Baby possum stuck in toilet startles Melbourne resident
A Melbourne homeowner received a shock when a trip to the toilet ended with the rescue of a baby brushtail possum.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning the man in Montrose approached the toilet, but when he lifted the lid he saw a furry creature staring back at him.
He then called animal rescuer Nigel Williamson, who didn't believe it was a possum at first and asked the resident to send him a picture.
Mr Williamson from Nigel's Animal Rescue and Pest Control said it is certainly one of the most unusual rescues he has come across.
"It's the first time in 30 years that I've ever heard of a possum coming up through the toilet system," Mr Williamson told Yahoo7.
"I've heard of rats before but never a possum."
Mr Williamson said the residents keep the door closed and the lid of the toilet down at all times, so it is believed the small marsupial travelled up through the plumbing and into the toilet bowl.
"Glad he looked down before he sat down," Mr Williamson said.
Mr Williamson's partner, who is also a veterinary nurse, travelled for close to an hour to the property to rescue the animal, which he believed was only about four or five months old.
The animal rescuer spoke to the resident several times on the phone during that time, but the resident was hesitant to retrieve the animal himself.
Once the veterinary nurse arrived the possum came out very easily.
She dried the exhausted creature off and used her own body heat to bring the possum's temperature back up - which she did by keeping it under her shirt while driving the hour back from the property.
The possum then received medical attention when it stayed with Mr WIlliamson and his partner overnight and appeared quite active during that time.
"(He was) not showing any trauma from his ordeal," Mr Williamson said.
The small marsupial is currently at a wildlife shelter but when he is ready he will be returned to the property where he was found.
