‘Our babies have really grown, haven’t they?’ I say excitedly.

Chelsea, Maisy and I are weighing them all and filling in their charts.

‘Mum says all the brushtail possums that are over 200 grams and the ringtails that are over 130 grams can start being fed some strained fruit and custards now. Soon they will start to nibble at leaves and flowers.’

‘Well, that is all three of my babies,’ says Chelsea. ‘They look so much better than they did three weeks ago, don’t they!’

‘And mine,’ smiles Maisy, holding up an adorable and very chubby little Lambchop. ‘At least your mum won’t have to give them bottles during the day when we are at school now. We can just do an early morning, afternoon and night feed.’

‘Let’s go and see what Mum wants us to start with,’ I say. ‘My Oscar’s still a bit small but the sugar gliders are coming along well. I wonder if they’ll start on solids soon too?’

Mum is in the surgery feeding Button, the baby koala. We call him Button because he has a little button nose that he always pokes out of his pouch first when he comes out for feeding. He is sitting up high on his teddy mother’s back, slurping vigorously at his bottle. He turns his head to look at us but doesn’t take the teat out of his mouth.

‘He’s such a guts,’ laughs Mum. She gives him a little pat on his fluffy bottom. ‘The teddy bear was such a good idea, girls.’

We all beam proudly at each other.

‘Will he ever be able to be released into the wild again?’ Maisy asks.

‘I don’t think so,’ sighs Mum. ‘His claws and pads on his back feet are very badly scarred, so he is probably better off in a sanctuary where he won’t have to climb fast to escape predators.’

For a moment we look sadly at Button, but then he buries his head into the teddy’s soft fur.

‘At least he’ll get to keep his teddy!’ laughs Chelsea. ‘He looks pretty attached to it.’

‘What should we start to feed our possums on now, Mum?’ I ask. ‘Six of them have reached their goal weight for solid food.’

‘Start with a little bit of stewed apples and banana custard. I bought some little cans and put them in the pantry. Just offer them a little on a spoon first, then we can start to leave a bowl out for them to help themselves.’

‘Mum thinks maybe mine are ready for a cage now, Mrs Fletcher,’ says Maisy.

‘They are, Maisy. There are plenty in the surgery you can choose from. As they grow they will need bigger cages with branches to climb on and lots of leaves and flowers to choose from. You can help decorate their cages. By the time they reach 800 grams, they won’t need milk at all and they can go to release aviaries.’

‘How do they work?’ asks Chelsea.

‘They are large cages in the area where the animal will eventually roam free. Once it has had time to get used to the surroundings, the door or roof is opened so that it can start to become a wild animal again,’ explains Mum.

‘Where will we release ours?’ I ask quietly, trying not to look worried.

‘A carer that lives in the mountains where the possums came from told me she has some outdoor release aviaries we can use.’

Mum looks at me. She knows how I am feeling.

‘I guess they need to be free,’ says Chelsea.

I desperately want to change the subject. ‘Should my gliders be having solid food yet?’ I ask. ‘They weigh about 30 grams each.’

‘You’ll know when they are ready. At about 35 grams they will start to explore their surrounds and look for ways to escape. You can offer them a few little things and see how they like them. They are a bit different to possums, because they are mainly insectivores – that means they eat insects – so they need a lot more protein.’

I whip out my Vet Diary and take some notes as Mum tells us what they eat.

We spend the rest of the afternoon setting up cages for Chelsea to put her possums in. We make sure they have a warm, dark box with bedding, branches, water and food. Chelsea has a real talent for cage decorating. Maybe she could become a world famous animal trainer and pet cage decorator.

Maisy’s mum has some old chook cages at home that Maisy can use to do the same thing for her babies.

That night I am lying in my bed and can hear my little gliders and Oscar moving around in their pouches and pet carriers. At first I didn’t sleep much when I could hear them moving around, but now I don’t know how I’ll sleep when they’re gone. They really are starting to become nocturnal and wanting to come out at night. Mum’s right. It won’t be long before my babies need to go out into the surgery cages too. I feel really sad and wonder if mother possums feel sad when their babies leave their pouches for the last time. Or birds whose babies leave their nests? I get my gliders out for a cuddle, even though they don’t need feeding. Being a vet can make your heart ache. I am so glad I don’t have to let Curly and my other pets go. I just wish I could keep them all.