Goldfinger: The Golden Brushtail Possum

A member of the public had noticed that this little Golden Possum that regularly visited their property was starting to lose fur all over its body. Luckily they thought to call for help as the possum had dermatitis lesions on his face, limbs, and base of his tail.

Brought in via our Animal Ambulance, a golden possum is rare sight even for the RSPCA team! Golden Brushtail Possums are extremely hard to come by in the wild.

Golden Brushtail Possums get their unique colour from a genetic mutation that results in low levels of melanin in their skin and fur, like how humans get their eye colour.

Exudative dermatitis is a skin disease that affects native brushtail possums of all colours. Dermatitis can be the reason for a possum to start losing its fur, but with early detection and quick treatment the fur can grow back. Here are some other cases of possum dermatitis that we’ve seen. It’s really important if you see possums looking like this to call our 1300 ANIMAL hotline for rescue and treatment.

Despite the golden possum being extremely rare, dermatitis is a condition that is very common for suburban brushtail possums, he is one of the lucky ones that was able to receive treatment at our RSPCA Wildlife Hospital. We’re pleased to let you know he made a full recovery and was released back into the wild!

If you see a sick or injured animal contact the RSPCA 24/7 emergency line on 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625).