman to come back and do that for us. It's amazing how much you learn when you immerse yourself into the whole process. We believed we'd thought of everything, but...wrong.

We recently did some major pruning of trees around our property. Ian and I chose three or four massive branch systems and we installed them in both aviaries. They turned out to be perfect for climbing and hanging fodder for the possys. It was now starting to look more interesting inside the aviary. Our plan was to emulate the great outdoors and make it as natural for the possums as possible.

The handyman, under my instruction, built a large sleeping space up high and I filled it with warm straw grass. I went to Bunnings and bought a hanging basket and two coconut husk inserts and I made a dome home for them to sleep in. It smelled awesome; very organic and it just looked like it would make a very cosy place for them to sleep. I secured it inside the high sleeping space.

I tacked some green shade cloth on one side of the sleeping space. This gave the guys some privacy and protection.

We built the aviary inside a fenced off enclosure. Each week, over many weeks, I have planted out native trees and shrubs. Ian counted up to about 46 so far. I got a surprise as I thought I'd planted out about twenty something. When these trees and shrubs mature, it is going to look awesome and provide much food for the birds and wildlife. We want to plant out many more trees so that it encourages all critters to stay away from the busy road we live on.

A few weeks back Tami and Saori moved over to their aviary. I acclimatised them to the outdoor conditions over time when they were in the cocky cage. It was perfect timing with spring coming on. They have both settled in really well. I have added little runways and extra climbing structures, as well as a rope bridge, which they love to run along. They are very good at running around their aviary and I can see they are very happy there. They have made a lovely little home for themselves.

The first time I went into the aviary to give them fresh fruit and change their fodder, I wondered what they might do? It was the first time that we'd be on equal terms (without them being in a pouch that was easier for me to handle them). I wondered if they would want to have anything to do with me? It didn't take long to find out. The first possum out of the nest and to climb all over me was...Tamigotchi! I was shocked. He'd always been the most timid of the two. Saori always wanted to snuggle with me, but Tami always kept me at a distance. Now that he was free of pouches, etc, he wanted to be with me. I was absolutely over the moon. I've always had a real soft spot for Tami because if it wasn't for him, I would never have experienced raising these orphans. He had been the one who always tried to bite me (not hard), but he always had a go at me in the beginning. He stopped biting me after a month or so, but I never dreamed he'd become so attached to me. I kind of knew Saori would be. I think Tami and I grew closer when he showed me he was not ready to lap. He wanted the syringe for much longer than Saori. Tami is approximately 3 weeks older than Saori and is quite a bit smaller than her. He is quite a small ringtail possum.

Now, every time I enter the aviary on dusk, my babies come out and run down their rope and spring on me. I love the smell of the coconut husk on their fur. They snuggle, they walk all over the back of my shoulders, up my arms and up and down my pants and tops. They help me when I put out the new fodder and interact with whatever I am doing at the time. They are very relaxed and happy.

I feed them a variety of fresh fruit and flowers from native plants. They love the flowers. Once a week I'd drive down to Victoria Point to the Fodder Forest to collect enough fodder to last a week. A friend of mine found out and invited me over to her acreage home and showed me what they grew. Their place has quite a number of established natives and lilly pillies. She kindly allows me to collect fodder from her place to save me such a drive to Victoria Point. Tami and Saori enjoy a wide variety of their favourite foods and are in superior condition. The base of their prehensile tails are very solid and strong.

Another friend of our procured two long lengths of thick marine rope which we plan to run from the aviary up into two large gum trees, so that when the time is right for their soft release, they have a way to safely find their way into the trees. Ian calls it the autobarn highway as the rope is thick and will be plenty big enough for them to successfully climb.

Before my two babies moved to the aviary, I was given two baby orphaned brush tails to raise. I've had them for approximately five to six weeks now. They weighed 226 grams when they arrived. Brush tails, I have discovered are totally different to ringtails, but are no less fun and interesting. Their names are Penny and Sheldon and I will write a separate entry about their arrival and progress at another time.

I feel like I'm in seventh heaven when I look after these gorgeous little critters. They are absolutely adorable and I feel so privileged.

Well, that's about it for the time being...

so, until next time....
cheers

Life's Distractions

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm coasting along really well and seem to have a routine down pat, something will come along and upset the apple cart, as my dear mum used to say.

