Maintenance and captive breeding of the Brush‐tailed phascogale Phascogale tapoatafa at Healesville Sanctuary

Abstract

Summary The rare status of P. tapoatafa in the wild makes it an important species for captive management. It can be maintained easily and bred in captivity if the correct techniques are applied. Due to its unusual life history strategy, the species needs to be consistently bred each year if a captive population is to be maintained. Two different techniques, monogamous pairs and round robin, have been applied at Healesville Sanctuary with a 100% breeding success rate. It is difficult to assess which technique is most appropriate as each has been attempted with relatively few ♀♀ in a single breeding season. In both cases, it is thought that an important aspect of the breeding protocol has been that animals are paired just prior to the breeding season and not earlier. Phascogale tapoatafa are easily maintained. The major components of the diet are insects, meat mix, cheese and Lead‐beater's mix, all of which are offered throughout the year. Animals typically maintain their weight on this diet, though on occasion ♀♀lose condition during the breeding season. Large groups of animals (up to eight) have been maintained together outside of the breeding season. If necessary, hand‐rearing techniques can be applied to animals that have been orphaned and fostering of young animals is also an option depending on age.

Reproductive biology of the brush‐tailed phascogale, Phascogale tapoatafa (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

“…Animals were housed in the Healesville Sanctuary Small Mammal Breeding enclosure. The colony was maintained as described by Halley (1992). All procedures were carried out under supervision of Healesville Sanctuary veterinarians, who also conducted regular assessment of each individual's general health and well being.…”

“…Mating behaviour of the tuan has not been extensively investigated. Female Antechinus stuartii, however, are known to mate with several males throughout the breeding season (Woolley, 1966;Lazenby-Cohen & Cockburn, 1988;Lazenby-Cohen, 1991) and a`round robin' mating system has proved effective in the captivebreeding programme for phascogales at Healesville Sanctuary (Halley, 1992).…”

Husbandry and breeding of the Eastern pygmy possum Cercartetus nanus: at Healesville Sanctuary

“…Two approaches were utilized: (1) one 8 was housed with one or two for prolonged periods ranging from several months to over 1 year; (2) one 3 was housed for 3 days with one 9, then 3 days with another Q and 3 days back with the first S, and so on, alternating between the enclosures. This procedure is called 'round robin' and has been successfully used to breed the Brush-tailed phascogale Phascogule tupoatufu (Halley, 1992).…”