I was so drunk one night that I started petting what I thought was a kitten on a tree....it was a baby opossum 😂 ever since then I've had nothing but respect for em lol
Babies are the cutest! I really like them but I have to admit that they grow to be kinda ugly and especially that tail but as babies they're adorable. That tiny little tail that's more furry and that little snout that hasn't grown out as pointy. 🤗
I wish more states allowed them as pets. I think they wouldn’t be so vilified then. They really do make great little companions, you can potty train them and the babies are the absolute cutest things ever! Spectacular video 🤩
@@ppooka33 actually they can they have sharp teeth they don't cut fingers off but if they bite it causes a lot of blood. I know cuz I saw a RUclips video of a guy who had a opossum named rocky and Rocky bit his finger it was covered in blood so yes they actually can bite fingers if they are afraid in fact any animal bites
One of the first ones I was working to rehab after it's mom was run over and the babies were just hanging on hoping she would get up and get out of the road, but one of the little ones was essentially picky with what he ate and ended up getting rickets! But I've had many more that went on to be big healthy animals that I released after they grew up. Same thing with racoons! But I usually kept the coons a little bit longer than I actually had to lol, because I get attached to them too easily lol
Something I think folks need to know is they don't live long. Beyond 5 years is extremely rare, I believe. Never kept one as a pet, but I've had strange relationships with wild opossums who frequent my yard over the years. They are pretty harmless and strangely fascinating.
When I was a kid a baby opossum fell into a garbage can and I rescued him and made him a pet. Pippin Possum I named him. One warning : that marsupial thing was non negotiable, he’d be up to mischief in the middle of the night. He would ride on my shoulder using his tail to help cling on
This is the sweetest ever! I recently moved to NEW ORLEANS and I met an opossum who was living under my new houses' shed. I named her Sneakums because she's always sneaking around my backyard. I started feeding and watering her on the reg because I caught her trying to drink water from my leaky hose during our humid summer. It has been a year and a half and now I have, her, Snowfall, Munchums, Jordan, Dumpy-Schmuckers and The Bookends! I am a proud cat-mum for over 40 years but WOW! I absolutely LOVE my ever-expanding opossum familia! Thank you for enlightening me on these majikal creatures! ^..^
Please find out exactly what we need to eat, as if we are fed the wrong things we get something called Metabolic Bone Disease and it will disable and then kill us. It is preventable with the correct diet and it is correctable to a point, if caught in time. Thank you.
She didn't really answer the question, so YES, they make good pets, if you're willing to accept their idiosyncrasies. They're not like dogs or cats, but they can be vary sweet. We had one and loved it. They don't live very long. Three or four years at the most.
@Jonathan Post - Many thanks for the Life Span info. (especially on Beloved Bunnies).I love all animals. Previously heard @4 years on rabbits, etc & always meant to google, however, knew I would find the news depressing. Serious Loving Attachment issues here (joke). Thanks for "making the taking" of information so easy. Best wishes to all. ❤️
@Jonathan Post @ 1 hr. ago. Thanks so much for the personalized comment. I did forget that I diid raise a "domesticated bunny" (Thumper) who lovingl lived for quite a number of years. I too love, rescue & take care of many creatures. While caring for the most abused cat rescue who would not come into the house (too fiercly traumatic for him, "Stretch"), I spent a majority of my time w/him) in my outdoor porch. Got familiar (& loved) the generational families of Skunks, Bunnies & also the Squirrels & Birds who would "hang out" w/Stretch & I. Last summer I went from one portion of yard (via gate) to the other side of yard & found out that I was being "followed" (animal CIA?) through the gate. I loved it (Think: Song "You will never walk alone"). I caught a baby skunk I named Angel (slanted halo of white sliding down his head) & a Bunny "hot on my trail". This I know as I turned too fast (forgot something). Upon my turning too fast, my animal sleuthers immediately turned directiion. Sold house this year & miss creatures. Incidentally, average life of a street cat is 4 years! One cat rescue had stopped eating & was being "bullied" by Feline Toughies. When I caught him, Vet said he had a gum disease & would have surely died a painful death had we not had all teeth extracted. Who knows what painful deaths these critters endure. Great texting w/you & reading comments from othere (I enjoy the Evesdropping, ha). Best of love to all (human and otherwise) from South New Jersey, USA ❤️❤️❤️
@@jonnyboyliveI knew someone who had a big ahh rabbit for like 10 years called it honey for the longest time then realized it was a boy therefore having to rename him hank ☠️
I rescued them a lot as a kid..unofficially obviously, but growing up surrounded by farms there were so many and i told everyone to tell me instead of killing them. Not the brightest critters, but so chill most of the time
As a rehabber, if someone came to you looking to adopt one of your NR , what would you say? I want an opossum, I’d rather not buy one but adopt one from a rehabber. What are my chances if I ask a rehabber near me? I’m in TN
The possum that uses the pet door and spent most of last winter with my cats and Its named Star Fire. She weighed an impressive 28 pounds and was huge! I'm hoping she will be back this winter. Star FIre loves peanut butter sandwiches with grape jelly and a bowl of whole milk as a late night snack. And my cats are perfectly fine with sharing their dry food while she eats along side them. My next door neighbor Vera, used to love to pet and brush Star FIre when she would come to visit.
