Question about Virgina opossums

[TexasYankee]

This is a bit of a moot point since they're illegal in Texas, but I've heard that they never stop growing and eventually die of health-related issues from their size. Is this true? Is this why four-eyeds are more popular among the larger opossums?

[TamanduaGirl]

No but they grow really fast so it's really easy for them to get MBD and most people let them get fat. They just have very short life spans aside from an odd one here for there and studies found no diet correlations to ages reached. They are geriatric by 1.5-2. That is just their natural life cycle and that is why they are not more popular.

[TexasYankee]

That's too bad. What's MBD?

Also, it looks like four-eyed opossums only live 3-4 years but those still seem to be relatively popular.

It's weird because usually bigger species are longer-lived, but STOs live 5-6 years.

[TamanduaGirl]

Metabolic bone disease. An imbalance of the vitamins and minerals causes their bones and joints to grow abnormally.

[TexasYankee]

And we don't really know what the balance they need is yet, right?

[TamanduaGirl]

Most people feed the NOS diet but you basically have to buy it http://www.opossum.org/diet.htm

Here's one that gives some info away on diet http://possumlover777.wixsite.com/oposs ... adult-diet

and good info here: http://www.opossum.org/mbd.html

But I don't know of studies on exactly what they need like with foxes, though I haven't really research mush to find any either. I think most info is just from real world experience with rehabers and such finding what works and not real studies to pin point exact requirements.