*UPDATE* Eeeewww- AKA The Tale of the baby possum...

Poor baby possum.

Possom Myths and Facts

There has been a lot of talk and questions about the North American Virginia Opossum in my world lately. It always amazes me how little the average public knows about these animals. My hope is to expand your Opossum mind. Please: Read, Stay Open Minded, Think, and Share.

COMMON OPOSSUM MYTHS AND PHRASES:
"Eww it's a big rat!"
"They carry disease."
"They are worthless!"
"They kill my chickens and attack my pets!"
"They're mean!"
I could go on and on with the horrible things I have heard and read about Opossums. I'll get back to debunking these myths later on. Let me start by telling you all about this fantastic Mammal!

North American Virginia Opossum FACTS:
These mammals are found all over North America.

They are Marsupials (pouched animals) and the only Marsupials we have in North America.

Opossums have a Prehensil tail. This hairless tail is used to grip onto mom as a baby and tree branches later in life when foraging for food.

N.A. Virginia Opossums have a lifespan of about 2 years in the wild and up to 3 years in captivity.

In California and some other states they are a Protected Species (they should be everywhere).

Opossums are healthy for our ecosystems.

Opossums are omnivores. They eat fruit, snail, slugs, some insects, small rodents and lizards, and the occassional egg. They are scavengers not hunters.

Female Opossums have a pouch, the males do not. They have 13 nipples in their pouch and can give birth to 1-50 babies but only the first 13 to crawl into their moms pouch and latch on have a chance of survival. The average litter that survives is about 3-6 babies.

Opossums have a great sense of smell but poor eyesight.

Opossums are Nocturnal, coming out in the night and sleeping by day.

Opossums are great climbers and will climb trees to get fruit and food, however they choose to sleep on the ground in holes, dense bushes, or burrows they find.

Opossums are excellent for keeping a healthy ecosystem.

Now lets continue with facts and debunk some common Opossum myths.

While opossums do have a "rat-like" tail they are NOT rats and they are NOT rodents. They are Marsupials.

They do not hang by their tails from trees and attack or sleep that way (only in cartoons) Opossums can NOT carry rabies or other diseases because they have one of the lowest body temperatures of any mammal. The worst thing they might have is fleas (and lets be honest everyone has fleas at some point).
They are not worthless. Opossums clean up rotting fruit, keep pest species like snails under control, and play a valuable role in every ecosystem, even in the city.

These next two deserve an entire section to themselves: "They kill my chickens and attack my pets!"

"They're mean!". Let us take a moment for an important Opossum Lesson:
Opossums are scared of everything! They are not very fast and can often get cornered by a person, dog, or other animal. The first thing they do it sit still thinking "maybe it won't see me", when that doesn't work they open their mouth to show you all 50 of their sharp pointy teeth (great for cracking nuts and snail shells) they hope that when their attacker sees their impressive teeth the attacker will leave them alone. When this doesn't work they puff up to look big and hiss (sounds like a cat hissing), hoping with all their might to be left alone.

THEY ARE BLUFFING!
Most people have heard of the term "playing opossum" or seen it on a cartoon. The fact of the matter is they are not pretending. When all of their bluff tactics don't work, some Opossums get so freaked out that they faint! They actually pass out from fear. When this happens nature kicks in and sets off a scent gland that releases a horrible odor (to make them smell dead). Smelling dead is good because if you are going to be helplessly passesd out for a few hours you don't want a passing Mountain Lion or other carnivore to eat you. Since Carnivores only like fresh meat they pass the stinky Opossums by. A great defense for a scared animal. In the city people see a "dead" Opossum and toss them in their dumpsters only to be surprised when they hear it moving around later in the night.

Opossums only bite if cornered and something touches them, bites at them, or physically attacks them. They have no other choice (I would bite too). They do NOT chase people or pets or livestock. A lot of times people say "but I saw it chasing..." what they saw was a terrified Opossum trying to escape, and because they are slower, their pursuer usually gets ahead of them making it look like they are the one's chasing.

Most living things on the planet like eggs, Opossums are no exception. They are tasty, easy to eat, and can't fight back. I want to really stress that Opossums are scavengers, NOT hunters. If you have chicken coops lock your chickens up at night and all will be well. The only confilict here is when Chicken owners do not have properly protected coops (standard chicken wire works), or when they don't lock them up at night.

If You Do Not Want Opossums To Affect You:
Keep Your garage and sheds closed.

Keep all your pets in at night (this is a must for their safety from all nocturnal wildlife)

If you have chickens, have their coops properly wired and lock them in at dusk for the night.

Keep all your trash cans sealed, properly recycle (Opossums and other small animals get heads caught in yogurt containers and other plastic waste).

Do Not Feed Your Pets Outside! (this protects them and ALL wildlife)

You Do Not Have To "Like" All Wildlife. Please Respect That ALL Wildlife Is Important!

YOU CAN HELP!
If you don't like them, I'll repeat: Keep Your garage and sheds closed. Keep all your pets in at night (this is a must for their safety from all nocturnal wildlife), If you have chickens, have their coops properly wired and lock them in at dusk for the night. Keep all your trash cans sealed, properly recycle (Opossums and other small animals get heads caught in yogurt containers and other plastic waste). Do Not Feed Your Pets Outside! (this protects them ans ALL wildlife).

If You WantTo Help:
Do all of the above. Do Not Feed Them. Know Opossum Rescues near you in case you see one in distress.
Educate others. Learn More! If You Have More Questions Please Ask!