Did you do anything in particular to attract her? I love possums. Unfortunately my dogs do too so I'll probably not be able to befriend one. I did manage to get one to take treats from me though. That was pretty cool!
LOL! Ewwwe! :-3 I have a big one here I named Pocket. I found him stuck in a trailer when he was tiny. Hims is pretty big too, he likes salami and takes it under the porch to eat. Nomnomnom!
@@oberonpanopticon Opossums normally eat bugs and grubs. They will also eat Poke berries that are poisonous to us, but not them. Opossums can truly eat about anything including mouldy bird seed. Funny thing I came home from shopping a couple of days ago, thought I had brought everything in. When I went to put the garbage out there was Starfire eating the last of my eight piece fried chicken from Meijers.
We love you, Scruff! Thank you for the invite and letting us watch as you had enjoyed eating your buffet meal...after all your romping about, and exploring! You're a very sweet and special fellow, fabulous and furry friend! Sending you love from Virginia! :o) 🐾 🍳 🍓 🥚 :o)
@@Larissas-Jungle Volunteer at a wildlife coalition or see who rehabs them. I'm raising four babies now along with my adult. Spring time is the time to jump in and help out.
I absolutely love possums, I think they are beautiful. I’ve learned a lot about them and educate as many people as I can with how beneficial they are as opposed to what they’ve been taught out of senseless fear.
Opossums are extremely dangerous animals that are known to attack humans during the night time in fact opossums kill more humans than almost any other animal out there. If you ever see an opossum out in the wild I would run as far away as humanly possible and as quickly as possible to try to get to safety before it’s too late.
@MobileAura wild opposums are much more susceptible to rabies which gives them a horrible reputation. They make great pets, just not very affectionate.
I am so intrigued by these amazing creatures. I would love to take one in as a rescue but my cats would probably not appreciated that. Also, I read that they only live several years even in captivity and in their last year of life that they decline quickly. That would break my heart getting attached to one of these critters then lose it so soon. i love how they use their hands.
Funny you mention that, as I have always wondered how cats get along with them - do they view them as some "benign" species of strange cat, or as a potential predator (hisssss!)? One interesting question I have about them from a zoological standpoint - their eyes are located on the front of their skulls, not the sides, which in science indicates they are more a "predator" than a "prey" animal. For some reason I just don't see them as predators .. at least not of anything more than some insects and worms, small snakes, etc.
Cats and oppossums actually dont really bother each other. My wife and kids cats never wanted anything to do with our ferrets. they seemed afraid of them. They seem slightly intrigued by our two new small opossums we're currently taking care of.
@@attygarland6909 I have 3 outdoor cats and an opossum that lives in the garden with them and they get along way better than my cats do with my dog lol They eat together and just lay around together at night
That's their main downside, unfortunately. Most don't make it until even age two. Zoologists have long been puzzled by this fact .. Possibly it has some link to their extreme "resilience" during the time that they are alive, and is maybe a "biological trade off" of some kind. Not only do they have a tolerance/immunity for most snake venom, it has recently been discovered (not sure though how they were humanely about to do so) that possums also have some tolerance for even inorganic toxins and poisons, such as cyanide. Amazing creatures ..
