I, too, have the occasional possum showing up at the garden gate to scarf up any cat chow my kitties have left behind.

Some years ago my DH brought home a wounded possum whose paw was smashed along the road. He fed it apple slices, banana, raw spinach, cat chow, gave it some leftover antibiotic from the cats and some PetTinic cat liqid vitamin. Kept it in one of our bathrooms and the little sucker would hide behind the toilet whenever you entered the room.

He healed and thrived. We kept him for about 2 months, and we called him Del (no particular reason, just liked the name). Then we released him in our garden and he stayed around in the neighborhood for another one or two years (we could recognize him because he had a slight limp).

I have always presumed the possies that come around now are descendants of Del's.

What a sweet story. I recently found a tiny babay foating in the pool on a pool float. It must have fallen out while the mom possum was walking along the top of the fence? I never touched it, but scooped it up in the pool net and let it go under my deck. I hope it survived. The next day I was second guessing myself and thinking maybe I should have kept it until it got bigger?

I had a small young possum here for awhile visiting everynight after Thanksgiving because I was putting Turkey bones out at night for it to eat. I only cook one Turkey a year so Turkey bones did not last long. But I felt bad and put out some dry dog food tonight for the animals because it is Christmas. I haven't seen the possum since the Turkey bones were gone, so maybe it was passing thru and moved on.

in some of the post way up on top some people say possums are mean, thats not true. they just look ferocious because of those teeth. and any animal cornered will try and defend itself. mean is a tasmanian devil or even a badger can be quite fiesty. i felt bad when someone posted they picked a possum up by the tail and threw it? thats animal cruelty. what if he got hurt? animals dont show their injuries, his tail could have been broken from that. possums are very helpful to us they eat the things we dont want around (roaches, mice etc). they rarely if ever contract rabies because they have a lower body tempature. true im not about to go and pet one on the head but i think they deserve more credit than they get. i feed my possum friend everynight, he trails behind a doe. not sure why maybe he knows she will take him to food. i watch motionless from a distance, the doe eats then the possum comes wabbeling behind her he takes his apple rolls it down the drive way and eats in private. its funny to watch, he looks drunk. both the deer and possum never see me, i would make a good hunter lol

Lucky you!!

I used to have a huge slug problem (the six-inch long brown ones... ugh...) until a mama possum moved in. Man, she cleaned up my yard - I could hear her chewing at night. I started feeding her to make sure she stayed and I had her for many years. She loved peanuts. Once I accidentally dropped a glass jar of those salty spiced nuts and she really loved those!! So try to keep the little critter - stay out of each other's way and throw out a few treats now and then. It may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Koona
who still misses Mama Possum but had to leave her behind when she moved

Lots of possums around here, see them at night.

I need help - we just put up a new bird feeder. The one we replaced was 12 years old. We never had a problem with possums until we put this new one up. The possum climbs the 4 x 4 pole and then empties all of the seed (15#) onto the ground by scraping along the edges of the center until he empties the container. W put a locking clasp on the top of the feeder. We currently have a squirrel baffle on the pole since we did have problems with squirrels with our laST feeder. What do we do now? This is so frstrating!!

Get a better baffle and make sure there is no seed in the feeder at night. If there is seed left over at 7pm, you are putting out too much seed.

Possums are nomadic, but you are leaving your feeder vulnerable to other possums and raccoons.

I HATE POSSUMS. I THREW A GLASS BOTTLE AT ONE THE OTHER DAY AND LUCKY FOR IT I MISSED. I CAN'T EVEN GO IN MY APARTMENT FOR THAT SAME POSSUM PRANCING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE IT OWNS OR CONTRIBUTES SOMETHING TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ITS WEIRD LOOKING LAZY SELF. I WISH I WOULD HAVE HIT IT SO IT WOULD STAY THE HELL AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ten years ago I had a mother cat and her three kittens in my back yard. In my efforts to entice them inside, I left the porch door open at night, and they would come inside to partake of the large bowl of cat food I left for them. Imagine my surprise one evening when I looked out on the porch to find Mama cat, her three kittens, AND an opossum all eating together at the bowl! The cats weren't the least bit bothered, and neither was the possum.

