Hey, that's a marsupial mammal, not a mammillian! And it looks like one pissed-off pumice denizen. Be careful!

Para, still wondering what how many mammals it takes to make a mammillian :)

Oh boy, POSSUM! Now them's good eatin'! LOL
Amy

Dear Brad,

Having been involved in opossum ranching, your comments are in line with my experiences on the plains of San Diego.

There is a joke regarding the intelligence of the chief executive of a major superpower, the punchline to which reads 'So, just how many is a brazilian?'

Dear Amy,

Indeed, Rachel Ray will be filming a week's worth of shows featuring possum, the 'Merican marsupial meat.

Nice lookin' snotty nose slick tail... :-)
Bill in SC

Am curious whether your cats came to introduce themselves & how that might have gone? Did Dirty Buddy have an absolute fit?

Dear PG,

No, fortunately the cats were inside their respective homes - otherwise it would not have been as fun as it was.

they say you should sweet'em with apples. but do you know who they is.

How neat. I have a video I took of my dog trying to play with one. All it did was drop, roll over and played dead. I walked right up to it and was touching it with my foot. This possum was a baby one, just on its own. Its an amazing feeling to get that close to a wild animal.

Dawn

Dawn - LOL. (i'm sorry i shouldnt laugh) i pick these varmints up by hand and toss 'em over the fence on a regular basis - too regular. you have a standing invite to come visit anytime you wish...i shall introduce you to all my wildlife...possum aplenty, coon babies every spring to bottlefeed when abandoned by mom, roadrunners, cardinals, jays, falcons, buzzards, we're on the hummer migration route, geckos, anoles, snakes of all stripe and if you come in spring you stand on the porch and watch the fawns being born down in a dry creekbed....and yes, it is all amazing! the house is built at the y of two wet-weather creeks with a sizeable vernal pond. you're welcome to catch your own crawdaddies, snack 'em right up...i'll provide the tabasco. we'll take a walkabout and you can pluck all the prickly pear and yucca that strikes your fancy. i love my little ecosystem!

possum ranching? need any new stock?

sjv, I'm on the next flight out :) What I would do to feed a baby coon. The only wild animals I have handfed are birds and I love it. I would love to see the snakes and lizards. I used to keep geckos and other lizards. Sounds like you have the life there. My mom visits Dallas area every spring. One of these times I am going to go with her. I have always wanted to visit Texas. My sister has a house in Houston but is living in China right now. I might just take you up on your offer someday.

Dawn

dawn - i must tell you that both big d and houston are not really representative of most of texas. they are standard metropolitan concrete jungles that happen to have a 'texas twang'...please dont tell 'em i said so. i am in austin, it is a LOT different here. even with a population near 1 mill you will see deer, possum, falcon, vultures and coons all over town due to the large number of greenbelts...we are considered 'texas tree-hugger central.' lol! i read a news story of a gal who had lots of succulents on the walk of her 3rd floor apt - a deer managed its way up there and had the whole lot for lunch! can you imagine?!
nursing coon babies is a hoot! i bottle-feed with a special formula from the vet - he would much prefer i put them down. they exhibit such alertness and dexterity even at 2-3 weeks old. i've actually learned to mimic the call that will bring them running for grub. you can call me ellie mae - hehehehe.
the invite stands.

jeff - what did you do with the lil bugger in your pic? and for what are you ranching posum? hehe, i heard that 'brazilian' joke as a blonde joke.

jo
as a side note to any wildlife rehabbers who might read this:
when i happen upon an abandoned cub or litter i put them in cages and never allow the dogs to interract with them. i set the cages up where they can all view one another from a safe distance but close enuff so the cubs learn that dogs are not their friends. so far, i have been successful in returning them to the wild without them coming back into the fenced yard, but any suggestions on a better way of accomplishing this are appreciated - email me.