Northern Oaks Bird & Animal Hospital
Opossums are harmless, timid, docile creatures. They hiss for protection because their eyesight is poor. They freeze or “play opossum” when confronted with danger because they have no means to fight. When you see these critters, leave them be. #opossumglamour
ETA: This post has garnered some controversy within the comments. A few facts:
1. Opossums are not Rabies vectors because of their decreased body temperature
2. They eat insects, acorns, ticks (very efficiently!), overripe vegetation, and occasionally, tiny vermin. They do not attack cats, dogs, chickens, etc and are excellent disease control for Lyme, Ehrlichia and any other tick-borne diseases
3. They do not tip trash cans or destroy gardens. They clean up what other predators leave behind, but often get the blame
4. They will never offensively attack or bite. They are completely avoidant of interaction and will hiss, growl, involuntarily faint or, like all animals, bite defensively when cornered
5. They are a carrier for sarcocystis, the Protozoa causing EPM. All horse feed and hay should be kept off the ground and covered. A devastating disease, and treatable if diagnosed early, less than 1% of healthy exposed horses will progress to disease
6. They are resistant/somewhat immune to toxic snake bites and will kill them if encountered, out of defense. They perform natural pest control
7. We have learned this sweet face belongs to a little opossum named Mushroom belonging to Juniperfoxx who took the photo. She’s gorgeous and can be seen @juniperfoxx
8. Unkind interactions toward one another will be deleted. Facts and questions are fine, ugliness toward one another is not permitted. Should it continue, all comments will be turned off (This includes calling one another liars, uneducated or telling others to do their research. There are more civil ways to make a statement.) ... See more