I've been feeding 2 possums for nearly three years and they eat their supper right on the front stoop. In winter I set their food & water dishes inside a Rubbermaid container turned on its side, so they can get out of the wind a bit. They always drink quite a bit of water, and their favorite foods are apples & strawberries (the mushier the better), canned corn, sunflower seeds and peanuts. The cats are fascinated by them, and sit in the front porch windows and watch while they eat. Every night about 15 minutes before dark the dog and I go out for her last "break", and when we come back the cats file onto the porch and take their seats for the nightly show. The looks of anticipation on their faces is just hilarious.

Loomis, I have pet opossum and two cats in my house. They all get along fine.

Aleksandras, I loved seeing the picture of your pet possum.
It is totally adorable!

Thanks!
Here are some more

Last one - she using her tail to carry the piece of paper towel to her bed :)

Yes, they are sweet and harmless, even wild ones.
Also, I feed her Mazuri Omnivore Zoo Feed, so if anyone wants to feed wild opossums on the yard, this would be a better choice than cat or dog food. I have to order mine because they do not carry it in stores on regular bases.

good morning!
was so glad to find this website. i have a rescue farm, and it seems animals come to me out of the blue. i have two baby possums that i found in my back yard. well actually one came up on my deck. the other one, of my dogs had it on the ground, it was almost dead, thank god i saved it. i have a hugeeee cage we built for them, i made a pouch that hangs in the cage, they love it! one of them is much bigger than the other. I named them Sadie and Katie. I love that people love animals like i do, even if their out of the average for having pets, lol. i wanted to ask aleksandras what other kinds of things can i give them to eat? mine are picky! they have only like the wet cat food. I am also wondering do you take yours out during the day? mine are in their pouch asleep as you know their night time animals. i look in and see all feet up in the air LOL. lounged around. thanks for letting me share!
Mary and the Zoo

Mary, the diet that Aleksandras mentioned is good. You can get a Purina store to order it for you. Canned catfood is a very bad diet for them and may lead to some nutritional problems that may be permanent. If you can't get the Mazuri food, you can mix dry cat food with a little fruit flavored yogurt. Chop a variety of vegetables in a food processor and freeze in an ice tray, and add a cube of the vegetables with the moistened dry cat food and stir in some yogurt. Do not feed too much fruit, altho some fruit is good. Any time you can find grasshoppers, snails, big tree roaches, pill bugs, meal worms, or any kind of big crunchy insect that you know hasn't been poisoned, feed them that too. I keep a meal worm culture going...just some wheat bran, a few slices of potato and some meal worms that I added, and feed meal worms too.

The thing is...they need a very varied diet. Eggs are also good. Soft scrambled or raw. I also feed mine chicken necks. I boil them and remove the skins when feeding them to the babies. You need to feed them very good because if you don't, they may start chewing on each other or end up deformed.

Just think nutritional foods...bits of cheese, boney pieces of chicken...like the ends of wings...the part with the two bones and the wing tip...avacado, a little banana, a few grapes and I'm sure I could think of more if I didn't have to go run an errand now. Boney fish like salmon or sardines once in awhile.
a few nuts,

thanks for the info and the diet. i will try some hard boiled eggs? and scrambled to. the bugs? should they be dead or alive? LOL. they come out at night so should i save them? ick...i was raised on a big farm i remember then one of my friends had found a baby, but i couldnt remember what she fed him i do know he grew so big! i remember us putting him in the bathtub giving him a bath. lol.

Try scrambled eggs or raw eggs. They like them better than boiled. Give them some fruit flavored yogurt...they like that. Some boney pieces of chicken. Variety is the main thing. Bugs, preferably alive. Earthworms. Give them as much variety as you possibly can. Look for info on internet. Just remember canned cat food is not a good diet for them.

ok got ya, i gave them a raw egg this evening, and going to get some yogurt for the little babies tomorrow. and will get some wormies and bugs, lol. ill try and get a picture of them for everyone soon, and no i havent been given them canned food..

