Tuan tales

Tuans, or brush-tailed phascogales (Phascogale tapoatafa), to give them their formal name, love our houses. Even when we’ve provided them with deluxe nesting boxes, they prefer roof cavities, if they can get in to them.

This has led to some interesting encounters, but none more perplexing, (and potentially deadly), than a recent escapade by one tuan.

The call went out on our WhatsApp group from one of our residents on a Saturday afternoon: “Is anyone around who is good at disassembling rangehoods? We have a poor critter trapped in the fan. We’ve removed all visible screws but still can’t get the fan out. The animal is still alive and moving around".

Six residents responded to the emergency and after many hours of their combined efforts, the tuan was freed, but covered in grease.

Pulling apart the rangehood; a very greasy tuan (photo: Anita Daly)

Once released from the rangehood, it immediately scampered behind a bed and there it stayed until the wonderful folk from Boobook Wildlife Shelter came and rescued it.

The tuan turned out to be a male, and he was underweight. He spent some time at Healesville Sanctuary where he was degreased (twice!) while sedated. After that he was given a diet of mealworms, crickets and mice, to fatten him up.

De-greased tuan fattening up on crickets (photo: Nalini)

By the following Wednesday he was able to be released back onto the Co-op, hopefully now able to do what male tuans do between June and August – mate like crazy! Having passed on its genes it will then, sadly, die, as all male tuans do.

Tuans are listed as a vulnerable species.

Please donate to the Boobook Wildlife Shelter if you are able, to support their wonderful work. You can donate by direct credit to:

Boobook

BSB: 062692

A/C: 47438057

Boobook Wildlife Shelter is an avian rehabilitation shelter that cares for sick, injured and orphaned birds (and occasional tuans!).