Opossums?

[DCJenn]

So, what's their gig besides being hideously ugly? Are they mean, dangerous, rabid? Why you might ask? Well, because I have outdoor kitties that I feed, we have the occasional possum show up and help themselves at the food dish.

My two cats were just outside and they didn't seem the least bit concerned about the large rat-like rodent eating cat food on the back porch. I however am totally skeeved out. I can't handle MICE. This thing is a Giant Mouse.

Obviously the girls weren't threatened and the thing ran away as soon as it sensed the cats were there.

EWWWWWW.

Jenn

They might be tasty. My grandfather used to eat them.

[DCJenn]

I googled my own question and this is what I found out:

Admittedly, opossums do carry fleas (as do all wild and some domestic animals). And the opossum may bite you if you are foolhardy enough to grab one; after all, they are wild animals.
But they help to maintain a clean and healthy environment. They eat all types of insects, including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, etcetera. They catch and eat rats, roof rats, mice, and they consume dead animals of all types (carrion). They like over-ripe fruit, berries, and grapes. And they think snails and slugs are a delicacy! Nature's little Sanitation Engineers!!

Typically they go about their quiet task late at night, and you usually won't know they were around...unless your dog (being territorial) starts barking, or you happen to take a midnight stroll when one is munching insects or snails in your yard.

What to do if you encounter an opossum...
nothing!


Just watch an enjoy one of Nature's beneficial wildlife species. If you must do something, try counting the thumbs on your feet...

If one has chosen your your garage, attic, or other structure, as its temporary quarters, you may not want it there! There are relatively simple and non-lethal means to get them to leave for more suitable spots in your area.

In the meantime, and BEFORE you have a visitor to those structures, pick up pet food at night, keep lids on garbage cans, and close potential entrance points. You can still enjoy opossums as they wander through your yard, eliminating its various pests as they go through their nightly excursions.

[Stella]

Sounds like a nice outdoor friend, actually. Could have gotten one of those to hang out in my spider bathroom last autumn... damn!

Are your possums like ours? http://members.optusnet.com.au/david.re ... isbane.htm

I've always thought they were pretty cute! They are everywhere here - I guess they like eating stuff in the trees. You often see families of them walking along power lines to keep away from predators on the ground, and they're generally much too shy to bother anyone.

Hmmn... I think whenever I see a nocturnal animal (raccoons, opposums, etc.) in the daytime, I'm a little alarmed - concerning rabies.

Where I live (and have been for about six years), there have been numerous rabid animal bites publicized in the media -- seems like every other year there are about 3 well publicized cases. Almost all have been B-grade horror stuff - red foxes foaming at the mouth and needing to go to animal heaven courtesy of a big lead pipe (or whatever the victim can find at his/her disposal).

An interesting thing is that if you look at reported cases on a map there is a clear dividing line (which happens to be an interstate highway).

[Flynn]

I think "city wildlife" is much LESS cute than country wildlife.

The Opossums in Seattle were RUTHLESS. They scared large dogs.

Tough critters. I only saw two of them in all my years there but "cute" would not be a word I would use to describe them.

Anyone see "The Princess Bride?" Picture grey R.O.U.S es !

Funny how your cats aren't phased at all.....

[SuzySunshine]

I grew up on a farm and we had opposums all the time. Our pets never had any issues with them. We had one beagle that would chase them under the deck and bark at them like crazy, they just hissed at him and ran away. They drink out the same water bowl (though not at the same time) and just pretty much left each other alone.

[Stella]

We had one living at our sorority house in college. We named him Chaos the Possum and we saw him allllll the time. Once, we came home to find him licking the top of a Bud Light bottle. We thought that was hilarious and thought it might be time to take our little man to AA.

[alison]

Opossum? I always thought they were called possums.

[DCJenn]

The "o" is the official spelling but I don't know anyone who pronounces it!

Jenn

[alison]

The "o" is the official spelling but I don't know anyone who pronounces it!

Jenn

Thanks! I guess it's just one of those things that gets dropped off.
It's easier to say "a possum" than "an opossum."

[Sheherezade]

Definite R.O.U.S. es.

I'd also be careful about the rabies thing for Nikolai. Sometimes, these "wild" animals are completely unafraid of people. They must have gotten used to us now. I wouldn't want the two of them to "meet" up close. I'm sure he'd be curious.

We had a raccoon that camped out in a tree on our back patio for a month nursing her babies. It took me awhile to realize that she was up in the daytime so much because of childcare. Who knew she and I had so much in common? I was concerned about her daytime activity because that is a rabies alert you hear often for nocturnal animals.

[DCJenn]

I've only seen the one and it was at night.

I'm still skeeved out.

I think my days of taking the trash out at midnight are done for a while.

Jenn

[Michele]

Opossums are fairly resistant to rabies and thus your chances of catching rabies from an opossum are very rare.