I don't give anything else to her because opossums are just like people - they like to eat everything that's bad for them. Often, they get overweight and sick because of it. Cat food only is very bad for them, and it can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/metabolic_bone_disease.htm
I have many pets so I can't cook for each one - this why I'm using Mazuri. Occasionally, I give her a treat - some cottage cheese (homemade), fruits or one bite of cookie. Don't worry about them being picky. They would never starve themselves! You could use a mixer to mix everything together. If you have time to fix food for them, you can use those recipes:
http://hawthornglen.tripod.com/museum/acbook/opossum/opossum.htm
http://www.awrc.org/BabyOpossums.htm
If you want to buy Mazuri feed, you can locate dealers near you on this page: https://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2&Opening=4
My opossum doesn't stay in the cage, but she did when she was very small because it was safe for her. Now she sleeps in the cabinet under the fish tank where I have a box filled with old socks for her. She gets up in night and she roams free around the house, also I have the big dog kennel outside, covered with mesh on the top. My cats and opossum can go there anytime when they want. It's connected with the house through the pipe.

If Mazuri link don't work, go to their front page http://www.mazuri.com/ and click on "Dealer Locator"

thanks for the links, they were very interesting.
id love to let them loose all the time in the house, although as i said i have a rescue farm which consist of 5 dogs that stay in the house. so that wouldnt be good, im going to let them out when they get a bit older though to play when the dogs are outside. what about day light hours? does yours sleep all day? i was wondering if i should wake them up during the day to play in the house. i found a place for the mazuri pretty close to my house i will go there and get the diet for them also.

thanks

Yes, they are going sleep all day. You can wake them up, but they wouldn't be very playful anyway. They will go back to bed as soon as they can. They get up after dark, young ones get up earlier and they are more active. As they get older, they will sleep longer, specially in fall/winter. My opossum sometimes sleeps to 1 or 2 AM in cold time of year! Now she is more alert so she gets up in 9/10 PM.

What is her name, Aleksandras? How old is she?

I can't resist naming most of mine, altho a lot of the possums that are here are because they have injuries. People get traps from animal control and trap them...because they are eating their cat food...and then they are left in the traps for days with no food or water. Many of them have rubbed their noses to the bone, or chewed on the bars of the traps until they have eroded their jaws away to the bone. It takes about 4 months for their jaws to heal enough that I can let them go.

She has a russian name so american people can't even pronounce it right ;) I'm not even sure how to spell it in english.. Well, I'll try it - "Opos'ka" is close enogh, it has soft "s", common in russian, but not used in english language.
This is so sad that people trap opossums that way. They are most harmless animals that I know. Why anybody wants to leave food outside and then expect that only cats will eat it?

Because they are idiots.

One of the rehabbers sent me a possum that had been kept as a pet, but the woman who had it (was from Romania) was moving back, and she couldn't take it. She tried...but there was no way. So she turned her over to a rehabber, who gave her to me.

I have found that wild animals that have been kept as pets are often quite docile around people that they know, but are not so tame around strangers. Plus, the possum was no doubtly stressed being in a different place, caged, etc.

I had her in a big cage outside, but she was not happy. I had a hard time getting her to eat anything except raw meat and fruit. If I even reached into the cage to get her water bowl, she would attack me. I couldn't just turn her loose in my house, altho I tried bringing her in, but she wouldn't adapt. I have this picture of her sleeping in my house.

Reluctantly, I let her go. I watched her and she walked all over my yard, finally disappearing from sight, across the pasture.

A couple of weeks later, I was coming home at 4 a.m. after
taking my husband to work, and she crossed the highway about a mile from my house, right in front of my car. I turned around a couple of times and tried to find her, but couldn't. I recognized her by her hugely fat tail and an unusual black spot she had on her tail.

About a week later, I found her dead on the highway near that same spot.

I didn't know what her owner called her, but when I got her,
Big Brother, the reality tv show was on, and one of the participants, who called herself Nakomis, used the phrase
"Awesome opossum." So, I named her Nakomis.

Here is a picture of Nakomis asleep on my bed.

good morning,
well we have decided when katie and sadie get big enough were going to build them a hugeeeeeee outdoor cage for them to play in. we have wonderful area here in the back yard with some woods. ok tried eggs, yuck they didnt like them, tried potatoes, nope, worms they ate i think if they didnt crawl away lol. going to get yougurt tomorrow. i hate to read letters of animals being ran over, its so sad. that is why i cant let any of my wild animals go, i know their adapted to me taking care of them.

