On the mend

Lucky's eyes are looking better now, the drops must be working. He doesn't like having them put in, and they're not like the drops you or I would use for ourselves, more like a cream, but it's a lot easier and less stressful than washing him.

He had another wash yesterday. I've decided that wearing surgical gloves while we wash him is a waste of time. He didn't try to scratch or anything like that, but he hissed a lot and kept trying to wriggle out of my grip. By the time we'd got him done and Donna had him wrapped up in a towel, there where great chunks ripped out of my gloves.

Afterwards, anytime we went near him he would hiss, until he realised he was being given a flower or a bowl of milk (Di-Vetalact, never cows milk).

We didn't put him straight back in his drey this time. Instead we put him in a small carrier with a heat pad and a blanket. He seemed much happier with that arrangement, which is good because that's what will happen toady at wash time as well.



We've now had the animals with us for about three weeks. In that time I've been doing a hell of a lot of reading on wildlife caring in general, and possums in particular. I've even downloaded a few scientific papers to read, things with a lot more information than we really need as carers. I'm a science student, I can't help myself.

I can definitely see why certain animals, like kangaroos, can only be cared for by experienced carers. It's not just a case of having the knowledge to deal with whatever problems crop up. You have to be able to do whatever is needed for the animal in your care, no matter how much it might hate you for it at the time. I think the more you do that, the more you get used to it.

In a way I'm glad we're being challenged with Lucky. I don't like seeing him in discomfort, and I certainly don't like stressing him out, but I think I'm learning so much more this way than I would if he was like Mogwai. Mogwai is so easy to look after at the moment, he still pees on me though. I think he saves it up, because he doesn't have as much contact with us now as he did when he first got here, so he has to time it right.

And that's another thing that comes with experience. We still think the little guys are really cute, but the novelty phase has passed and we can get on with the job of caring for them properly. That means they can get on with the job of being wild animals.

Of course, the next baby possum that comes along will still get to spend some time in my pocket.