I genuinely wish critters like raccoons and opossums had been domesticated. Love that opossums eat ticks and are virtually immune to rabies. Even being able to litter box train them is astounding, considering we haven't actually domesticated them over innumerable generations like dogs and cats. Just watching Scruff rub his fuzzy little face on one of the host's friend's neck was goddamn adorable!! I want a million of them.
I don't think that raccoons, as adorable as they look, make good pets. I had one, as a kid. They grow to be very large and are extremely willful creatures. Mine would give us the side-eye and insist on doing things his way. After he was satisfied with the damage he'd done, he'd come up to us for kisses and treats, LOL! Raccoons are their own masters and while they will have favorite humans, they don't bond as closely. They're much happier in the wild. On the other hand, opossums make wonderful pets and actually bond to their owners. It's a win-win situation. Just because creatures appeal to us doesn't mean that we should possess them in captivity unless there are no other options.
@@dwhatsit1yeah, you don’t have to seek out many videos about raccoons to find they just do not make good pets, and it’s for similar reasons to if you wanted a monkey, they’re a bad mix of intelligent and independent, and the fact both of them can use their hands to mess with stuff also doesn’t help
Marsupials aren't very effective animals when it comes to domestication: Their lack of placenta means that they are much more dependent on their mothers for much longer periods of time than placental mammals, and their reproduction is thus more limited. Raccoons would also be awful domestic animals because other than being pets, what utilitarian purpose would they serve with humans?
We live on 147 acres in NW Indiana. There are tons of various wildlife here, including huge numbers of opossums. We have a 4.5 acre co-op garden that is worked by us and a couple dozen other families. It has fencing and landscaping around the perimeter to keep deer out, but the possums can get through it. Since possums prefer to eat the damaged and rotting vegetables, they help us with the garden in that way.
I’m on the fence about keeping wild animals as pets. I absolutely adore opossums, but I think since they’re such an important part of the ecosystem it’s best to keep as many of them in the wild as possible. That being said, if an opossum is unable to be released back into the wild for whatever reason I think it’s okay. As long as whoever is taking care of them is giving their opossum their best life of course.
I have a few that I feed nightly. One seems to have been injured for awhile and drags his hind legs. I was thinking of maybe taking him in so that he can be safe since he has trouble moving.
@@marialovesmusicalot sadly he passed away not too long after. He was well fed so hopefully enjoyed his last full meal. We have other possums that come around along with several racoons including an albino one.
I do agree that wildlife belongs wild but in some cases domestication has the benefit of educating people to become an advocate in the defense of animals. Undoing learned perceptions.....
by where i live in the summer there is always a possum that chills by my home.. never attacked me, ive gaved it food before.. never bothered my house, always friendly, and only hissing when it was scared of my dogs.
I love possums…have since I was a child. They do have short lives, which imagine can be hard emotionally. Once saw a Mom with babies on her back in my neighborhood. Quite adorable!
I lived and worked on a 300 acre farm for several years in central Kentucky and I have to tell you I had plenty of Possum friends. They were all over the farm and as I went through the day I knew where to expect to see them. If I took a break along a wood line I would expect to have one come out and greet me. They were naturally inquisitive and to see babies was always a real treat. I usually had something from the garden in the tool box on my old Farmall tractor. I loved them all.
Interesting video for me since I have a female Opossum that has been living in my house, underneath my bed since about last October and I did not know it. I had a major water leek that left a hole underneath my bathroom vanity and the hole is not noticeable because it is totally underneath the cabinet. The Opossum would come out at night in the kitchen and eat the cat’s food and whatever else she could find. Eventually I realized she had made a nest underneath my bed when I was awake one night when she was bringing in a pile of leaves and going underneath my bed. Sh had babies but they never made any noise. Two weeks ago I was awake very early in the morning and the Opossum came out from underneath my bed with about ten or twelve babies hanging on her and she took them outside through the hole under the bathroom vanity. I didn’t see her for a few days but now she is back and underneath my bed again. It’s really amazing how quiet she was, especially with all of those babies, I never heard anything from them, I have cats so I would have thought it was one of the cats if there had been any noise under the bed.
