Said goodbye to my oldest possie today. Rest in peace, my beautiful, bug-eyed Nelly Belly.
It's been a rough week. Last weekend I noticed that she was having a hard time getting around. She wasn't going back up her ramp to get in her bed. So I knew this day was near.
We spent the week feeding her all the things that are so bad for her, but that she loved. Her favorite: Oreo's. Grapes. Yogurt with superworms. Ham.
The last few days, things worsened. She wasn't moving to use the bathroom or grooming herself. She wouldn't eat last night (not even an Oreo) so I took her to my dad's today and he put her down for me. No suffering for my sweet girl.
This is the first time I've had to make that decision, but I'm sure it won't be the last. I do feel that it was the right thing to do. In all honesty I am quite surprised that she lived and got around as well as she did, for as long as she did. Opossums generally only live to be about 2 years old and and she would have been 2.5 in July.
Thanks to the ignorant staff and neglectful care she received at the Anniston Museum of Natural History this girl had advanced signs of Metabolic Bone Disease the day they gave her to me - at 5 months old. It is a crippling bone disease that is completely preventable with a correct diet. Opossums with this disease usually have shorter life spans and don't survive if released back into the wild.
Though the damage done was irreversible I corrected her diet and tried my best to give her a good life. She had a comfy bed and got treats often. I loved it when she came out and walked around and marked all the shoes she could find as her own. It was less great when she went in the cat litter box for a treat. 😂 I hope she knows how much I learned from her. She changed my life. ❤
Though the weather was rainy and crappy today by the time we made it to Munford, a beautiful rainbow had appeared and the sun came out to kiss her goodbye. I love you, Nelly Belly. Time to go return you back to the Earth. ❤❤❤
