Now here's the twist... it's Punkin's Secret. Look closely and you'll see that she has now become a mother.... The babies are born after only two weeks and crawl into the mother's pouch. The twist on the twist... Punkin has decided that she is going to stay in the house while she raises her babies..... What a trip! We get to watch these little critters grow up under the care of their natural mother, "Right in our den..........."
How many are there?
That's right, a pouch.... Possums are kin to the Australian Kangaroo and carry there young in a pouch. At this point in time, we don't know how many babies Punkin has but, there's at least six. They have no hair and their tails are very short... A teaspoon would easily hold two or three of these little critters....
Look at them toes..
Their toes are just beginning to develop and you can actually see their little hearts beating through the skin... It looks like they have a long way to go before they start looking like opossums..
Progress Update
Well, it's only been four weeks now since Punkin's babies were born. The rate of development is astonishing. They are now covered in a fine black fur. Their eyes are open and they now over flow the pouch. Punkin really has trouble getting around with this load...
The babies are now far to large to all fit in the pouch so, they ride. They ride anywhere they can grab hold enough fur to hang on with... Punkin has now started leaving them alone under the chair while she goes out for nightly strolls.... But while mama's away, the babies play... They wonder through the house looking for who knows what... At 4:00 this morning one found the lamp on my night stand... It's a touch light and the little critter turned it on with it's nose....