They are omnivores. Short tailed opossums need a diet high in protein. Try to find a dry cat food that is around 30% protein. Fresh fruit is always good to add to their diet. Grapes and peaches are some of our opossum’s favorites.  Many people supplement their diets with insect and mouse pinkies. This gives them a boost of protein. We also use hard boiled eggs diced into small pieces. Short Tailed Opossum’s need fresh clean water daily. They cannot go longer than 24 hours without water.

The short tailed opossum was first imported into the United States during the mid 1990’s. They can be found in the wild in the moist forested areas of South America. The ideal home for your short tailed opossum is a 20 gallon tank with a secure fitting lid. They are very good at escaping!  Provide a good nesting area with lots of soft bedding for them. They will run on a wheel but make sure they get at least a nine inch wheel. They do a lot of climbing so add some good climbing branches. Here is the best part; they can be trained to potty in a corner!  This makes the cleanup easy. We normally clean the potty bin on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a full cage clean every other week.

When they reach adulthood they are about the size of a big hamster. Caring for your Short tailed opossum will give him the average lifespan of 4 years.