who else loves opossums?

[mopinko]

this guy-

Man picks up an Opposum and knows super cool facts about them.

Link to tweet

worth clicking through for the rest of the thread.

[XanaDUer2]

1. I LOVE THEM!

[mopinko]

2. i see them quite often, even tho i live in a big city. skunks, too.

love them both. rats, now…. and raccoons…

[lastlib]

12. Remember--skunks ALWAYS have the right-of-way!

One cold snowy January day, I had to go to the woods to look for a cow about to have a calf. As I walked, I saw a mother skunk and three babies walking in a line, straight toward me. Remembering the rule, I stopped and stood as still as I could. They kept coming, and the whole family, mom and brood, walked right over the toes of my boots! Yeah, that close. No fear, no walking around, no wide berth. It was an amazing moment!

I shudder to think what would've happened if I had twitched or moved a toe!

[mopinko]

19. i used to have 2 rat terriers, how they never got skunked remains a mystery to me.

tho they weren’t very good hunters.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Some people love them in different ways

[FoxNewsSucks]

42. I'd try it.

Growing up, we would shoot rabbits and squirrels. They're both delicious when seasoned, coated and fried.

[Farmer-Rick]

43. Doesn't look like enough meat

To feed 3 boys and their parents.

And they never really describe the taste. They only say it's good. Is it gamey? Does it have that sour iron taste that rabbit and rodents have? Is it greasy like squirrel? Is it chewy or falls apart in your mouth?

I think it would have been better to just let the possum live instead of doing such a poor job of describing it and not even getting enough meat to feed a family.

[Goonch]

4. 👇👇👇👁️👁️

[mopinko]

9. i suspect if they weren't nocturnal, they'd have a lot more fans.

it’s the part where u take out the trash at night and get hissed at by the 1 in your trash cart that freaks me out. and y many ppl mistake them for epic rats.

[Oopsie Daisy]

24. Some mistake them for cats.

(although, I kinda think this sign is a gag.)

[3catwoman3]

32. We can only hope it is a gag.

If not, someone has led a very deprived life or is woefully stupid.

[FoxNewsSucks]

44. I'm pretty sure I've seen that sign passed around as a joke, however

when I was in college the local conservation agent told a story about some "city slickers" who came out to our rural area to go deer hunting. Apparently, they were kinda jerks. When they brought the deer they'd shot into the station to be reported, it was actually a mule. Because of their condescending attitudes, no one told them. Just processed and recorded their kill and sent them on their way back to the city.

I don't know if that really happened or not, but I could definitely believe it.

[Envirogal]

27. This is my happy place video!

Whenever I am having a crappy day, I will always turn to videos of baby possums eating!

[Easterncedar]

5. Need more 'possums!

I had two ticks on me yesterday. Ugh. The season has begun. I miss winter already.

[jmbar2]

6. My dog loved them...

I had a dog once who was pretty protective of his yard. I came home one evening to find a mortally wounded possum in the middle of my living room floor, with a whole slew of little babies littering the path from the dog door.

I didn't know what to do. Put the possum and babies in a grocery bag and set them in the local woods. I doubt that they survived, but couldn't afford vet bills to try to save them. Plus, they were tearing up my attic, so wasn't actually all that fond of them.

PS- Didn't know that they ate so many ticks. THAT is an endearing quality.

[mopinko]

8. ffr- a wildlife rehabber wd have taken care of them.

they get a lot of little possums. if it’s a big litter, but the time they’re too big for them all to have a place to hang on, some fall off. mom often doesn’t notice. and i mean, who can blame her by that point?

[littlemissmartypants]

25. Next time call a University vet school, the Forestry Service

Or even a local vet could possibly point you in the direction of some help. ❤️

[mopinko]

34. most vets work w rehabbers. most will take a look at a critter for free.

esp exotic vets. which r the best bet, anyway.
every one i know has some sort of partnership w a rehabber. they take care of whatever comes, and the org pays what it can. usually they can get enough w a little pr campaign to make the doc happy. most will care for critters til the rehabber can get there, too.

was a long time fb and irl friend of a real pioneer in avian medicine, dr pete sakas. he took on all the birds that came into a big county supported rescue.
he just loved working on these birds. he’s post the gory pics on his fb page. he got bored seeing happy healthy birds most days. and simply sick 1 too.
passed away suddenly and way too young. but the practice he left behind does the same.

i’ve met a couple asshole vets, but not many.

