The opossum is a marsupial and the Western Hemisphere is the home of the most marsupials. They originated in South America. While they are mostly docile, aloof and rarely dangerous, opossums can attack if they feel threatened, biting back and posing a threat to house pets. Rabies is extremely rare in opossums. It’s possible though
opossum is a marsupial and the Western Hemisphere is the home of the
most marsupials. They originated in South America.
While they are mostly docile, aloof and rarely dangerous, opossums can attack if they feel threatened, biting back and posing a threat to house pets. Rabies is extremely rare in opossums. It’s possible though unlikely, that opossums can transmit rabies. It’s prudent to always be safe and avoid personal contact with them and keep your pets away from them as well.
Opossums, sometimes referred to just as possums, are a benefit to ecosystems and a healthy environment beyond eradicating ticks. They will catch and eat cockroaches, rats, mice, snails, slugs and snakes – in addition to consuming dead animals of all types.
This animal is really scary looking and
resembles a huge rat in appearance, but the opossum
is not related to the rat. In fact, the opossum, being a marsupial, or “pouched” mammal, is
related to other marsupials such as the kangaroo and the koala. Like kangaroos
and koalas, infant opossums stay
inside the mother’s pouch to nurse and develop.
are nocturnal, which means they are awake at night and sleep during
the day. They spend nights searching for food. Though they don’t
hibernate, opossums do slow down during the winter. They live in burrows that they fill
with dry leaves or even shredded paper, and fat reserves help keep them warm.
If you want to get rid of possums in your yard,
spread something that smells potent like mothballs (in a mesh bag or just
scattered) or place a clove of crushed garlic around areas that you want them
The breeding season for the Virginia opossum
can begin as early as December and continue through October with most infants
born between the months of February and June. A female opossum may have 1-3
litters per year.
While possums are rarely dangerous, keep in mind that they
are a predator when it comes to cats. If threatened or attacked by a dog or
anything, including humans, they will attack with massively pointed teeth. Don’t
even consider keeping one for a pet!
If bitten for any reason, wash the wound
immediately. Don’t use soap with any alcohol or fragrance in it, but
just warm water and soap. Apply an antiseptic to the wound. As with any animal bites, you will need
to keep a close eye on your wound to make sure that it doesn’t get infected.