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Seasonal observations of the UCCE Master Gardeners
Flowers
Comments:
by Ellen Zagory
on November 30, 2018 at 7:59 AM
Nicely written! I too dislike opossums. Nice to know what they are doing out there. See them on my deck occasionally.
by Howard Fitzpatrick
on December 1, 2018 at 12:17 PM
They also love to pull the pump out of my back yard fountain and chew it up. I have no idea why.
by Laurie
on August 1, 2020 at 7:23 PM
They may not eat a full grown cat, but they do attack and eat kittens! We have that problem happening often. I have observed it, and we have it on our wildlife video.
by Steve Hodgin
on September 22, 2020 at 9:27 AM
I have personally witnessed opossums grabbing kittens from my front porch and carrying them off into the woods. I am quite certain they did not carry them off to play with them. I do not understand why there is such a big movement to protect this group of animals. I mean them no harm but they are in no way an endangered species
by Jeannine Smith
on September 27, 2020 at 4:57 AM
Are opossums immune to venomous snake bites, rabies, and Lyme disease?
by Muna brea
on October 10, 2020 at 7:25 AM
Can a trapped opossum cause loud streaking sounds? I heard that early this morning and thought it was an injured bird. It was so loud and clearly sounded in distress. I went out and after 25 minutes of trying to locate where it was coming from, I realized it was from a down sprout rain tube that had separated from the main unit. I had to shuffle it around using a rake" no way I was getting close to a bird making that noise thinking it was a shrieking owel stuck in it" but then a small dark face peaked out and ran out slowly . I thought it was a rat but realized it was too chubby and the tail was short.. could it be a young opossum??
by Marilyn Oborny
on October 15, 2020 at 12:25 PM
I have found that a possum will dispose of chicken bones left over from our meal. Not a trace left of an 8-piece chicken. Nice cleanup service.
by Robert
on November 12, 2020 at 6:51 PM
Opossums do eat kittens just as cats eat baby possums, do don't leave that basket of kittens under the porch. We feed cats and inadvertently feel racoons, possums and birds. So far everyone maintains their distance apparently not seeing any profit in fighting other species.
by Frank
on March 13, 2021 at 6:55 AM
Opossums are great critters to have if you don’t want ticks, roaches, or snails around your house. So helpful! And they are immune to rabies.
by Bat Wrangler
on July 9, 2021 at 10:27 AM
The benefits of opossums far outweigh the negative impacts. The same people who hate this little marsupial probably bash bats too.
by Esther farris
on July 13, 2021 at 2:45 AM
I have 4 cats ,no kittens and am concerned about the opossums I have discovered occupying my residential home yard etc.I fear they are a danger to my cats. I don,t want to kill or injure them but don,t want my cats hurt either.I would be soooo grateful for some wise advise .I,m an elderly,widowed female .Thanking you in advance
by Esther farris
on July 13, 2021 at 2:55 AM
I have 4 cats ,no kittens and am concerned about the opossums I have discovered occupying my residential home yard etc.I fear they are a danger to my cats. I don,t want to kill or injure them but don,t want my cats hurt either.I would be soooo grateful for some wise advise .I,m an elderly,widowed female .Thanking you in advance
by Allison
on September 4, 2021 at 8:42 PM
Hi Esther. Possums don't normally pose any risk to adult cats, as stated in the original post. They are nocturnal, so keep your cats in at night if possible, and they shouldn't encounter them. It's extremely rare for them to carry rabies; it's theorized this is due to their low body temp. They are timid animals for the most part and don't typically use their teeth to defend themselves... their primary defense is to pretend they're dead, ie, "playing possum." I've read about this as I've had concerns about my indoor/outdoor cats myself. They are, by and large, timid animals with such poor vision they're almost blind in daylight. I don't worry about them being a risk to my cats.
by Dr g
on January 17, 2022 at 10:02 PM
Be sure you’re talking about the correct species. The O.matters! Virginia opossums are natures pest control. This article conflates the two species. It eats slugs crickets ticks mice rats cockroaches etc…one opossum can eat 5000 ticks! yeah it willsometimeseatflowers.berries or nuts….tax for taking care of the insects.  
Their body temperatures doesn’t allow rabies or some others are diseases. They are gentle and nondestructive. They do not tear gardens up or dig. They don’t open garbage cans.  
 
Multiple outdoor community at groups in my urban area,love opossums and feed them as well and sometimes even shelter them- they are not built for winters. . They would NOTdo this if the opossums were commonly killing kittens.
by Cheryl
on November 23, 2022 at 8:36 AM
My cat actually made friends with a possum. I found them just sitting next to each other behind bushes several times over the years. I think my cat had very little predatory drive though. He had a mild case of cerebellar hypoplasia. He also made friends with other cats and dogs while outside on his long leash. We wound up adopting stray cats he made friends with.
 
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