For the first quarter or so of this year things just sailed along normally, however, in late May, I found out I needed to have some surgery. That went well and although it took a little while to get over, I felt perfectly fine. However, I had things to catch up on and getting back into the swing of my blogs just didn't seem to happen. I lost my zing. I did manage to think about it and feel rather guilty about it, but I didn't do anything about it.

Then recently, I experienced another health issue that set me back. I am currently recovering and trying to sort myself out, but I've decided that 2011 is not my year for good health...maybe next year will be better.

Anyway, so much of life has continued on and I feel sad and regretful because I haven't been diligent in recording it. So today, I guess I am going to make a stand and begin my journey back to blogging.

It feels good to put something into print. This blog is a great way to keep family and friends up to date on our comings and goings. It is great because readers get to choose if they wish to read on or skip over.

Anyway, my health, along with the busyness of life, is why I have been absent. I hope to dedicate more time to both blogs, Novel Tea 'n Pages, as well as Words from Willow Pond, in future.

Over the past few months I've been asked by a number of people who follow along with my blog, about how the possums are going? Keep an eye out for some updates in the near future.

Nice to touch base with you all again...
so till next time...

Instalment 32 Sunday 8 May 2011

It's Mothers' Day today and the first mothers' day that I won't be sharing with my own mum. She slipped away last October and although for the past six or so years, she was unaware of what was happening around her, I still did.

My mum, Cecily, suffered from 'end stage' dementia for over six years and was unaware of who was around her, where she was or what she was doing. She did not recognise anyone and could not communicate. Somewhere deep inside me knows that somewhere deep inside her, she knew I was there and she knew me. I hang on to these thoughts because they help to get me through.

Dementia is such a cruel illness. It is a robber - a thief, unrelenting and of great stealth.

Even though mum may not have been aware of her surroundings or what was happening to her, she was loved. And today, I missed her a little bit more than normal. I felt the same at Easter time. Each Easter I used to buy mum a small soft toy to clutch. Her limbs had grown very stiff and she needed these little toys to take some pressure off. They worked well.

So, today marks the first Mothers' Day without my own mum, but we still remember her. I will never forget her and I pray in my heart that she knows how much she was loved.

Today is also a day to remember my mother-in-law, Audrey. Ian's mum was a true rose as well and passed away back in 2007. I know Ian and his sisters still find it hard and miss their beloved mum. Losing those we love and need is very hard on anyone. A lot of our friends have now also lost their parents and we all use our memories and photos to help us stay connected. Ian and I have lost all our parents and that makes us feel quite confronted with the fact that now we are the matriarch and patriarch of our family. Wow! I feel too young for this sort of responsibility.

As role models, it is our responsibility to make sure their memories live on for the sake of their grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is important that they all know where they have come from; their roots.

We don't need special days to remember our treasures, they are always on our minds.

However, Mothers are so important to us in many ways and so, today is dedicated to them.

My family blessed me with a lovely dinner Saturday evening at Gusto Gianni, a contemporary Italian restaurant where they serve up the most delicious dishes. It was so lovely that everyone could be together. It doesn't always happen these days, so it was very special to me.

They also blessed me with some lovely gifts. I felt very spoilt.

This morning I found a very special gift on our back lawn. Ian had found a possum box in the weekend shopper and decided to go and get it. He laughed as he told me it was a present from my baby possums...isn't that the sweetest thing?

So to every mother out there...I hope your day was blessed as much as mine.

Instalment 31 Saturday 7 May 2011

I decided I'd try Tamigotchi and Saori with a new teat today, and this worked a treat. On one of the later feeds, I decided to try to go back to the larger 5ml syringe, once I knew Tamigotchi was happy with the teat. For the past little while I've just been using the 3ml syringes because Tamigotchi has not wanted to drink from the 5ml.

Success! It is great when everything works. Both possums drank their 5ml formulas and seemed very content.

During the afternoon, I decided it was time to trial the possums in a new setting. I went over to the shed and got the plastic cage Gillian had leant me. I scrubbed it down and made it all clean and disinfected. I dried it all off.

While it aired, I went for a walk around the garden finding a couple of branches for climbing and also some leaves for Tamigotchi to munch on. Saori is not quite up for this exercise, so the leaves are for Tamigotchi, but Saori might explore them.

