The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support Forumswho else loves opossums?
this guy-
Man picks up an Opposum and knows super cool facts about them.
Link to tweet
worth clicking through for the rest of the thread.
XanaDUer2
(10,726 posts)mopinko
(70,202 posts)love them both. rats, now . and raccoons
lastlib
(23,272 posts)One cold snowy January day, I had to go to the woods to look for a cow about to have a calf. As I walked, I saw a mother skunk and three babies walking in a line, straight toward me. Remembering the rule, I stopped and stood as still as I could. They kept coming, and the whole family, mom and brood, walked right over the toes of my boots! Yeah, that close. No fear, no walking around, no wide berth. It was an amazing moment!
I shudder to think what would've happened if I had twitched or moved a toe!
mopinko
(70,202 posts)tho they werent very good hunters.
bucolic_frolic
(43,259 posts)FoxNewsSucks
(10,434 posts)Growing up, we would shoot rabbits and squirrels. They're both delicious when seasoned, coated and fried.
Farmer-Rick
(10,206 posts)To feed 3 boys and their parents.
And they never really describe the taste. They only say it's good. Is it gamey? Does it have that sour iron taste that rabbit and rodents have? Is it greasy like squirrel? Is it chewy or falls apart in your mouth?
I think it would have been better to just let the possum live instead of doing such a poor job of describing it and not even getting enough meat to feed a family.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)its the part where u take out the trash at night and get hissed at by the 1 in your trash cart that freaks me out. and y many ppl mistake them for epic rats.
Oopsie Daisy
(2,674 posts)(although, I kinda think this sign is a gag.)
3catwoman3
(24,032 posts)If not, someone has led a very deprived life or is woefully stupid.
FoxNewsSucks
(10,434 posts)when I was in college the local conservation agent told a story about some "city slickers" who came out to our rural area to go deer hunting. Apparently, they were kinda jerks. When they brought the deer they'd shot into the station to be reported, it was actually a mule. Because of their condescending attitudes, no one told them. Just processed and recorded their kill and sent them on their way back to the city.
I don't know if that really happened or not, but I could definitely believe it.
Envirogal
(62 posts)Whenever I am having a crappy day, I will always turn to videos of baby possums eating!
Easterncedar
(2,319 posts)I had two ticks on me yesterday. Ugh. The season has begun. I miss winter already.
jmbar2
(4,905 posts)I had a dog once who was pretty protective of his yard. I came home one evening to find a mortally wounded possum in the middle of my living room floor, with a whole slew of little babies littering the path from the dog door.
I didn't know what to do. Put the possum and babies in a grocery bag and set them in the local woods. I doubt that they survived, but couldn't afford vet bills to try to save them. Plus, they were tearing up my attic, so wasn't actually all that fond of them.
PS- Didn't know that they ate so many ticks. THAT is an endearing quality.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)they get a lot of little possums. if its a big litter, but the time theyre too big for them all to have a place to hang on, some fall off. mom often doesnt notice. and i mean, who can blame her by that point?
littlemissmartypants
(22,747 posts)Or even a local vet could possibly point you in the direction of some help. ❤️
mopinko
(70,202 posts)esp exotic vets. which r the best bet, anyway.
every one i know has some sort of partnership w a rehabber. they take care of whatever comes, and the org pays what it can. usually they can get enough w a little pr campaign to make the doc happy. most will care for critters til the rehabber can get there, too.
was a long time fb and irl friend of a real pioneer in avian medicine, dr pete sakas. he took on all the birds that came into a big county supported rescue.
he just loved working on these birds. hes post the gory pics on his fb page. he got bored seeing happy healthy birds most days. and simply sick 1 too.
passed away suddenly and way too young. but the practice he left behind does the same.
ive met a couple asshole vets, but not many.
littlemissmartypants
(22,747 posts)Sad to hear about your friend. Sounds like he was doing God's work, too. ❤️
keithbvadu2
(36,887 posts)We were sitting on the porch late one evening. One walked right in front of our feet. It had to hear her say 'look down'. It didn't care or speed up.
patricia92243
(12,598 posts)I feed that one or he would be dead. Same thing for feral cats. We had a dozen when we moved here. Now have one male that I feed, or he would also be dead. When possum and cat go that will be all in my neighborhood.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)i dont see them as much as i used to. had an elderly neighbor whos garage full of junk was about to fall down. they city tore it down for him. there were generations of skunks that lived in there. rare to see them now, tho i occasionally do.
my next door neighbor has a family of raccoons in his garage. he puts out food cuz he thinks he has a feral cat. i dont have the heart to tell him.
Lulu KC
(2,572 posts)We once had a family sneak into the basement of a house built in 1917 and settle in for quite a while before we figured out what was going on. They managed to get in through what appeared to be very tiny spaces in the stone. They made a huge mess but I learned a lot about them in the process and grew to love them--just not in my own house, preferably.
