Let's Play Possum!

[JardinPrayer]

Crow and I were talking behind the scenes (in the secret staff forum!) about possums. I mentioned in another thread about the possoms that showed up in our back yard, walked the top of our fence and stared at us while we barbequeued, and made the exact middle of our back lawn their litter box. So, we looked up some stuff to find out if we needed to do anything and found this place (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/opossums.htm). Of particular interest was this part:



Preventing Conflicts
In urban areas, opossums are beneficial as rodent and carrion eaters. They also clean up uneaten food that might otherwise attract mice and rats. However, in rural areas the impact of non-native opossums preying upon native invertebrates, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, ground-nesting birds, nestlings, and eggs is of concern to wildlife biologists.


As long as they are kept out of human homes, not cornered, and their interaction with pets is limited, opossums are not dangerous. If an opossum finds its way into your house, stay calm, close surrounding interior doors, leave the room, and let the animal find its own way out through the pet door or an open door or window. If necessary, gently use a broom to coral the opossum outside. Do not corner an opossum, thereby forcing it to defend itself.

If the opossum appears sick or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator or your local wildlife office (see Wildlife Rehabilitators and Wildlife Rehabilitation (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/rehabilitation.pdf)).

Although generally gentle and placid, opossums have 50 teeth and will use them to protect themselves, or their young (Fig. 6). So avoid close encounters.
Somehow, my husband and I came away from this with the feeling that these critters were not to be tussled with. On second reading, it's not as scary as we first thought. We're silly sometimes.

The first time, we saw the male just walking along the top of our wooden fence. He seemed unperturbed by us. When I walked toward him, he just stared but did not move. No bolting, no snarling, no threatening action at all. I got the sense that I could walk all the way up to him if I wanted. Hubby stood in the background and reminded me this was a wild animal that we knew nothing about and could not predict its actions. Had he not been there, it would never have crossed my mind that it might leap at me and tear my face off. I figured I could either pet it or it would run. I stayed about 3 feet away and we just stared at each other. Then, I went inside and got my camera. It didn't budge when I flashed the silly camera at it. Just stared.

Next time, he had his lady with him. He just walked past us and she followed about a minute behind. They ignored us completely.

I wanna pet them! I wanted to pet the armadillo we saw a couple of weeks ago, too. My husband thinks I need psychiatric attention!

[Crow]

The possums not reacting to you much is fairly typical possum behavior. They tend to assess a situation, then respond if necessary. They generally run from dogs if the dog chases them, and get along well with cats. Possums are frequently observed dining from the same dish as outside cats.

Although there are about 50 species of opossum, the only one we have in the US and Canada is the Virginia Opossum. At roughly cat size, they are the largest of the opossums. Most are mouse to rat sized, and live in Central and South America.

One of the things that people fear about possums is the possibility of contracting rabies. Opossums rarely contract rabies, though. Their body temperature is normally about 95%, too low for the rabies virus to survive.

I've handled possums for years, and the only times a Virginia opossum ever bit me have been when they were a little careless taking food out of my hand. Those 50 teeth are very sharp and even the molars have sharp cusps, but they have never left a mark on my hands. It's not because they can't--I've seen possums eat parts of pork and beef bones, and they routinely consume the bones of their prey.

While possums will eat from people's gardens, they keep the populations of rats, mice, and insects down. They're a pretty nice animal to have around as long as you keep your house sealed up enough that they can't get in. When they do get into a house, their natural curiousity can get them into trouble. Everything has to be explored, played with, and if even remotely edible, consumed. And that's not the worst of it. Miss P, the possum who spent the winter with me, decided that my bed was far superior to the one designated for her personal use. I had to toss her out on numerous occasions.

[The Curtmudgeon]

I wanna pet them! I wanted to pet the armadillo we saw a couple of weeks ago, too. My husband thinks I need psychiatric attention!

Do not pet the food. There are proper actions to take when food presents itself, but petting is not one of them.