@@k.k8000 They went outside and I guess they are living somewhere on my land. I have seen a different and smaller Opossum in the kitchen eating the cat’s food late at night a few times recently.
So cute! I'm pondering the ecological effects of introducing them to my country where we have problems with Lymes disease if the could help reduce ticks
where are you from? opossums are common in the americas, but another option would be the guinea fowls, they are even better than opossums when it comes to eating ticks
@@WeatherStone I'm from Sweden 🇸🇪 Oh really we call Guinea fowls 'Pearl hens' but it gets rather cold here in winter so i reckon they wont survive. We have problems with tick borne diseases such as Lyme's disease. Do oppossums and Guinea fowls tolerate freezing temperatures?
I had an Opossum get into my house and hide behind my bookcases for a couple of weeks. It ate from my cat's food area at night and would always poop in the same corner of the livingroom; as far away from the food in the kitchen as possible. I finally managed to trap it and release it back into the yard. Cute but too much of a climber, kept knocking things from shelves at night. Because of his/her preference for my books as a nesting place, I nicknamed it, "Professor Possum".
I got my two girls a little less than four years ago when my friend's dad found them in their tub. They were the sweetest little things, and I'm super glad I got the opportunity to care for them. Their names were Betty and Violet💕 overall, great little babies
@@jonathanbatchelor8248 i was only really able to have our vet check em out, that i know of, there isnt really any vets qualified to give that kind of care for opossums in my area
He's the healthiest-looking opossum I've ever seen in captivity. Nearly 100% of the opossums that people bring to me after they've tried to raise them, have MBD and crossed eyes due to an inappropriate diet. Great job!
Serious question because I feed 4 possums of varying sizes here in Los Angeles. How does an improper diet cause crossed eyes? What is an improper diet and what is an appropriate and healthy diet for them? Thank you.
@@BirdTalk13 The most successful diet for opossums that I've found is what people call a keto diet with the addition of extra calcium. The crossed eyes are caused by too many carbohydrates creating fat deposits behind their eyes that push their eyes together. Give them a calcium source every day, but not in pill/supplement form: yogurt, crushed raw chicken bones, cheese, etc. You can give them low-carb veggies. You can give a little fruit only as a treat and rarely. If they won't eat the veggies (mine hates them) don't fret over it. It's that easy. Good luck with your babies.
@@BirdTalk13 Metabolic Bone Disease happens from an imbalanced diet that doesn't take into account the need we have for a specific ratio of calcium to other nutrients. We need things like grubs and slugs, berries and other things including bones. Sometimes it happens when we eat only cat food as our main meals. Please look into this further before feeding us. thank you.
Another fun fact for the audience: They are climbers and a major thing that makes them very good climbers is the fact that they can rotate their rear feet so they point backwards, and this lets them climb down just as well as they climb up. You can see this towards the beginning where Scruff is trying to climb down.
Possums are so misunderstood! They’re wonderful little critters. I had a possum friend I called Simon; he loved marshmallows! I’d love one to be interactive with me!
It's not just ticks either, I've seen these guys happily feed on rats. I think we're just so used to the "fear" reaction because we're so much bigger than them. :) They're tough little critters, not as defenseless as they might seem when approached by humans!
@@dermgerm While I think I was told a slightly overestimated age (She's closer to 3-3.5 I believe) a good varied diet and plenty of love and exercise really helps! Sadly your comment comes on the eve of her death as she's being put to sleep tomorrow. She's been having a hard time walking and she's very tired. It's her time, so while it hurts to say goodbye I know it would be cruel to make her hang on longer. I gave her lots of treats today
They make good pets in the sense they are friendly and sociable but they dont live long so you are basically attaching yourself to a short commitment with pain and heartache. A friend of mine in Maryland just watched her possum die a couple days ago and she's really bummed. She told me she could not take him to a vet because they would confiscate and kill him. I dunno if thats true but she believed it.