I brought everything back to the house and I set up the cage. By the time I'd finished, it looked like a mini forest. I added two little pouches and hung them so that should the possums decide to, they could put themselves to bed.

After the next afternoon feed, instead of sending Tamigotchi off to sleep, I placed him gently on some branches in the cage and then he took himself off to explore. He was really ready for this exercise. He found some leaves and picked them up. He held them in both hands and started to shred them. You could tell he was really enjoying himself. He was very comfortable in there.

Saori was a different story, but it didn't hurt her having a turn in there. She paced around and tried to look for a way out of there. She is a real social girl and only wants to snuggle after her feeds. She lasted in there until the last feed of the night and then I decided to put her in a pouch and back in her basket for the night. Tamigotchi spent the night in his little mini jungle.

My beautiful family took me out for dinner to celebrate Mothers' Day. We went to Gusto Gianni's at Portside. We had a great time. The food was excellent and so were the cocktails. I had the pork belly and it was superb! I love my family. They really look after me and make sure I am blessed. This year, not only am I a regular mother, but I am a possum mummy too.

Instalment 30 Friday 6 May 2011

I spent the day organising hospital things and once that all got done, I was able to concentrate on regular things. Filling in the hospital forms proved to be a very time consuming exercise and I was glad when I finally could do no more for today, at least.

The possums are all well, but Tamigotchi acted finicky towards his food today. He does this every now and then and I haven't really worked out why, yet. I'm not sure if it is the syringe, or the teat, or the taste of the milk, or if he doesn't feel himself. Well, people have off days, don't they? So, why can't possums?

I just have to persist with him. I manage to get him to eat all his food most of the time. There's been a couple of times where I have thought he'd finished and I cuddled and put him to bed and then, when I've gone to clean up everything, discovered that he'd left a half a ml or more. He can be a tricky little munchkin.

Saori continues to be herself. She has this cute routine. As soon as I remove the rubber band from her pouch she scampers out into my hands and then she climbs all around the outside of the pouch, biting and clamping down. She knows the routine and I let her do her stuff for a little while and then it is time to go to the toilet. She always goes to the toilet for me. She's a good little poppet. Once that is done, I wrap a towel around her and settle her into position and from then on, she loves to suckle until all the milk is gone.

She is the most beautiful baby. My heart just fills with love with these two babies.

Once Saori finishes her formula, I try to mop up under her chin and then she scampers up under my chin and burrows down under my shirt where she sits and preens herself and then snuggles in for a nap. She loves snuggling into my chest under my shirt where she feels very safe.

After Tamigotchi finishes feeding, I wrap both my hands around him securely and lift him up near my face and I pat the top of his head with either my finger or my cheek. He loves this and it sends him to sleep straight away. He feels secure snuggled up like this.

Instalment 29 Thursday 5 May 2011

Today was filled with many mixed emotions. My stomach was knotted and I felt on edge. My doctor had organised an appointment with a specialist which was set down for 1:30pm and I felt nervous and tighter than a drum.

I got some jobs done through the morning and then before I had to head off to South Bank to the doctor's rooms, I fed my babies and cuddled with them. I weighed the possums today and Tamigotchi weighs 99 grams and Saori weighs 72 grams. The new technique seems to working, especially for Saori. She is now doing very well, putting on about 9 more grams since the changeover.

I received some news during my visit with the specialist, and after some more tests performed by the doctor, he revealed that I would need some fairly major surgery and so he got busy organising this for me. I have mixed feelings about surgery. On the one hand, I know it is now the best thing for me and hopefully will fix my problem so that I can get on with things. On the other hand, there are risks, as there always is with surgery, but I have to move past this and concentrate on getting through it all and look forward to when I'll be healed and life will be so much better for me. The surgery is set down for 23 May, which is very close and now I have some things that need to be organised. I experienced a little teariness during the rest of the afternoon and evening, which is probably only natural. I'll improve. Out of everything I felt concern over, I worried the most about being separated from my gorgeous babies while I'd be in hospital. The doctor said I'd be in for about four days approximately. I will miss my little babies.

Steve, a friend of ours was to come over for dinner a little later on tonight. Ian decided he would come home with Steve. Steve would stay the night and Ian would catch a ride to work with Steve in the morning. Steve is from Kingaroy and is down in Brisbane working with Ian, although we've been friends for years. They are working on the same project.