The (cleaning out the ol' squirrel rifle) Curtmudgeon

[Nang]

I wanna pet them! I wanted to pet the armadillo we saw a couple of weeks ago, too. My husband thinks I need psychiatric attention!

JardinPrayer,

I understand this response, so well, and I have oftened wondered if the desire to pet and love the little creatures is not a throw-back to the garden of Eden, when A&E had a peaceful co-existence with all the animal kingdom.

One day I spotted a wild bird (species unknown) perching on top of our fence, who also stared at me, and I approached it (of course), and it surprised me by not immediately flying off. After letting me come very close, he let me stroke the top of one wing, and then he left. I know this sounds silly, but it was a highlight in my life. I will never forget the experience and joy of not being feared, however briefly, by one of God's untamed creatures.

(Some day I will put up a post and tell of our collection of wild birds, that has developed due to outside feedings.)

As for possums, I would just like to see one at our place. We live in rural countryside and have spotted a vast variety of wild creatures in our "back yard," but never a possum. From what you and Crow say, I would assume if there were any around, they would not be bashful to show themselves, so I guess they are not interested in our environs.

We do have lots of skunks, though, which do carry rabies, and are of great concern to us because of our cats and small dogs. But they are cute, too, and I have even felt the wish that I could cuddle and pet them, even though knowledge of the dangers overrule the desire. So I guess I am certifiable, too! :smile:

Crow: Your tales and info about opposums is so interesting to me, because I have never had firsthand exposure to them. I enjoy your antecdotes relating their behavior, and thereby I can observe the species through you. Thanks so much.

Nang

[Crow]

Nang,

Possums and skunks tend not to live in the same area. Both require the same types of food and too many animals in one area depletes the food supply.

I've raised baby skunks and they are nice animals. I wouldn't have one as a house pet. Even when they haven't used their famous WMD, they smell bad. Really bad. They've got a different personality than a possum, too. Possums are laid back. Skunks are very "in your face." Our pet skunks, which lived under the porch, considered themselves "watch dogs." They trotted out to the gate to investigate any visitors or commotion. Fortunately they were very responsible skunks and never misused the great offensive powers that skunks possess.

[Nang]

Nang,

Possums and skunks tend not to live in the same area.

Oh! Well, that is the answer then, for we have many, many skunks. Too many.


Both require the same types of food and too many animals in one area depletes the food supply.

We have lots of racoons, ground squirrels, and foxes, despite the skunks. Do these have different feeding habits from the possums?


I've raised baby skunks and they are nice animals. I wouldn't have one as a house pet. Even when they haven't used their famous WMD, they smell bad. Really bad. They've got a different personality than a possum, too. Possums are laid back. Skunks are very "in your face." Our pet skunks, which lived under the porch, considered themselves "watch dogs." They trotted out to the gate to investigate any visitors or commotion. Fortunately they were very responsible skunks and never misused the great offensive powers that skunks possess.

They don't smell as bad as one of our neighbor's male goats that used to wander over here once in a while. We could tell he was coming when he was still yards and yards away! Phew! :ahem:

[Crow]

Racoons tend to get a good bit of their food from creeks--crawdads, worms, frogs, and the like. They are more likely than a skunk to climb a tree and hunt for bird nests to plunder, so while they do eat some of the same things as skunks, the overlap is not as great as the skunk diet is with the opossum. Skunks and opossums eat essentially the same things except the possum is good at raiding tree nesting bird nests and eats some vegetation.

Ground squirrels are generally seed eaters. A possum will usually only eat seeds if nothing better is available, except for sweet corn and peas, which they love.

Foxes are primarily rodent eaters, but will eat fruit, insects and carrion. They like to eat ground squirrels, which is probably why you see them. A fox has a larger range than an opossum or a skunk, and his home range will overlap many other animals. Since he's not getting a large proportion of his diet in any one area, he's not as troublesome to an oppossum or a skunk as one who eats almost exactly the same thing as they do and occupies a relatively small range like they do.