[littlemissmartypants]

39. My vet runs a raptor center on the side as a nonprofit. God's work, I say.

Sad to hear about your friend. Sounds like he was doing God's work, too. ❤️

[keithbvadu2]

7. We were sitting on the porch late one evening. One walked right in front of our feet.

We were sitting on the porch late one evening. One walked right in front of our feet. It had to hear her say 'look down'. It didn't care or speed up.

[patricia92243]

10. Because their habitate has been destroyed (10 houses in a year on my street alone.)

I feed that one or he would be dead. Same thing for feral cats. We had a dozen when we moved here. Now have one male that I feed, or he would also be dead. When possum and cat go that will be all in my neighborhood.

[mopinko]

16. same w skunks.

i dont see them as much as i used to. had an elderly neighbor who’s garage full of junk was about to fall down. they city tore it down for him. there were generations of skunks that lived in there. rare to see them now, tho i occasionally do.
my next door neighbor has a family of raccoons in his garage. he puts out food cuz he thinks he has a feral cat. i dont have the heart to tell him.

[Lulu KC]

11. Love them! Possum power!

We once had a family sneak into the basement of a house built in 1917 and settle in for quite a while before we figured out what was going on. They managed to get in through what appeared to be very tiny spaces in the stone. They made a huge mess but I learned a lot about them in the process and grew to love them--just not in my own house, preferably.
Our cat developed an interest in being put into the basement every night and when we found out they were down there we wondered if he'd been interacting with them or just sitting on the steps, observing. Did he think they were new pets, part of the family? What an adventure.

[mopinko]

17. lol, your cat.

sounds like u need to have a chat about what that cat’s job is.

[angrychair]

13. opossums are the best

One of the greatest animals native to North America. True unsung hero.

[yellerpup]

14. I'm a huge fan of 'possums!

We bought a renovated house that had been abandoned for several years and enjoyed the opossum mom and babies that first spring.

[et tu]

15. these critters are cool. we always have them around nt

[DoBW]

18. awesome

thanks for share

[Brother Buzz]

20. Pearl the Wonder Dog loves opossums

She brought in five baby opossums to share with us, one at a time. Each one was 'dead' when it was brought in, and was placed in a bucket. Soon come, all were awake. Pearl stared at them, smiling, and her tail waggings, "Can we keep them?".

We made calls and were told they were big/old enough to survive on their own, so I drove them out into the country and set them loose. Sorry, Pearl.

[mopinko]

21. awwwww. sorry pearl.

but it’s always better to let them go where u found them. take them far away, and they’re lost. many die trying to find food and shelter.

[Brother Buzz]

28. No, we did exactly what the professionals suggested

The opossum is non-native to our area, considered a pests, and would come to an early demise.

They were set loose in an island of paradise away from humans to develop their survival skills; creek (freeway), vegetation (shelter), and bugs aplenty (food).

[Warpy]

22. Made my peace with one in Boston

I was working swing shift at a name brand hospital that was a 20 minute bus ride away, a luxury, and I'd get home roughly the same time every night. I lived near the Arnold Arboretum, so critters abounded, mostly a large family of raccoons who'd pop their heads out of the trash cans to chatter at me. Every night, I'd see an opossum waddling down the center of the street. At first, it hissed at me, but within a couple of weeks, it would just look up at me without comment and we'd pass each other peacably.

Never knew that much about them except opossum stew down south didn't sound or smell very appetizing, so I passed on it.

[mopinko]

26. yeah, i dont want to eat 1.

my da grew up hunting for dinner w his big bro. even tho he rescued some baby squirrels after shooting their mom. he never said anything about hunting after that, but i can bet he wasnt pleased.
he was quite a pacifist. dont remember him saying a single good thing about the ‘sport’.
i bet raccoon is worse, tho.