I am not in favor of keeping wild animals as pets if they have to be caged. I should say I am not in favor of wild animals as pets, period, but possums don't have much of a life in the wild, and when someone has them as a house possum, that is a little different in my eyes.

As possums mature, they will want to free. They will pace the cages all night long. That is heart breaking to see.

I hate to put a lot of time into raising animals and release them and then they end of killed by people, killed by dogs or ran over on the highway....but you do the best you can do. I live in a fairly remote area. Lots of open land around me for miles. Still you can't protect them from every thing that might happen.

If you are going to keep them as pets, you need to handle them frequently. For one thing, you need to look at them every day to make sure they are in good health and not chewing on each other. And if you don't handle them every day, they will get wilder and wilder.

It is hard work rehabbing animals. It takes me a good 3 hours every day to look after the animals here. I never wanted to do this. I am so easily depressed by man's cruelty and intolerance of wildlife. But, I don't see anyone who has the facilities and the time to step up and take my place. I have enormous sympathy for the animals and that is why I keep doing it.

i hear ya on that one. i am busy 24/7 it never stops with me and the animals. some days i say i cant do it anymore. but then i know i wont stop, lol..i am handling them every day, and watching them as i do al my other animals, by the way where do you live? i am located in north georgia. we have a gazillions oppsums around here, coons, deer in the front yard. i also have 15 turtles which i keep or people bring me.. their so cute also, along with my other animals, i guess i have around 30 all together. they have the most cleanest loving homes with me. their all spoiled, my hubby gets jealous sometimes. LOL

I too heard that about 90% of opossums never make it to their second year. So I don't see anything wrong to keep them as pets, as long as they are not locked up in small cages.
My girl doesn't like strangers also, if someone comes in my house and wants to see her, she shows her teeth as greeting, and than she run away with an unusual speed for opossum!
Marilyn, I forgot to answer on your question yesterday - she is two years old now.
Sadienkatie, how old are your babies? Thay sound way too picky. Maybe they are just too small. My girl eats everything that I ofter her. Don't give them cat food just because they don't eat anything else. Eventually, they will get hungry and will eat food that is good for them. You should give them milk products as yogurt, cotage cheese so they will not get MBD. Also, mature females often get urinary infection (I had it happen few times with my opossum). To keep her from getting it over and over, I started to use apple cider vinegar in her drink. I mix one tablespoon in one liter, and because she was not too happy with the taste, instead of one liter of water, I use 2/3 of water and 1/3 of juice - peach or grape. It solved the problem.
There is a place on internet with lot of people who keep opossums, you can find all kind of information and ask questions there, but I am not allowed to give a link to it. You can go to Google search page, type "Opossumsaspets" - all in one word and it will take you there.

Who are you to decide that a life confined is preferred over a life wild, as nature has given wildlings? All wildlife has shorter but richer lives, and they procreate, and live in their ecosystems, in nature. (Procreate means making more of their own kind, which is part of their life cycle that you have chosen to take away with their freedom.)

These last threads are the most ignorant I have ever seen on this forum. Other members should take note it is illegal and wrong for the animal to keep wild things as pets. There are licensed wildlife rehabilitators who actually read books and go to conferences to learn how best to raise and care for their charges, with the ultimate goal of releasing them back to the wild, where they belong.

Caring for a wild animal, especially a baby, often will kill the baby when done improperly. And if you have been doing it illegally for many years, then you have been doing a disservice to nature for that long. Nature belongs in nature, not in your house with the cats.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator

Most opossums are killed by cars and people, this is why they don't live too long. Cars, roads, people with guns and traps are not a part of their ecosystem. I would rather concentrate on those problems instead of placing my anger on the people who trying to save them. But before you say that someone is doing something "wrong" or "illegal", you should know that a lot of people breed and sell wild animals (including Virginia opossums) absolutely legally. And as long you don't know where the animal came from, or who is rehabber and who is not, you shouldn't say anything in this manner. I was trying to help, not fight!

good morning,
i fed sadie and katie some strawberrys last night, they loved them!.. i am going to get some cottage cheese and yogurt for them today also. their age ? i would say about month old. i dont want them to get diseased so i am trying all your helpful hints every night. their doing really well. i see sooo many oppusums on the road dead, i know people dileberatly run over them, they think their nothing but rats or their no good. i love all animals, wild, or tame. i think the greatest thing god put on this earth is animals, unlike people who have so much hatred in them. trapping i think is dusgusting, and people who abuse animals. i dont understand why people have so much hatred with people who help wildlife, at least were doing something for them to help them and give them love. i beleive more people should show love for animals and each other instead of showing anger and hate these days.