[JardinPrayer]

Okay, this is also from that link in my OP:

Food and Feeding Habitats

Opossums lived during the time of the dinosaurs and one reason for their continued survival is their ability to eat nearly anything.

Foods include fruits, nuts, grains, insects, slugs, snakes, frogs, birds, bird eggs, shellfish, mice, and carrion (dead animals).
Around human habitation, opossums also eat garbage, pet food, birdseed, poultry, and handouts.
A study of Portland Oregon’s opossum population found that small mammals (dead and alive) were the most important food in winter and spring, slugs in summer, and fruits in fall.
Because opossums eat many road-killed animals, including other opossums, they often become road kill themselves.


I'm curious, Crow, about your response to that.

Nang, I totally get your feeling that touching the wild bird is a lifetime highlight. When I was in a college, a squirrel was foraging in a garbage can in our outdoor courtyard at the Student Union. A few of us were sitting nearby. When the squirrel sat up and perched on the edge of the can, I reached out and offered a french fry from the bag I had. I could see she was full of milk from bearing a recent litter, so this was probably not a great food to offer, but heck, she was already in the garbage and I was a stoner at the time so what did I know? She gently reached out and took the fry, held the bottom between her little hands and gnawed from the top down. We laughed, and I moved about 6 inches closer and offered a second fry. She took it and did the same thing. I moved 6 inches closer and fed her pretty much the entire order of fries. Today, I would never do this...I'd run back into the cafeteria and buy her a salad...hoping she would still be there when I got back!

So, clearly this illness has been with me for some time.

Crow, with these possoms that were on my fence, would it have been dangerous to have gotten closer than 2 feet? Would it have been stupid to extend an arm and see if they would let me touch them?

[Crow]

You would have been taking a chance trying to touch them. Most likely they would have run, or merely hissed at you if you moved slowly. Possums can be remarkably "tame" if they're approached correctly, which is from the butt end, touching the back first. But it's a big chance. They are well armed in the tooth and claw department, and they can inflict major damage--nearly as bad as a racoon.

I feed the wild possums in my backyard, and they will come within a couple of feet of me and the bravest ones will take food if I hand it to them carefully. But it's best not to do this, or to try to touch possums unless there's a compelling reason to do so. Even though they seem "tame," they really aren't. Miss P, the one in the pictures you saw, was fine with me. She hissed and snapped at my roommate and wouldn't let her near because she didn't know how to move and behave around a possum.

[JardinPrayer]

If I started offering food to attract possums, I think it's the teeth and claws of my husband I'd need to be more concerned about! :lol: His feeling about the critters is much more like Curtmugeon's above!

[The Curtmudgeon]

Nang, I totally get your feeling that touching the wild bird is a lifetime highlight. When I was in a college, a squirrel was foraging in a garbage can in our outdoor courtyard at the Student Union. A few of us were sitting nearby. When the squirrel sat up and perched on the edge of the can, I reached out and offered a french fry from the bag I had. I could see she was full of milk from bearing a recent litter, so this was probably not a great food to offer, but heck, she was already in the garbage and I was a stoner at the time so what did I know? She gently reached out and took the fry, held the bottom between her little hands and gnawed from the top down. We laughed, and I moved about 6 inches closer and offered a second fry. She took it and did the same thing. I moved 6 inches closer and fed her pretty much the entire order of fries. Today, I would never do this...I'd run back into the cafeteria and buy her a salad...hoping she would still be there when I got back!

Okay, a less unserious post than my first one on this thread (although I admit I was tempted to reply with something about opossums' eating habits and "what goes around, comes around", but I'll manfully resist doing that).