We ended up, after a unanimous vote, ordering a couple of gourmet pizzas from Sambos, down at Gumdale. Sambo is an old family friend. He makes lovely woodfired pizzas and we haven't had pizza for a very long time. We also had some lovely 'fattening' calzonne as well. We weren't disappointed and dinner was delicious. Kimmy had also made a lovely triple chocolate custard cake and we had some of that for dessert.

We enjoyed a lovely evening catching up on all the latest details in Steve's life out at Kingaroy with his wife Collette and son, Christopher. It was good to see him.

Instalment 28 Wednesday 4 May 2011

Today is athletics day and I've been asked to help out with the boys' high jump. We've had a fair amount of rain lately and yesterday afternoon we experienced a wild storm front. It almost looked like the athletics carnival might have to be cancelled, however, it fined up and the kids got their whole day of field events in with no problems.

The oval was really slippery and we had some spills and thrills at the high jump arena, but the boys were tough and knuckled down to have a great time. The field events went through till 1pm and then it was back to a normal day.

I fed the babies and then went to grab a bite to eat myself. Linda, a friend who teaches up in the secondary school popped down to have a cuppa with us during our lunch time. It is always good to catch up with her.

The rest of the afternoon I spent back in Writers' Circle and then at the end of the school day, I had to leave on time to go up to the secondary library to meet a new student that I was to tutor this term. I fed the babies before I left. I took the babies with me and no one was the wiser. The possums are really no trouble at all.

This first tutoring session went well and my student proved to be lovely. Once the session was over I ended up having to go back to my classroom because I'd left my keys back in my room accidentally.

I headed home and got myself ready for Book Club, which was due to start at 7:30pm. I got some dinner organised, fed the babies. My darling Kimmy kindly vacuumed the floor for me, so everything was looking lovely and spiffy. Then, Kimmy decided to whip us up a batch of home made scones...mini ones that were light and fluffy. It doesn't get much better than that.

Book club was great and we had a great discussion about this month's title: 'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck. The evening was topped off with tea and coffee and warm, fresh scones.

Instalment 27 Tuesday 3 May 2011

Another trip to school, with possums in tow. They were very well behaved and I seem to be managing the feeding routine at school without any problems. I managed to get a car park a little closer to my class which helps with all the things I have to carry.

I left a little earlier for school and fed the possums after I'd set up my laptop and got my class organised. This will get the babies through till after morning tea. I have to attend a meeting all the way through morning tea, so I will feed them after that.

This is Week 2 of second term and it's the second week where I will only be able to teach Writers' Circle on one of my days because tomorrow is our Primary's athletics day. I will still be working, but doing different jobs. I spent some of today endeavouring to set up some new display areas in my classroom. The students worked hard on their Writers' Profiles and we enjoyed a good day of writing.

Instalment 26 Monday 2 May 2011

I told Ian my plan for the trees and where I'd like to plant them and he kindly got busy fencing the area off from the horses. He did a really great job and now we have a great place to plant the trees. It really will be like a possum playground when we are finished.

While Ian fenced, I began using the hoe to dig up holes for the trees. The ground is lovely and soft from all the rain we've been having. It made digging the holes much easier. I managed to dig four out of the six holes by the time Ian finished fencing. Our neighbour Frank brought us over some worm fertiliser to put in the bottom of the trees holes. Frank manufactures worm tea, using Jossy's horse poo. Frank always brings us some of the finished product and it is amazing stuff. The plants love it and are all doing really well since we've begun using it.

Ian came and gave me a hand digging the last two holes, and then he dug one more for my new replacement frangipani tree. The builders destroyed my last frangipani tree when we were renovating. They leant an old fence against our back fence and it fell over and squished my old frangipani tree to the ground.

While Ian dug holes, I began to plant out the trees. The heaviest part of the whole process was breaking down the clods of clay and dirt so that it could be added to soil additive to make a nice mix for the trees.

Finally all the trees were planted and already they looked great. When the trees mature, it will be an awesome food source for the possums.

I weighed Tamigotchi and he now weighs just under 100 grams, so the new technique is working. He still doesn't seem to be enjoying his dinner, but he does get through it all. I tried introducing him to some leaves and he loved nibbling on them.

During the day, I mustn't have banded Saori's pouch well enough and she managed to squeeze her way out of the bag and then she sat herself in the basket, inside the cupboard. She didn't try to escape or go anywhere and she was very happy to see me when it was time for dinner.