He's sooo cute!!!! After doing some research including this video.. I'm falling in love with opossums!! Awesome video and thank you for all that you do for our animals. ❤️
They are very misunderstood. I'd disagree with the adorable part but their gentle behavior does tug on my heart for how we treat them. It's like they're little Frankensteins (I mean the monster, not the doctor)
They are very delicate, they eat a lot, and are not active pets. Only recommend taking one in if it has no chance of surviving in the wild even after rehabilitation
What a fantastic video. Katelyn, you seem like such a wonderful animal handler. Can't wait to see more videos like this showing you interacting with animals! :)
My cat Gimli just gifted me a baby opossum today!!! Luckily Gim doesnt have any front teeth so the baby had no damage just a lot of slobber. I live in Arkansas where it is legal to own a hand caught possum. Im so glad i came across your video!!!
Ooo thank you for telling us about that. I’ve been wondering about that sound! Possums are great. Very misunderstood. I’m with a rescue and we’re getting loads of babies. I actually just brought in a baby. Cute little guy.
Thank you for this wonderful video! Scuff is so cute! I wish people would make an effort to accept Possums and how important they are for the environment. Possums can not get rabies.Their life span is short.About 4 years or less.
We gave ours a staple of Blue Buffalo puppy food, along with calcium supplements (to help with being prone to osteoporosis later on in life) and always give a treat once or twice a day of vegetables, fruits, proteins, or a combination of the three - they usually appreciate anything except for grapes, prepare to pick up lots of skins if you don't pre-skin them ahead of time. Lol
Psst: our favorite is persimmon. But yes, we like apples, and most of us hate the skins on just about anything. Metabolic Bone Disease is prevalent in possums who live in captivity, and we need a special diet in order to avoid it.
Always have possums in my yard. They get along ok with my cats. It's like they have an understanding. Love them. I call them land sharks because of the teeth. Cute.
1:05 lol for a moment I thought I was watching Doug Demuro She should have started: "This is a Possum, and today we are gonna review it's quirks and features"
I really hope you answer this question. What about Salmonella? Do they carry this, and how can you keep them clean? Do they like to take baths? How hard is it to get them hand trained (tamed)?
Possums have the cutest little hands. A pet possum seems like you'd have the best of both worlds: sort of like a cat in that cats won't always come when called and like dogs as they seem very loyal.
I absolutely adore them we feed 1 possum, and 3 raccoons every night, such tender, loving, shy creatures ( messy eaters though) I leave 5 large bowls of water so they can wash their hands🥰. Possums are not only beautiful but also beneficial to the ecosystem. They help control the population of pests, such as rodents and insects, and they disperse seeds through their feces. They also provide food and shelter for other animals, such as owls, foxes, and raccoons. Possums are wonderful animals that deserve our appreciation and protection. They are not pests or nuisances, but rather valuable members of the natural world. The next time you see a possum, remember how amazing they are and how much they contribute to the environment.🥰❤️🥰
💕🤗I agree with ur comment 💞 I just started feeding them...they watch me while I prepare their candle light feast 💞 They don't fear me...I think their adorable 🤗💕
I was moving my plants around on the porch for the oncoming wind storm tonight and come across this tiny baby possum in between the house door and storm door..... I picked it up by the tall and let it go in the front yard, but it was cold and wet and came right back to the house..... I scooped the poor thing up and put it in a 5gal pickle bucket from work with a clean towel in it.... For some reason, this little critter knew my house was a safe spot to go..... I'm really not a fan of these things, but seeing it struggle to find a warm place to go and not helping it would kill me a little bit
@@happyduck1424 during the summer our a/c went out during 90°+ weather and the poor thing overheated and passed away 😢 He was such a cool little dude, and I learned SO much about opossums that I wish they weren't so hated. They really are a benefit to have around ❤️👍
Whether it legal or not don’t really have to consider about bringing them home since they kind of make themselves at home rummaging about and sometimes just get up on the foot of the bed and look. Friends have called the place a sort of grown up treehouse and there’s not a lot of separation between indoor and outdoor out here among trees, bushes, wildflower meadows, vegetable gardens, fruit trees etc.
A friend of mine usually has a possum pet or two. Most or all of them the result of the mother being killed by a car, and the little ones staying by her side on the road..It's illegal in our state, but how could someone just let the little ones starve to death? They are surprisingly sweet, considering their appearance, lol.
