Our new young possum

[Len B]

Got a phone call late Sunday night,and this is what I ended up with. Going to call it either Bobby or Lois depending on sex,(haven't checked yet) the first 2 nights it stayed in the garage by itself just to make sure that it would eat and what it would eat.no problem with appetite, so it is in the kitchen where it can see and hear everything that goes on, to get used to all the different noises,the dogs, cats, and humans. It's been a long time since I had a possum to care for, looking forward it.

 

[wellington]

Was it abandoned by it's mother? Are you rehabbing for release back to the wild?
S/he is very cute.

 

[Len B]

Was it abandoned by it's mother? Are you rehabbing for release back to the wild?
S/he is very cute.

It was about to be taken out by some dogs in town, it is most likely a new member of our family. By what it is eating it has weened from the mother but just recently.

 

[Blakem]

How is it with handling? I think it is cute. Most think they are gross because of the ones in the wild. I would love to be able to handle one.

 

[conservation]

What? I want a possum! My Ridgeback found a baby possum when I was a kid. We dropped it off at a rescue. Very cool. How are they as pets?

 

[Laura]

treat for fleas.. they are Omnivourus.. eat anything and everything.. and have a vert short life span... 2-3 years..
at that age, it probably dropped off mom and is on its own.

 

[AustinASU]

They are easy to handle....just until they hit maturity and then they go nuts

 

[CLMoss]

So Cute! I use to have a few in my backyard.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Very cool! I cant believe they only live 2-3 years, I figured it'd be around 10.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

 

[Julius25]

so nice

 

[Jacqui]

Huh, that short lifetime surprised me.

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

I guess it's all "in the eye of the beholder" because I personally just see rodent….it may not be of the same family but it's a bit too similar for my liking …….Good luck with him or her!!! :0)

 

[Yvonne G]

I used to have one. I can't remember where we got him, but he was an adult when he came to live with us. We kept him in one of those large kitty cage thingeys. He had a really nice plush hiding place. He ate anything and everything. He was very tame and never offered to bite us. At that time Pat Paulson was making a bid to run for President (it was a joke, Paulson was a comedian of the times), so we called the 'possum Pat Possum. I love them.

 

[Itort]

They are cute unless you have chickens. We would go to collect eggs, find broken shells, and eventually asleep in one of the nestboxes the possum. They did have a short life.

 

[Laura]

the only marsupial in North America.. I think they are cool.. they are very adaptable, heal from injuries and keep on trucking,, i have heard rattlesnake bites dont affect them, and for a mammal, thier body temp is lower, so the rabies virus does not live in them.

 

[Jacqui]

They are cute unless you have chickens. We would go to collect eggs, find broken shells, and eventually asleep in one of the nestboxes the possum. They did have a short life.

Sounds much like what we had. My son developed such a strong dislike for them, that they are the only animal he will kill and without hesitation. He also hates the fact they steal catfood. I had an elderly (or so he seemed, he was very scruffy) one show up at the front porch last early winter. My son was told to leave him alone, as I felt sorry for him. My husband, the possum lover, saw him once when home and said he doubted he would last the winter any how. He stayed for a few weeks on then stopped showing up.

 

[Yvonne G]

In the real world, 'possums don't have a territory. They wander in a sort of large circle, overlapping each time and moving it further and further away. So you might see 'possum poop in your box turtle water for a few days, but eventually he'll move out of your area. But all bets are off if you have a good hiding place near your chicken coop. They'll stay in that area if they feel safe and there is food available.

This is a very interesting article about opossum and particularly how they came to be in California:

http://web.missouri.edu/~krausew/Histology/Home_files/opossum.pdf

 

[Laura]

interesting article...i didnt see the part of how they got here tho...

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i see it now... kept as a food source by travlers and they escaped.. and bred for fur.. hmmm