Instalment 25 Sunday 1 May 2011

Last night we attended a friend's 40th surprise birthday party and because I knew we would be there for a number of hours, I had to take the possums. I fed them before we arrived and I left them in the car till I had to feed them about 9:30pm.

The party was great and when it was time to go and feed the babies, I invited one of my friends and a little girl, Kristen, who is 12 years old to join me. I taught Kristen back when she was in Prep and now she is very interested in wild life, so she was very excited. Her mum thinks she might become a vet in the future.

It was lovely to watch my friends' faces light up when they saw the babies. After I fed Saori, I let Kristen hold her. Saori cuddled up in her pouch and went straight to sleep. Kristen enjoyed holding Saori, while I fed Tamigotchi, who was very slow to eat. I had to persist with him. I then let Joy have a hold of him, after he finally finished eating.

Some young children at the party heard about what I was doing and snuck over to the car to watch. Ian was with us as well, so he was able to help keep things quiet so that the babies didn't stress.

I settled the babies back down after my friends had their cuddles and we all returned to the party. I have to be creative when I am out with the possums and they need feeding.

Today was relatively quiet. Towards the end of the day, I gathered up the list of trees that Gillian had compiled for me and I drove to Bunnings to see if they had some for sale.

I ended up buying six new trees, including: about three varieties of myrtles, a grevillea and two callistemons. So I know what I will be doing tomorrow. I kind of got very excited buying the trees because in my head I've been designing an area in our yard to make like a possum playground. I want to encourage them down the middle to back part of our garden because we live on a very busy road.

Instalment 24 Saturday 30 April 2011

Well it seems our new technique is working. Saori has jumped to 65 grams and is happy enough to lay back and suck on her new teat.

That's one positive.

Tamigotchi on the other hand, has gradually lost his fur from his chin and along his tummy. What is left is his bare young skin! I'm a little devo at this, especially finding little bits of his fur in his pouch. He really has had a reaction to the formula. Saori seems to have missed out on this, as well as the urinary infection that Tamigotchi got. Maybe Tamigotchi is a little more sensitive?

Along with this, Tamigotchi is not all that interested in his food. I ended up getting him to drink it, but he is definitely reluctant. Wow, looking after possums certainly has its ups and downs. It's all worth it, but just when you think things are going along well, a change comes along. I guess too, it depends on their little personalities. I hope Tamigotchi is going to be okay. I worry about him sometimes.

I will just continue to be in charge and even if I have to force him to eat, that will be better than him fading away to a shadow. I've just got to keep doing what I am doing and we'll get through this.

Instalment 23 Friday 29 April 2011

It was another early start for me today. I awoke at 4:30am to feed my babies and then I had to drive Ian to work. He'd gone out after work the night before to have a dinner with a couple of mates and the designated driver drove him home, while his motorbike stayed safely tucked away at work. I thought I might have a rest when I got home, but decided to keep on keeping on once I got home.

Since my visit to Gillian's yesterday, I tried to adapt to a new feeding technique which was slow going but I knew with practice I would get better. Well, I hoped I'd get better. I found feeding Saori very hard going with the drip by drip process, so I tried a new teat and I made a very small hold in the end with a safety pin. This seemed to work and by the end of today, Saori's weight had gone from 57 grams to 63 grams. It seemed things were now starting to work.

Instalment 22 Thursday 28 April 2011

Days always end up being so busy and today was no different with another trip to the doctor for me and then off to the shops to get a couple of things.

I had phoned Gillian, my possum mentor earlier in the morning to ask if I could call in to see her and she said she would be home and would be happy for me to call in. I wanted her to take a look at my babies because I was a little worried that Saori did not seem to be putting on any weight. So on the way home I called in to see Gillian and she took a look at them both.

It seems the formula, when it spills out of Tamigotchi's little mouth and trickles under his chin and tummy it reacts with his fur, and Gillian noticed that he has lost some of his fur under his chin. I hadn't noticed this. She said it was not a huge issue. She told me the formula sometimes did that to some of the babies. I did not know this before, so now I decided to make sure to take extra special care and endeavour to make sure things don't leak as much as they had.

Feeding baby possums isn't always as straight forward as you think. Most people probably think, like I did, that you just need to whack some milk in the bottle and pop it in their mouth, but it doesn't work like that at all. I am constantly learning new things along this journey.