[Warpy]

35. Hard to say what's worse. I know squirrel is probably the best of a bad lot

I have no complaint about subsistence hunters who are trying to feed themselves and their families. Trophy hunters who leave the meat to rot are my pet peeve. You kill an animal for its rack, at least get the carcass to someone who knows how to butcher it down and is willing to share with poor folks who can't afford meat very often.

I can see why he'd give up hunting after raising orphaned squirrels, they're high on the cute=o-meter. He sounds likd a good guy.

My dad was a gent, didn't want to see guns after WWII, it's also how his brothers felt. He did have an air pistol and we'd trade shots at his empties in a lake when I was a kid. It wasn't "Leave it to Beaver" of him but it was more interesting,

[debm55]

23. I love them Had one on our tree , It was handing by its tail sleeping.

[Leghorn21]

29. Few creatures have the soulful eyes of an opossum!!

❤️❤️❤️

[littlemissmartypants]

31. ❤️

[littlemissmartypants]

30. They waddle around here frequently at night.

I love my nature habitat.

I have squirrel, racoons, hawks, a big owl, bats, snakes, lizards, frogs, foxes, rabbits, blue birds, mockingbirds, cardinals, bob whites, wren, coyotes, lots of deer, wild turkey (that my peacock lives with now) and opossum.

I've been told that a bear was sighted on a trail cam that was set up in our pine forest at the back of my field but I've never seen it.

I live not too far from a beaver dam but it's not on my property. They're so important in wetlands management so I'm thankful for them.

I'm really thankful for all of the critters and the habit that I'm able to provide for them.
❤️

[SarahD]

33. OK I guess so.

But skunks are cuter.

[mopinko]

36. i'd rather meet a possum, thank u very much.

tho they r cute. had a childhood friend who had a pet 1.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

37. I do now!

That guy is fabulous. Marsupial! I'd no idea they had pouches full of babies. No wonder they play dead when scared.

[nuxvomica]

38. It's 5,000 ticks per week, not per year

He misspoke. They are voracious tick eaters.

[stonecutter357]

40. They are cute , until you see one crawl out a dead cows BUT !

[mopinko]

46. mmmm.

and with that, i’ll get back to cleaning bird cages.

[SilasSouleII]

41. Had a Great Pyrenees once

Who would catch and kill 4-5 possums a year. This was a great relief to me as a solution to keep them out of my attic. It also fulfilled his breeding Instincts as a protector of livestock. The gentlest dog to people, family and kids.

[mopinko]

45. i have a half pyrenesse. he's a great hunter.

he killed a few chickens before i explained they were livestock.
but he gets rats now and then. i once saw him tree a momma raccoon and her 3 babies. 2 went the rt way, 1 took the wrong way. he had it before it hit the ground. dead in 1 bite.

[Dear_Prudence]

47. Let heaven and nature sing

I collect American animal figurines for my creche set that features a Native American holy family. I wanted to add a possum this year, but none of the animal toy sets include a possum! Some figurines I located were grotesque; I guess possums are hard to portray artistically. I finally found a tiny porcelain possom with cute little hands and a pinkish tail. She was a lovely addition, taking her place next to the raccoon.

[mopinko]

48. i love it!

[SupportSanity]

49. There's an outdoor lecture area at our local zoo. It has lots of bench seating and a table up front where

the zoo members can place small animals to show them to the audience.

The last time I was at the zoo, I sat down on one of the bench seats with everyone else while up front, several of the zoo members were showing and describing various small animals. They took out a raccoon from a carrier and described raccoons - their habits, what they eat, their natural enemies. They took out a fox from a carrier, and described what the fox eats, and natural enemies of foxes.

Then they took out an opposum. They talked about what it eats. When they talked about enemies, they described how oppossums deal with other animals.

If the other animal is smaller, the oppossum stands up, shows it's sharp claws and bares its sharp teeth. That's usually enough to scare away a smaller animal.

If the other animal is bigger, they will instinctively play dead and bigger animals will often just ignore the opposum.

However, the playing dead instinct doesn't work with cars.

That explained a lot to me.