Making dreys for ringtails

As we move into winter the days are beautiful and the wildlife are busy. For many it is a
‘fatten up before winter’ time!
People often think winter is too cold to release wildlife but if it is in the right habitat with
food to sustain the species, then it is a good time of year. It is so much better for an animal
to be able to move about in a big area to keep warm – much cosier than shut in an aviary.
The reptiles are also a bit more sluggish!
Preparing animals for release is always another aspect we carers just have to get right.
Wildlife need to be fit, with good muscular development, rather than fat. A possums
rehabilitation diet must be totally natural, with no human foods. The variety of native
vegetation gives them all they need. Suitable housing is necessary, as animals need time to
assess their new surroundings from a safe place.
Preparing a drey for ringtail possums is always a creative process. A fun pastime with the
drey hung from a tree as extra leaves are threaded through the wire. Being chilly, with
showers about, banana leaves were placed under the native leaves to add extra insulation
and waterproofing. The two hanging baskets upended on each other, and decorated with
extra foliage on the exterior, look somewhat similar to what the ringtail possums construct
in the wild. Their dreys up in the trees can often be mistaken for bird nests. They are a
woven masterpiece of foliage, built on a branch away from the trunk. This gives them the
opportunity of feeling any movement should a predator such as a goanna or snake be
approaching.
Ringtail possums actually like these dreys, though I’m sure they can craft better ones after
settling into their new habitat. Many species move about to new housing regularly as a
way of ‘predator proofing’.
I hope my ringtail possums get to live a long happy life in the wild.
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail
Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au