Im creeped out by mealworms, crickets, pinky mice, etc – do I have to feed them to my STO?
Many STO pet owners are anxious to feed their short tail opossum a healthy diet but have reservations about some aspects of feeding live food. They may want to avoid feeding any live food, love rodents too much to use them as feeders, or just hate touching certain live bugs. Some people live too far from a pet store to get live food frequently, and others worry live rodents may harm their STO (though that is unlikely). There is evidence that short tail opossums fed fresh foods, including fruits, insects or meat tend to be healthier and live longer than those just fed dry foods. Is it a good idea to feed STO insects and mice, are they nutritious, do the STO love them and does the hunting give them exercise and excitement? Sure. Will your short tail opossum get sick and die, and have a substantially worse quality of life if you don’t give them live insects or mice? No. Many STO kept in zoos, universities and homes have led healthy lives on diets including pre-killed, cooked or even freez