I have 3 that come and get midnight feasts. I witness extremely weird sounds outside in the back yard I thought it would be the raccoons grunting because of me coming outside. I will usually be feeding the raccoons in the doorway. I found 2 opossums having a a argument with each other and one wa upside down in a branch with the other just above. I can't get them to stick around like the raccoons. I open the door and they quickly waddle off. I feed them and I get amused and confused. A full plate of food and it gets eaten quickly. I immediately make another plate, same thing. Human size portions 3 times I don't know if it is just one or all three. I learned they store food in the esophagus to bring it to the young. Can they injure themselves by over eating?
It's 3:00 AM, and I hear "AAAHHH, AAAHHH, AAAHHH", followed by the smell of possum breath in my face, than scratchy big rat claws followed by a wood rasp for a tail dragging across me. Entertaining pets maybe, but not what I would call ideal. Easy to feed though; they eat anything, though particularly fond of feeder mice. Unless they can coerce you into giving up whatever is on your plate; coerce meaning they dive into it and then challenge you to take it back.
I just found a baby opossum. Its mother and all of her other babies were dead on the side of the road. The rehabilitation center was too full, and I'm not sure if i can trust the other places that weren't recommended to me by anyone. I'm afraid they would use it to feed another wild animal. Do they keep you up at night? I couldn't sleep last night.
Opossum seem like really rad animals, but i would rather keep reptiles cuz i like em more and are easier to keep. No offense opossum lovets, i love these dudes as well.
Great video I really needed it as I just saved a little fellow this morning. He’s healthy but to small to survive alone. I’m happy to see what’s possible for him
Opossums have high resilience (not to cars) to diseases/viruses like Rabies (their body temperature is extremely low, so if something rabid bites them, well, nothing will happen), that and they're resilient to snake venom. Only trade off for this is their short lifespan. Hopefully, we can discover their immunity to rabies and harness it.
My family had a pet possum when I was a teenager. It was one of the best animals we've ever had and never bit. Her name was lucky, and she lived in the laundry room in the clothes hamper to cuddle in and sleep.
I have a visitor every night in my yard, and I feed him! I love to watch the possums, but I have a question, I noticed when I got out to leave the food, he or she run away to the tree. When I back to the house, then come to eat. Some tip for star a better approach???
Thank you so much for this video. I learned a lot about these amazing animals. There is one visiting my bird feeder area at night. It seems to be young and it didn’t run when I spotted it. I also leave a bowl of water to the birds so maybe it comes to drink. Do possums eat bird seeds? I want to leave out some appropriate food for the possum. I am so happy this one is visiting my patio every night.
Wow i never thought i would say this but possums are adorable you see them in your backyard all the time making a mess but this video showed me if they are treated the right way can be great pets.
Hello, i hope I’m not bothering you, but I really need some help. how do you know if your opossum is sick / has any diseases and how do you handle it if he is. I recently found a orphan baby opossum and I would like to care for him. I’m just worried about any disease spreading to my dogs. Also can you take him to a vet to get checked up on?
I absolutely love possums. I just released a mom with 8 joeys . I believe they should be domesticated. Mine litter trained on her own. They do love people when raised from a baby. Wish they lived longer. Great video! Cheers !😅
In SA there is a specialist woman who runs a exotic animal show that has a blind possum she has raise since a baby. registered with the state to own her. also has prairie dogs (very cute) and several other animals all from wildlife shelters that realized they could not go back to wild. most were former illegal pets or had injuries.
There are a bunch of baby opossums underneath a concrete porch on a property near me. There's a lot of human traffic so they're conditioned to humans. They like to run under lawn chairs. I hissed to get them away, but I'm worried they're still going to be "half-domesticated." Is this something I should be worried about?
I was so drunk one night that I started petting what I thought was a kitten on a tree....it was a baby opossum 😂 ever since then I've had nothing but respect for em lol
A blessing in disguise? Hehe
Babies are the cutest! I really like them but I have to admit that they grow to be kinda ugly and especially that tail but as babies they're adorable. That tiny little tail that's more furry and that little snout that hasn't grown out as pointy. 🤗
@@CynHicksnah they’re still cute as adults
how much fingers ( 've u lost ) dhhdhhddd...