I wrote that there are wildlife rehabiltators not ignorant of their care. Do not misinterpret my concern and criticism for hate.

There is a link to licensed rehabbers who actually know what they are doing. Being "helpful" would, I think, make you want to do what is best for the animal, and that would be to get it the best possible help so it can ultimately be free. Not make it a pet. You believe it is God's creature? Did God iintend it to be out of the forest in your home? Shame on you.

You are misguided and ignorant, which are two powerfully harmful forces.

I spent over 10 years caring for injured and baby wild birds, so I do know what I am talking about. I did it legally and educated myself in those years with books, conferences and seminars. I had other people more informed than myself helping me. I got good advice from professionalss and worked with a vet.

Also: Possums are omnivores, so you'd better be providing them with grubs and calcium.

shame on me??? rofl,
so i guess youd rather see baby animals that are orphaned by their moms to die or get killed. i also have spent many years with animals, in fact since i was 7. i have seen many happy and unhappy situations with them, and if i can rescue them and help them live a long life then so be it. just because someone has a so called license doesnt mean they do or care any differently. and for your info, alot of orphaned animals cant go back into the wild, they end up dead. so i think giving them a good natural home within your house is great. working with a vet, i have to, and have seen some real idiots working with vets, as the vets were to, ive seen them abuse animals also, or let them die, or put them asleep. i came here to this chat to talk of nice things about animals, i hope you will to. i am always thankful to hear of suggestions from the people i have gotten here so far. i hope everyones possys are doing well today, oh and alaksandras and marylin i think your wonderful people for doing this, you sound like really nice and caring folks, high five to you.

Hi all, I have a question about my shih-tzu, my newborn (2 days) cardinals in a very low bush (3 1/2' above ground) and the cute little opossum I saw cruisin across my front yard this afternoon.

My dog likes to lay across the front porch in the late afternoon/early evening and bark at the frogs. Occasionally a neighborhood cat comes by and her bark of course changes to the protective sound that always brings me running to the door.

I managed to catch her before she left the porch, and I THINK she was mostly interested in getting a good sniff at the possum as she does with other animals, but ... do I need to keep her tied for a few days?

FYI, we are in a very rural area of northeastern Connecticut, so lots of wildlife here. I always make her come in at dark because of coyotes and fisher cats, hate to keep her tied in the day.

Let me know?

All dogs are different and its hard to say which one will harm a wild animal and which won't. But if your dog only lies on the front porch, so I guess, she wouldn't be too upset if you will tie her in there (temporary). She still will be doing the same thing as she doing now, only difference is that she will not be able to run and chase something. Opossums sleep in day time, but maybe this one is too young, maybe he needs some extra time to find his food because he is not so experienced yet. Cardinals should leave the nest in about two weeks, or you can put some kind of fence before that bush if you think that your dog is worrying them.

I am a wildlife rehabber, thank you very much. I handle around 300 orphaned and injured possums a year. As I said, I am usually opposed to wild animals being kept for pets, but I see an enormous amount of cruelty done to possums. Someone, such as aleksandras, who is informed and keeps her pet possum without being in a cage, I have no problem with that.

I tried in a nice way to tell sadienkatie how to take care of her possums. I think she means well, but has a lot to learn, and hopefully she will.

Rehabbing wildlife sounds like a wonderful avocation, but it is a sad, often dirty job. You see the absolute worst in people and the cruelty to wildlife...especially animals that aren't as cute as others...is staggering.

Most of the local (yes licensed) rehabbers that I know spend most of their efforts on birds and raccoons. They do not go to the extra trouble of feeding possums correctly. I am the only one I know in my local group who does go to that trouble. I am frequently brought crippled possums by other rehabbers who haven't taken the time to give them a correct diet.

