Breeding capacity of female brushtail possumsTrichosurus vulpeculain captivity

Abstract

Abstract This study records baseline data on the reproductive capacity of female brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) at Rangiora (near Christ‐church) and compares the breeding season of captive and free‐living possums. Repeat breeding was stimulated in captive females by removal of pouch young soon after birth. Captive females that bred, produced pouch young from March to October (more or less continuously), and some females produced four pouch young in one season. Free‐living possums around Rangiora had two distinct periods of birth, in autumn (April/May/June) and spring (October/November). Reproduction ceased earlier in the year in captive possums than in possums in the wild, perhaps because of the stress of captivity. The probability of a given possum producing pouch young, and the number of pouch young produced, was not influenced by year, pelage colour, or the number of males in the breeding group. Weight was important: possums heavier than 3 kg were more likely to produce at least one pouch yo...