Our cat developed an interest in being put into the basement every night and when we found out they were down there we wondered if he'd been interacting with them or just sitting on the steps, observing. Did he think they were new pets, part of the family? What an adventure.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)sounds like u need to have a chat about what that cats job is.
angrychair
(8,733 posts)One of the greatest animals native to North America. True unsung hero.
yellerpup
(12,253 posts)We bought a renovated house that had been abandoned for several years and enjoyed the opossum mom and babies that first spring.
et tu
(895 posts)thanks for share
Brother Buzz
(36,458 posts)She brought in five baby opossums to share with us, one at a time. Each one was 'dead' when it was brought in, and was placed in a bucket. Soon come, all were awake. Pearl stared at them, smiling, and her tail waggings, "Can we keep them?".
We made calls and were told they were big/old enough to survive on their own, so I drove them out into the country and set them loose. Sorry, Pearl.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)but its always better to let them go where u found them. take them far away, and theyre lost. many die trying to find food and shelter.
Brother Buzz
(36,458 posts)The opossum is non-native to our area, considered a pests, and would come to an early demise.
They were set loose in an island of paradise away from humans to develop their survival skills; creek (freeway), vegetation (shelter), and bugs aplenty (food).
Warpy
(111,332 posts)I was working swing shift at a name brand hospital that was a 20 minute bus ride away, a luxury, and I'd get home roughly the same time every night. I lived near the Arnold Arboretum, so critters abounded, mostly a large family of raccoons who'd pop their heads out of the trash cans to chatter at me. Every night, I'd see an opossum waddling down the center of the street. At first, it hissed at me, but within a couple of weeks, it would just look up at me without comment and we'd pass each other peacably.
Never knew that much about them except opossum stew down south didn't sound or smell very appetizing, so I passed on it.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)my da grew up hunting for dinner w his big bro. even tho he rescued some baby squirrels after shooting their mom. he never said anything about hunting after that, but i can bet he wasnt pleased.
he was quite a pacifist. dont remember him saying a single good thing about the sport.
i bet raccoon is worse, tho.
Warpy
(111,332 posts)I have no complaint about subsistence hunters who are trying to feed themselves and their families. Trophy hunters who leave the meat to rot are my pet peeve. You kill an animal for its rack, at least get the carcass to someone who knows how to butcher it down and is willing to share with poor folks who can't afford meat very often.
I can see why he'd give up hunting after raising orphaned squirrels, they're high on the cute=o-meter. He sounds likd a good guy.
My dad was a gent, didn't want to see guns after WWII, it's also how his brothers felt. He did have an air pistol and we'd trade shots at his empties in a lake when I was a kid. It wasn't "Leave it to Beaver" of him but it was more interesting,
debm55
(25,300 posts)Leghorn21
(13,526 posts)❤️❤️❤️
littlemissmartypants
(22,747 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,747 posts)I love my nature habitat.
I have squirrel, racoons, hawks, a big owl, bats, snakes, lizards, frogs, foxes, rabbits, blue birds, mockingbirds, cardinals, bob whites, wren, coyotes, lots of deer, wild turkey (that my peacock lives with now) and opossum.
I've been told that a bear was sighted on a trail cam that was set up in our pine forest at the back of my field but I've never seen it.
I live not too far from a beaver dam but it's not on my property. They're so important in wetlands management so I'm thankful for them.
I'm really thankful for all of the critters and the habit that I'm able to provide for them.
❤️
SarahD
(1,215 posts)But skunks are cuter.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)tho they r cute. had a childhood friend who had a pet 1.
SleeplessinSoCal
(9,138 posts)That guy is fabulous. Marsupial! I'd no idea they had pouches full of babies. No wonder they play dead when scared.
nuxvomica
(12,440 posts)He misspoke. They are voracious tick eaters.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)mopinko
(70,202 posts)and with that, ill get back to cleaning bird cages.
SilasSouleII
(363 posts)Who would catch and kill 4-5 possums a year. This was a great relief to me as a solution to keep them out of my attic. It also fulfilled his breeding Instincts as a protector of livestock. The gentlest dog to people, family and kids.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)he killed a few chickens before i explained they were livestock.
but he gets rats now and then. i once saw him tree a momma raccoon and her 3 babies. 2 went the rt way, 1 took the wrong way. he had it before it hit the ground. dead in 1 bite.
Dear_Prudence
(381 posts)I collect American animal figurines for my creche set that features a Native American holy family. I wanted to add a possum this year, but none of the animal toy sets include a possum! Some figurines I located were grotesque; I guess possums are hard to portray artistically. I finally found a tiny porcelain possom with cute little hands and a pinkish tail. She was a lovely addition, taking her place next to the raccoon.
mopinko
(70,202 posts)SupportSanity
(174 posts)the zoo members can place small animals to show them to the audience.
The last time I was at the zoo, I sat down on one of the bench seats with everyone else while up front, several of the zoo members were showing and describing various small animals. They took out a raccoon from a carrier and described raccoons - their habits, what they eat, their natural enemies. They took out a fox from a carrier, and described what the fox eats, and natural enemies of foxes.
Then they took out an opposum. They talked about what it eats. When they talked about enemies, they described how oppossums deal with other animals.
If the other animal is smaller, the oppossum stands up, shows it's sharp claws and bares its sharp teeth. That's usually enough to scare away a smaller animal.
If the other animal is bigger, they will instinctively play dead and bigger animals will often just ignore the opposum.
However, the playing dead instinct doesn't work with cars.
That explained a lot to me.