Stuart passed away in November 2021 at the ripe old age of three and a half.  He was an amazing Ambassador and is still missed everyday.  Here is his story:

Stuart and his brother, Mickey, were found in Stafford County in August 2018 when they were about a month old and just 27 grams. As he was the smallest of the two, he was named "Stuart" after Stuart Little.

As they began to grow and develop, it was determined through x-rays that they both had metabolic bone disease, a condition where their bones didn't absorb calcium properly. This condition is often seen in reptiles and, if left untreated, can result in physical deformities and death. Fortunately for Stuart and Mickey, it was caught early and was able to be treated with a diet of high-calcium foods and supplements.

Just when it was thought they were on the road to recovery, they were taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, VA to have x-rays taken again. At that time it was discovered that Mickey's elbows were severely deformed and, despite the fact that he was only about seven months old, they were full of painful arthritis. It was the veterinarian's recommendation that Mickey be humanely euthanized to keep him from having to endure any more pain.

Stuart turned out to a be a bit of a genetic nightmare as well. Although the vet does not believe he's in pain, as you can see from the x-ray pictures below, his hips are deformed. A normal opossum has hips like we do - complete with a ball and socket. Stuart's hips have no socket; the only thing keeping his hips in place are tendons. The result? He has a little more wiggle in his walk, but is otherwise ok. Will this reduce his life span? It's too soon to tell. But, in the meantime, he's an opossum doing opossum things, and is a fabulous ambassador for his species!

Since April 2019, when Awesome Possumz began, he has helped me to educate THOUSANDS of people, and to correct the misconceptions that many people have about opossums - that they are vicious, aggressive, and dirty animals that carry rabies and are to be feared. He's been on the radio, on TV, in the newspaper and on the cover of our local magazine.  For a possum he sure gets around!

Watch an amazing YouTube video of Stuart's Story that was created by Wild Things Media.

Watch the YouTube video of Stuart's first bath.  (Spoiler alert: he didn't like it.)

Shop Stuart Merchandise

 

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