@@CynHicks whaaat? No. they're ADORABLE, even fully grown! :3
I wish more states allowed them as pets. I think they wouldn’t be so vilified then. They really do make great little companions, you can potty train them and the babies are the absolute cutest things ever! Spectacular video 🤩
Thank you so much!!! ♥️Katelyn
They need a very complicated died with a correct calcium phosphor ratio otherwise they get sick 😕
@@ppooka33 actually they can they have sharp teeth they don't cut fingers off but if they bite it causes a lot of blood. I know cuz I saw a RUclips video of a guy who had a opossum named rocky and Rocky bit his finger it was covered in blood so yes they actually can bite fingers if they are afraid in fact any animal bites
One of the first ones I was working to rehab after it's mom was run over and the babies were just hanging on hoping she would get up and get out of the road, but one of the little ones was essentially picky with what he ate and ended up getting rickets!
But I've had many more that went on to be big healthy animals that I released after they grew up. Same thing with racoons! But I usually kept the coons a little bit longer than I actually had to lol, because I get attached to them too easily lol
@@Brysonpastor Racoon's will bite to,but make cool pets until they get old and miserable.
My friends on Saturday night: "We're going to the club!"
Me: "I'm watching opossum videos!"
Something I think folks need to know is they don't live long. Beyond 5 years is extremely rare, I believe. Never kept one as a pet, but I've had strange relationships with wild opossums who frequent my yard over the years. They are pretty harmless and strangely fascinating.
My goodness the egg!😂
1-2 years in the wild
I'd say mostly harmless. My mom had one charge her during mating season in our woods and had to put it down.
@@shadowedknight66 That's just wrong, possums don't attack humans...overracting
@@shadowedknight66bumpkins are trained to kill everything harmless lol
When I was a kid a baby opossum fell into a garbage can and I rescued him and made him a pet. Pippin Possum I named him.
One warning : that marsupial thing was non negotiable, he’d be up to mischief in the middle of the night.
He would ride on my shoulder using his tail to help cling on
This is the sweetest ever! I recently moved to NEW ORLEANS and I met an opossum who was living under my new houses' shed. I named her Sneakums because she's always sneaking around my backyard. I started feeding and watering her on the reg because I caught her trying to drink water from my leaky hose during our humid summer. It has been a year and a half and now I have, her, Snowfall, Munchums, Jordan, Dumpy-Schmuckers and The Bookends! I am a proud cat-mum for over 40 years but WOW! I absolutely LOVE my ever-expanding opossum familia! Thank you for enlightening me on these majikal creatures! ^..^
Found a baby opossum in my kitchen this morning… eating next to my kittens. So now I have an opossum
Please find out exactly what we need to eat, as if we are fed the wrong things we get something called Metabolic Bone Disease and it will disable and then kill us. It is preventable with the correct diet and it is correctable to a point, if caught in time. Thank you.
She didn't really answer the question, so YES, they make good pets, if you're willing to accept their idiosyncrasies. They're not like dogs or cats, but they can be vary sweet. We had one and loved it. They don't live very long. Three or four years at the most.
awww that is such a short life span
@Jonathan Post - Many thanks for the Life Span info. (especially on Beloved Bunnies).I love all animals. Previously heard @4 years on rabbits, etc & always meant to google, however, knew I would find the news depressing. Serious Loving Attachment issues here (joke). Thanks for "making the taking" of information so easy. Best wishes to all. ❤️
@Jonathan Post @ 1 hr. ago. Thanks so much for the personalized comment.
