OMG!!! Opossums!

[cocker_luva]

Yesterday my neighbor, Lorri and my mom were hanging out on our back porch. they were drinking and then my neighbor went to throw her empty beer bottle away. she screamed and said 'what the hell is that!!!' me and my mom went to check it out and there was a opossum tail buried in there! :eek: it was soo gross! later when my dad and Lorri's husband Todd came home they went to check it out and get rid of it. OMG! guess what they found out?

:eek: :eek: :eek:IT WAS STILL ALIVE! :eek: :eek: :eek: it was just sleeping. it was eating the trash and got tired, also didnt want to leave his feast. YUCK!

my dad and Todd eventually got the animal out of there, without getting bit! :rolleyes: <good thing> :D

[cocker_luva]

bump

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Awww, I like opossums. I haven't seen one in a while tho. How funny that he was sleeping.

[cocker_luva]

LOL, we all thought that he was dead and my dad just threw him in there. (even thou we have a ditch right next to our house) :rolleyes:

[G.P.girl]

i saw a opossom once...we were at this barbque with my aunt and he was jsut sleep ing in a trash can. and all these kids were crowded around him and he just layed there sleepign. we didn't bother him. i guess he's been there for a while. lol

[KYS]

Possums are good for ecology.
They are scavengers and will even
eat coc-roaches.
They are shy creatures and usually come out when it is
dark. Rocky has caught a few, and usually I can
intervene while the poor thing is playing dead.
I am so happy when they wake up and walk away.

They do look like big rats though. lol

[CountryWolf07]

They are cute creatures - they play dead, because they want to be left alone. They are VERY good at that!

[trayi52]

Dana killed one a few days ago. When I found it, there was two babies crawling around on its body. So sad, really depressing.

I could not get anybody to come out and get it, the people at the sheriff's office told me to just take the little tiny babies out, turn them loose and let them fin for themselves!

I didn't, I couldn't just let them die, I know the survival rate is very low, and one has already died. But I have to try to get it to where it can be turn back out in the wild. They think of them as pest here, and I was even told to take it and put a bullet in its head!

Anyway, I am stuck with a small baby. Libby has been giving me advice on what to feed it, and so far, so good with the little male.

Willie

[CountryWolf07]

Aww!!

You should name it Oliver!

[cocker_luva]

cute name. ;)

[trayi52]

I haven't even thought about naming it. I am kind of afraid to. I do want it to survive and then take it to a really nice place here, called waterfall. Sure don't want Dana to get it too.

He is just cute as can be, but too little to turn loose, I hear it right now, making a hissing sound, wanting to be fed.

I'll attach a picture of it. In this picture the little girl was still living. I took some more tonight of him, but haven't downloaded them from my camera yet.

Willie:)

[Fox-Gal]

AWW the girl died, I was so hoping she make it. :( I had my fingers crossed and everything.

Hopefully the little boy will do fine and you can set him free. Waterfall sounds like a nice place to set him free at. Make sure, like I said, you don't turn him into a pet, Dana would have something to say about that. :eek:

I know most people think possums are ugly, but those are some cute babies.

[trayi52]

Noooo, I sure don't want to turn him into a pet. I try not to handle him to much. My oldest daughter and her husband are the one that told me to take it out and put a bullet in its head. That really hurt my feelings!

Seem like this county is just ignorant about wanting to save any kind of animal, just a lousy deal that nobody wanted to help me!

I am trying though, Lib, I would really be happy to be able to turn it loose where it belongs. I just wonder how much longer I should keep it before I turn it loose. I am afraid to turn it loose too soon.

Willie:)

[koxka]

Thank you for trying to keep him alive.
Haven't seen a picture of an opossum for a long and never in real life. So browsed on google for a picture and came up to a informative caresheet for orphaned opssums.
Maybe it interest you

The National Opossum Society (http://www.opossum.org/)

[KYS]

THat was so nice of you to take care of the babies.
I wonder if you can check to see if their our any
possum or wildlife rescue groups in your area
that will take the babies.

Thank you for the picture.

[trayi52]

The sheriff's Office told me to just take them and turn them loose and let them fin for themselves. The little girl died yesterday. I am hoping that the little boy will do well and I will be able to turn him loose. He sure is a fiesty little fellow.

Poor little things, people look at them like they are nothing but pest here, the lady I talk to said there was nobody to help me in that area. So I am depending on Libby to give advice. She is just wonderful! I just don't think that little boy would have made it this long, if it wasn't for her. He has been with me a week now.

Thank you Libby!

Willie:)

[KYS]

I am sorry to hear about the little girl.
But it sounds like between you and Libby
the boy might just make it.
Crossing fingers and sending oodles of
thoughts your way that the little guy makes it.

[QueenScoopalot]

Awww Willie....that is the sweetest picture! I sewed up some pockets from an old fluffy bathrobe some years back for some orphaned possums at a shelter I used to deal with. The babies adored it (I turned it with the fuzzy side in). They'd all stick their little heads out and hiss at me. Glad the surviving baby is doing OK. I'd take him in a second if you were closer. I met a baby possum named Opie at an event some years back..what a cutie!