Other than this slight set back with regard to his fur, overall, Tamigotchi was doing well and putting on weight like he should.He was now over 80 grams and Gillian said she could see a lot of growth in him. He was all fluffy, warm and cuddly for Gillian when she nursed him. It also seemed as though his toileting issues had all cleared up too.

Next, she took a look at Saori. She agreed that Saori had not put on any weight and decided to feed her and use tissues to measure any spills along the way. She weighed a tissue dry and then after Saori had eaten and some of the spills leaked into the tissue, she weighed the wet tissue. Saori works very hard on the teat and tends to dribble and bubble quite a lot and it is this that runs out of her mouth. After her first feed, Gillian discovered that she had leaked at least 2ml, which is most of her feed! No wonder she is not putting on any weight.

Gillian thought I should try to change the technique that I used to feed Saori. I laughed because I wished I was in more control than I actually was. It is really Saori's technique. I explained to Gillian that Saori loves to stand up and hold onto the syringe when she feeds. It dribbles all down her elbows and down her belly. Anyway, I knew now that I would have to be more in charge and not always let Saori have her way. Gillian suggested that I remove the teat and drip the formula, one drop at a time, into her mouth. This is a very time consuming method, but the way I saw it, I didn't really have a choice.

I bought some new teats off Gillian and was pleased that Gillian was happy with their progress anyway. She enjoyed her cuddles with them too. While I was there, I asked Gillian for a list of trees and bushes that possums love to eat. I had a plan.

It was great catching up with Gillian and as we were leaving, she told me she was off to pick up an older rescued Brushtail possum. How exciting.

We loaded up and headed home while I thought about how much more careful I would need to be a feeding time.

Instalment 21 Wednesday 27 April 2011

Hi ho...it's off to work I go, with two little possums in tow.

My feeding schedule kicked off fine this morning and I managed to finish on time and not be late for work. I had plenty of time to organise myself at school and even managed to make it to devotions.

It was great seeing the kids at school and it sounded like everyone had a lovely holiday. The day progressed well and I fed the possums in my break. No one knew they were here at school. They stayed quietly in their basket in my office. No one can see them and the reason I didn't share my news with the kids is because they would all want to see them and there are just too many students. It would turn out to be a circus, with the possums all stressed out.

When I went to feed Saori in the afternoon, I noticed she was a little bit damp. I think she leaks quite a bit of her formula. I'm not so sure how much actually makes it down into her tummy.

I worked back at school till about 5pm and then packed up and came on home. I was relieved the day had gone so well, however, I felt knackered. By about 6:30pm, I actually felt a little nausea. It's been a big gig for me, so I'm sure there was a bit of tension with regard to how the day was going to pan out.

It was all good.

Instalment 20 Tuesday 26 April 2011

Well I spent most of today working on programs and lesson notes for my return to school tomorrow. Back to reality! Ouch.

I must admit I was a little nervous as to how I was going to manage the possums, as well as teach and fit in a regular working day. I nutted out exact times to feed the possums so they wouldn't impact my work commitments. But, because I am working with animals, I know at some point things may get tricky. You know what they say...never work with children or animals...and it seems I'm a sucker for punishment because I work with both!

It is a great week for my situation, though. Today is normally a paid working day for me, however, it was deemed a public holiday so I got the day off. This means Wednesday is my Monday and my Friday - for this week only.

This is a bit of a break for me, so I can now ease into this new territory calmly and make any necessary adjustments.

I enjoyed a productive day and managed to get all my preparations completed and now everything is packed and ready to go.

Both possums are fine and Tamigotchi is now officially off his medicine. Now time will tell. I weighed both the possums this evening.

Tamigotchi is now 90 grams, and little Saori, who looks like she is getting bigger, according to my scales, has not put on ANY weight! I have no idea what is going on. She still only weighs 57 grams. How can this be?

How frustrating to think she is healthy, happy, her fur is shiny, she is very alert and energetic, and she drinks all her milk so well, but yet she is not putting on an ounce of weight. I don't know what to do.

I'll see how she goes over the next couple of days and then give Gillian a call if there is no increase in weight soon.

This is little Saori...she is my little princess. The photo above is of Tamigotchi.

