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Comment by Beth on October 11, 2014 at 3:10pm

Vicky, that would beat the chemicals I use now. And probably cost less too!

Comment by Vicky Hay on October 11, 2014 at 12:28pm

@ Beth: Hmmm....  Wonder if we could train a pet possum to groom the ticks off our dogs? Wouldn't THAT be the business!

Comment by Beth on October 11, 2014 at 12:04pm

Hmmm. Apparently they do attract ticks, but groom most if them off, killing them. Which can reduce tick abundance. Which is a good thing!

http://thistle25.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/fighting-lyme-disease-beh...

Comment by Beth on October 11, 2014 at 11:55am

I heard at a wildlife rescue presentation that possums don't carry rabies, fleas, or ticks. They are gentle but not too bright. They eat most anything, including some harmful grubs and stuff. They will only bite if they have to. They are a dime a dozen around here. Marsupials so they carry their young with them.

Comment by Vicky Hay on October 10, 2014 at 9:41pm

Wow! That's quite an adventure!

Hope the possum has figured out that pooches are good things to steer clear of. :-D

Don't think opossums live in these parts. We have raccoons here -- and urban coyotes. I never knew we had urban raccoons till one of them raided a friend's koi pond. They're nocturnal, so most city-dwellers rarely encounter them...but neighbors here in the 'hood HAVE found them in the back yard, and one neighbor even posted a couple of videos to Facebook, when their security cams caught the little fellas having a party in the yard.

Raccoons do carry rabies, and they're fully armed to protect themselves. After viewing the Raccoon Hoedown, I've been a lot more careful about letting Cassie and Ruby go out in back after dark.

Comment by Holly on October 10, 2014 at 5:37pm

My daughter was accidently bitten by a baby opossum that was playing with her hair. I contacted the wildlife center and was told that possum metabolisms are too slow to contract rabies. She is alive and well now as an adult so I guess it was disease free. It was pretty cute before we released it. Loved fruit and playing with string, like a kitten, which is how it accidently scratched my daughter's neck by biting at her long hair.

Comment by Anna Morelli on October 10, 2014 at 3:59pm

Opossums are not "nasty and mean", but they can put on a show if threatened or cornered, wouldn't you?  They do not go looking for trouble, but dogs do go after them and what the dog may construe as play can be construed as a serious threat by a wild animal.  They are one of the most primitive animals in North America and, if I remember correctly, they have a double row of teeth.  We had one in our yard in Virginia one night, he went up a tree and settled on a low branch. All my dogs were carrying on ( which I'm sure the neighbors did  not appreciate at 2 am ).  I tried clapping my hands, shooing him off and even poking him with a long stick to get him to move on. That caused him to hang on to the branch with all fours, but upside down.  It was Summer.  My only remedy was to get out the hose and drench him, then he scurried off the tree and left the yard.  They are not very smart, but their defensive techniques have kept them from extinction.... so far.

http://www.opossum.org/facts.htm

Comment by Linda on October 10, 2014 at 11:01am

Oppossums and skunks actually make good pets if raised from babies. Skunks are quite smart.  I rescued 2 baby skunks that wandered from their nest.  Mother may have been killed by a car...I live in a city...and the babies came out looking for food.  Both had maggots in their fur.  I cleaned them up, got an eye dropper and made sure they had water.  I called the wildlife rescue group and took them there.  Both babies were very cuddly and yes, baby skunks do have an odor but nothing like an adult, just mildly annoying.

Comment by Elisabeth Spector on October 10, 2014 at 10:50am

One of our Siberian Huskies when I was a kid got badly bitten by a 'possum in the armpit (blood EVERYwhere and he had to be rushed to the vet for stitches).  This particular dog was very playful, and kind of dumb/naive for a grown husky.  He liked to play by raising a paw in the air and that's probably when the 'possum went in for the kill with all of its razor-sharp teeth.  I developed a lot more respect for 'possums after that.  As a counterpoint, one of our neighbors who does wildlife rehabilitation had a 'possum that he had raised from a newborn.  That guy would show up outside of school to pick up his kids with the 'possum riding on his shoulder.  It was perfectly happy being examined and petted by strangers and it seemed to have quite a bond with the dad. 

Comment by Jane Christensen on October 10, 2014 at 9:29am

Opossums can be very nasty and mean...they have many several sharp teeth. Although I have known that opossums and cats can get along and eat together....I would not want to have one cornered. Your mom did the right thing:)

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