I hate rehabbing. I never wanted to do it. I just happened to have some land in the country, on a bayou, and was asked if I would take a few possums to release. The first one brought to me was one that had a head injury and couldn't climb. He was bashed in the head by a human. Not ran over by a car. He was old when he got here and he was here for almost two years. The second one brought to me was fed a bad diet, a juvenile and couldn't walk without falling over. I eventually got her so she could sit up but she couldn't walk without staggering.

Now I get most of the possums that come in from two animal shelters and drop offs by people. I put in hours and hours a day taking care of them. I offer no appologies to anyone for the care that I take of these animals. I know that no one would do more for them than I would.

Marilyn, you're a hero, and I thank you for your work. It's certainly not for cowards.

Just for the record, could you post a list of acceptable possum food?

maryiln,
thanks for the info on the possums,why do you say, i think i mean well? as i said before i have a rescue farm, i have been around animals since i was 7. the possums? yes i came here for info, i havent had one in years. as for other animals i know much about, as i stated i have many rescued animals. i have raised many orphaned, and hurt animals myself. i work with my animals 24/7, why wouldnt i mean well? they have the best of homes with me, and are very healthy. i love all animals as i said before. i appreciate your info, and hope that you dont take my questions that i am not knoweldgeable about animals, because that is far from the truth. Such as turtles, they arnt as easy as people think either. as for my possums, their doing well, and eating more food than the cat food. i wanted to ask alexandras, how big is your cage outside? we are going to build one on our land also. or marilyn if you have a big cage how big? were going to make in a natural habitat for them.

Originally it was a 10x10 dog kenell with plastic mesh on top. Inside it has one live tree, some old branches and shelves. You can see a detailed picture at the link bellow. They will need boxs where they can sleep filled with beding material. If they will be there year round, maybe you will need to make two different kinds of boxes - one for summer, light, with ventilation, and warm ones, probably with flip door for winter. Also, this kennel has one side and about 1/3 of the top covered with a tarp to protect it from sun, rain and wind.

Here is a link that might be useful:

thanks for the picture
the cage will probably be in mostly shade wich is good, where ive seen other possums around. i will put it around a real tree also i know they would love that. i think were going to do something like 15x10. your cat is funny in there with them also. cute!..

I love all the pictures, I cannot believe you have a collar on the possum. Tooo cute.
The one picture looks like she is actually posing.
I love possums.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Any more?????

Horseback Riding :)

I have never been a fan of possums, but seeing some of the pictures and reading some of the stories here was really neat. I guess my two visitors that come just about every night will now be feed with all the other wildlife that come to visit. Thanks for all the useful information.
Kay

I am French, and I love animals.
I am currently living in australia, and there is a lot of possus here and I ve been so delighted to dicover this new wild life. Possums are kind of exostic exotic to me.
I loved reading the stories people wrote here.
I just wanna show you the pic of a little possum (brush tail possum) I found in Melbourne last week. Only 12cm long !
He must have fell from his mum s bag, I dont know, because it was on the ground, yelling to get some help.
I came back an hour later and it was still at the same place, alone, and obviously tired. The mum hadnt got him back.
So I took it to the vet, a bit sad cause I couldn t keep it (i leave in an apartment).
I post some pics so you can see what the australian cousins look like !

Here is a link that might be useful: a little rescued possum from australia

Well, I've read all the posts here and I still hate the darned things. They just creep me out, totally.

Maybe it stems from the fact that we have one the size of a small car, who has actually bent metal stakes in the garden as he waddles around. He leaves a mess every morning. I've watched him knock over the bird bath!

And they are not exclusively nocturnal. I called animal control last month because I saw him running around a neighbor's yard in 90 degree heat at 2:00 p.m. and was worried that he was ill and therefore a danger. The guy said that's fairly unusual, but they go amble around in the daylight on occasion.

Euuuwwwww! They are just creepy with those little beady eyes and that nekkid tale.

-Donna

Good day all,

I would love to have some possum grapes to seed and plant. I would appreciate trading or pay shipping. Thank you in advance.