Instalment 19 Monday 25 April 2011

Kimmy and I both wanted to get up and go to a dawn service and we'd decided that we would, but because Sunday ended up being such a big day, and what with me having to keep getting up to feed the possums through the night, I made an executive decision not to do it this year. Kimmy was also feeling the bite, and so we made a pact to do it next year.

I was up at 4:30am anyway...with baby possums, up to my ears in syringes and milky products. I watched the dawn service in the comfort of my telly room and cheered the diggers on.

I send a prayer to all diggers and their families...may God bless them and keep them and I give thanks to them for the undeniable freedom that I enjoy. Amen.

Anzac Day is such a special, reflective time for all Australians and New Zealanders everywhere. It's only a few short years to the centenary celebration - 100 years already! Wow...time goes so quickly.

Both possums are going well. I did a quick update with Gillian to keep her in the loop. Tamigotchi finishes his medicine tomorrow, so I am hoping we get a positive reaction when he comes off everything.

Aww...just how cute can a possum get? So beautiful.

Instalment 18 Sunday 24 April 2011

Today is Easter Sunday and family came from the Sunshine coast to celebrate with us. The weather was perfect. Sunshine warmed everything and made us all feel good to be alive. The atmosphere was fresh and most enjoyable.

Jocelyn and Chris decided to host a family lunch to mark the occasion. We set up a couple of tables outside in the fresh air to enjoy the sunshine.

Have I mentioned the beautiful sunshine?

Liz, Peter, Thora and Poppy travelled down from Belli Park and Tish and Andy just popped in. They actually live in the same suburb as us.

We started off with a few drinks and nibblies, just to unwind.

Unfortunately Kimmy had to work, but the rest of us were here.

Joss was in charge of organising everything. She asked me to bake some gourmet pumpkin and feta bread. The recipe required me to use yeast. In all my years of cooking I've always avoided recipes that have called for the use of yeast. I don't know why, but I've always been fearful of using the stuff. Anyway, I decided I'd give it a go...and guess what? It worked! Surprise, surprise. Well, secretly I was rather surprised.

Joss made a gorgeous risotto with mushrooms and asparagus. Liz & Tish made a lovely meat platter with garden salad. For dessert, Joss made a raspberry & cream tart. The food was absolutely exquisite to our taste buds.

Pete and Ian seemed to enjoy each other's company and delighted in challenging Dylan and Andy to a couple of games of pool.

Chris busied himself helping Joss set up everything and did a wonderful job laying out some yummy chocolate easter eggs for us to munch on. Never mind our waist lines. They just continue to grow and grow.

Poppy enjoyed the day and it was great catching up with him. He is going really well and he and Thora joined in with all the celebrations. We don't get to see them all that much, so today's opportunity was wonderful.




Dylan's girlfriend, Tahlia, made some yummy handmade chocolate giant freckles and some heart shaped ones as well. Talk about a great idea.

Oscar, Mitzi, and Billie, Ewok and Florence (the dogs) all had a great time running around and being...well, dogs.

It was a great way to spend the day and everyone seemed very relaxed and chilled out.

All in all, Easter Sunday was a very special day. The extended family got to meet our newest members, Tamigotchi and Saori. Everyone thought they really were very cute.

They continue to eat well and Tamigotchi seems fine. He is still on Nilstat and I have been adding a quarter of a capsule of Inner Health Plus, under the guidance of Gillian. This apparently helps balance out the gut flora while Tamigotchi is battling yeast and urinary tract infections.

In the evening, Kimmy and I went together with Joss, Chris, Andy and Tish to church. We visited Joss and Chris' church for their Easter evening service. The pastor shared a great message.

Instalment 17 Saturday 23 April 2011

Not a lot to report for today. My holidays are taken up with feeding routines and trying to fit all my other commitments into my imposed four-hourly increments. But I don't mind. I'm feeling a little tired though.

I am not one to have nana naps (oops, I mean - power naps) as I always seem to feel worse, so I don't. I never get to catch up on my missed sleep and I think I read somewhere that you can never regain lost sleep. Don't quote me, but I know I read it somewhere.

Tamigotchi remains fresh smelling and continues to eat well. This is a good thing.

Saori has decided that she likes to stand up to be fed. That brings its own sorts of problems in that she dribbles a lot of the milk away and it runs down her skinny little elbows. She is such a character...really very cute who knows what she wants. She really likes to do things her way.