ELDERLY Katy the ringtail possum (pseudocheirus peregrinus) was once a wild possum.
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She came into care after being transported on the radiator of a car for several kilometres before discovery.
It then took a few months for her to become strong and active enough to be soft released.
During her recovery period she lived in a big aviary with a release door.
She released herself several times - sometimes spending up to three days away from her aviary - but she still chose to keep coming back.
After about the fifth time of doing this she stopped going out altogether and has since accrued a whopping 12 years of breakfasts in bed!
Just two years ago she developed cataracts and now lives inside a small aviary so it is easy for her to find her food.
Occasionally her carer will carry her out into the sun, where, once newly energized, she loves to clamber all over people’s arms and hands.
This acts like a new lease of life for her and she will be much more active for days to come following one of these outings.
She has a cosy warm space during the cold wintry months and some of her favourite food consists of eucalyptus leaf tips (mainly from E. sieberi), grapes, apple and oats.
Sometimes this might include some carefully selected native blossoms.
In the wild they are nocturnal feeders, eating mostly eucalyptus leaves, sometimes fresh new native flower buds, flowers and fruit.
They shelter in tree hollows lined with leaves and will also build spherical nests in trees, known as dreys.
Normally they will live up to eight years, but are at risk in urban areas from cats, dogs and foxes.
Large birds can also predate on these small possums, which are about the size of a small cat.
Loss of habitat through land clearing for agriculture and urbanisation is also a contributing factor in the threats facing this agile little marsupial.