*Ahem.* Anyway, one of the highlights of my trip to Australia several years ago was staying several days at O'Reilly's Green Mountain Resort (http://www.oreillys.com.au/), surrounded by Lamington National Park in southern Queensland. It's a beautiful place in its own right, and the O'Reilly family and other staff are wonderful, but one of the neat things about the place is the amount of fauna that make their homes there and are semi-okay, or completely okay, with having great gawky humans blundering around them. One highlight is standing under the trees where the rosellas (http://www.avianweb.com/rosellas.htm), a variety of small parrot, would treat the people as just more "trees" to sit on. You would stand still, your arms outstretched, and anywhere from a few to a few dozen small red birds would come and sit on your arms and your head (a hat is definitely recommended!), even if you weren't holding any birdseed in your hands. If you were holding seeds, be prepared to be the center of a rosella-storm.

One of the planned activities you could enjoy there then was the pre-dawn feeding stroll led by Michael O'Reilly (not sure if he's still there or active now, I believe I saw something a few years back that he's passed on, but maybe another member of the family or staff has taken over his walks). We met at the front door of the resort, about 4 am or so, where Michael had with him a couple of bread bags filled with different kinds of food (bread, pieces of fruit, or nuts and seeds), and then he led us walking around the grounds looking for birds and other animals. We saw at least one Aussie opossum, and a blue bowerbird named Jack, and other birds and animals. As well as seeing one on the early morning walk, on several evenings just before dusk, I found a couple of pademelons (small relatives of kangaroos, smaller than wallabies) in the garden behind my cabin. I didn't approach them too closely, but I got within reasonable camera range and they didn't hurry away. (Sorry, my vacation pix are in Texas right now, and I'm in Florida, so I can't post a picture. I'll try to rectify that later.)

None of these were "tame" animals or birds, but they were more or less habituated to human presence, mainly I'm sure due to Michael's daily feedings (it also kept them out of the trash bins, for the most part).

The (I also hand-fed kangaroos, but that was at a recovery station for 'roos which had been injured or just needed to be removed from where they were) Curtmudgeon

[NeilUnreal]

My dad has gotten hummingbirds so accustomed to him that he can sit right next to the feeder and take pictures of them. They will buzz around near me, but won't get closer than a few feet.

Mosquitos are another matter; they will fly right up to me, and sometimes even land on me and take food right out of my hand.

-Neil

[JardinPrayer]

Where in Florida are you?

Here in Jacksonville (and one other place I know of in the Ft.Lauderdale area) there are zoos or preserves where you can do that bird thingy with Lorikeets. They sell you tiny little 2-oz. cups of nectar for a buck (!!!!!) and you get more of them landing on your arm than you can hold. You also walk out of there with lots of bird wee on your shirt...so we should have made it the last stop of the day!

Here's what it looks like (pics from both places):

[The Curtmudgeon]

Where in Florida are you?

Tampa.


Here in Jacksonville (and one other place I know of in the Ft.Lauderdale area) there are zoos or preserves where you can do that bird thingy with Lorikeets. They sell you tiny little 2-oz. cups of nectar for a buck (!!!!!) and you get more of them landing on your arm than you can hold. You also walk out of there with lots of bird wee on your shirt...so we should have made it the last stop of the day!

Here's what it looks like (pics from both places):

Yes, that's pretty much what happened at O'Reilly's, although the rosellas are smaller than your lorikeets (maybe half to two-thirds the size, IIRC), and you didn't have to have anything for them to get a number of them sitting on you. But of course, if the person next to you did have birdseed, then more of them tended to ignore you.

The (it gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "feather-head"!) Curtmudgeon

[The Curtmudgeon]

Mosquitos are another matter; they will fly right up to me, and sometimes even land on me and take food right out of my hand.

-Neil

I've found that if you eat enough garlic-heavy Italian food, the mosquitoes are more likely to look for other diners.

The (of course, that could have other drawbacks as well :shrug: ) Curtmudgeon

[JardinPrayer]

Mosquitos are another matter; they will fly right up to me, and sometimes even land on me and take food right out of my hand.

-Neil

:lmbo: Pearls, Neil!

[JardinPrayer]

Notice how stupid happy I look when I have a critter to pay attention to. Notice, too, how much my nephew has grown in the 3 years between the two outings!