Opossums

[Randy_K]

My mom has an opossum resident in her backyard. They just love snails so he keeps her flower beds clean of them. Opossums are timid creatures but will defend themselves if cornered. My mom's cat lets the opossum have the yard at night (he's sleeping on the bed!) but they coexist peacefully.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I have pictures, when I go back to my moms, I will see if I can remember to post them, since they are saved on her computer! They would take the Peanut butter sandwiches, and then dip them in the water dish, and eat them.... TOO CUTE!

They also ate the cat food, if I was not there to feed them fast enough

[Scooter's Mom]

Gosh... now I feel bad. My only experience with them is hearing them in the backyard growing up and my mom shooting them with her .22 handgun. Not legal, but the police officer next door never turned her in!

My mom was a character though - she used to take a flounder gig and chase those big old field rats... they'd come into the yard and eat Thibideaux (her poodle) food. I'd call her at lunch and she'd answer the phone all out of breath and when I ask why she'd casually say, "oh I was just gigging some rats out back." (We lived next to a pasture with horses...)

I hadn't ever seen an opossum up close... thanks for the photo!

[DJFyrewolf36]

I saw an Opossum last night. We have a lot of snails in the yard and I guess he was out looking for them. He looked pretty small though, maybe he was young.
Opossums arent native to Nevada so this was the first time Ive ever seen one out it the wild. It was pretty neat!

[molucass]

My aunt went outside in her backyard one night to let her dogs go potty, and she noticed this little guy swimming in her pool.. Lol..
Not a very good pic, but she took it with her cell phone.

I think they are cute, but they do kinda freak me out a bit.

[Pam]

I have pictures, when I go back to my moms, I will see if I can remember to post them, since they are saved on her computer! They would take the Peanut butter sandwiches, and then dip them in the water dish, and eat them.... TOO CUTE!

They also ate the cat food, if I was not there to feed them fast enough

I would love to see the pictures!! A couple of years ago, in the fall, I took a walk through the woods behind my house. (I can't do it in the summer because of the poison ivy. ) I came across an old tree with a hollowed out part at the bottom and I almost walked past except that some fur in that hole caught my eye. It was an oppossum! It totally ignored me (the does saying 'playing possum' come to mind here?) I was afraid of it so I quickly came home.

Fast forward to the other day.... Bella killed some kind of baby critter in the yard. I am thinking it might have been a mole or an opposum. I even started a thread about it here: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=144847 When I first saw the critter it was only for a split second before she ran off with it so I thought it was a mouse. Later on I found it again in the yard and took a picture of it which I will attach. Do those of you who have encountered opposums, think this was a baby possum? Molucass the picture you posted is adorable.

[Casper]

I suppose all of the opossums around here seem to have migrated up north.
Really, I haven't seen as many this year as I normally do... but, I have to admit that I think they are rather cute. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who thinks hairless rats are cute, as well. Hehe.

We still have plenty of raccoons, though! There is a back road near me where a mama coon nests each year. If you go out at dark and shine a light up in the tree you can see a pair of glowing eyes looking down at you... sometimes you can see her babies looking down, too.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Nope. That is not a opossum

Babies are born and kept in a sack kinda like a kangaroo, once older they ride on their mothers back.

From the picture, that looks like a mole...

[Freedom]

Oh yes, Kate, I would love to see those photos as well! Hope you can get to that 'chore' for us!

[Willow Oak]

One morning as I was prepring to leave for work, I stopped to say bye to my outside kitties. I usually will pick them up and give them a hug and check on their food and water. One kitty that I picked up felt kinda funny to me. I couldn't see that well because it was very early and still very dark. I put the kitty down and took a closer look. I went inside to get my camera, and here is what I was holding and hugging:



Cool, huh?

[Freedom]

here is what I was holding and hugging

I bet SHE (he?) was as startled as you were! (What the heck? All I want to do is EAT!)

Oh my, lucky you didn't get a bite or scratch, as I don't believe that was anymore used to a hug from a human than a true feral! (If you were routinely hugging your outside cats, they had been socialized somewhat.)

So was it the long snout that gave it away?