I did forget that I diid raise a "domesticated bunny" (Thumper) who lovingl lived for quite a number of years. I too love, rescue & take care of many creatures. While caring for the most abused cat rescue who would not come into the house (too fiercly traumatic for him, "Stretch"), I spent a majority of my time w/him) in my outdoor porch. Got familiar (& loved) the generational families of Skunks, Bunnies & also the Squirrels & Birds who would "hang out" w/Stretch & I. Last summer I went from one portion of yard (via gate) to the other side of yard & found out that I was being "followed" (animal CIA?) through the gate. I loved it (Think: Song "You will never walk alone"). I caught a baby skunk I named Angel (slanted halo of white sliding down his head) & a Bunny "hot on my trail". This I know as I turned too fast (forgot something). Upon my turning too fast, my animal sleuthers immediately turned directiion. Sold house this year & miss creatures. Incidentally, average life of a street cat is 4 years! One cat rescue had stopped eating & was being "bullied" by Feline Toughies. When I caught him, Vet said he had a gum disease & would have surely died a painful death had we not had all teeth extracted. Who knows what painful deaths these critters endure. Great texting w/you & reading comments from othere (I enjoy the Evesdropping, ha). Best of love to all (human and otherwise) from South New Jersey, USA ❤️❤️❤️
@@jonnyboyliveI knew someone who had a big ahh rabbit for like 10 years called it honey for the longest time then realized it was a boy therefore having to rename him hank ☠️
3 or 4 years? We couldn't get one much past 2, despite the best food & vet care. Heart breakers.
I rescued them a lot as a kid..unofficially obviously, but growing up surrounded by farms there were so many and i told everyone to tell me instead of killing them. Not the brightest critters, but so chill most of the time
Yes yes yes yes!!! As a rehabber I have had many non releasables over the years. They are amazing spirits
As a rehabber, if someone came to you looking to adopt one of your NR , what would you say? I want an opossum, I’d rather not buy one but adopt one from a rehabber. What are my chances if I ask a rehabber near me? I’m in TN
The possum that uses the pet door and spent most of last winter with my cats and Its named Star Fire. She weighed an impressive 28 pounds and was huge! I'm hoping she will be back this winter. Star FIre loves peanut butter sandwiches with grape jelly and a bowl of whole milk as a late night snack. And my cats are perfectly fine with sharing their dry food while she eats along side them. My next door neighbor Vera, used to love to pet and brush Star FIre when she would come to visit.
Did you do anything in particular to attract her? I love possums. Unfortunately my dogs do too so I'll probably not be able to befriend one. I did manage to get one to take treats from me though. That was pretty cool!
LOL! Ewwwe! :-3 I have a big one here I named Pocket. I found him stuck in a trailer when he was tiny. Hims is pretty big too, he likes salami and takes it under the porch to eat. Nomnomnom!
im not an opossum expert but I feel like that’s not a healthy diet
@@oberonpanopticon Opossums normally eat bugs and grubs. They will also eat Poke berries that are poisonous to us, but not them. Opossums can truly eat about anything including mouldy bird seed. Funny thing I came home from shopping a couple of days ago, thought I had brought everything in. When I went to put the garbage out there was Starfire eating the last of my eight piece fried chicken from Meijers.
@@jamesrogalski2085 just because they can doesn’t mean they should
don’t they have like, severe issues with maintaining a healthy weight?
We love you, Scruff! Thank you for the invite and letting us watch as you had enjoyed eating your buffet meal...after all your romping about, and exploring! You're a very sweet and special fellow, fabulous and furry friend! Sending you love from Virginia! :o) 🐾 🍳 🍓 🥚 :o)
I'm in South Louisiana near the Gulf Coast. Since raccoons are called trash pandas, I started calling my possum kids "Swamp Koalas" 😁
that's really funny because there is a video of a drunk guy seeing an opossum on a fence and yelling "WE GOT KOALA BEARS IN MICHIGAN"
Lol
Love it! I have one. Live her in Florida. Will call them Swamp Koalas now!
@tommynorthwood5127 hey im from tampa! i want to get one eventually, they're such sweethearts
@@Larissas-Jungle Volunteer at a wildlife coalition or see who rehabs them. I'm raising four babies now along with my adult. Spring time is the time to jump in and help out.
I absolutely love possums, I think they are beautiful. I’ve learned a lot about them and educate as many people as I can with how beneficial they are as opposed to what they’ve been taught out of senseless fear.
do there pee stink?
Opossums are extremely dangerous animals that are known to attack humans during the night time in fact opossums kill more humans than almost any other animal out there. If you ever see an opossum out in the wild I would run as far away as humanly possible and as quickly as possible to try to get to safety before it’s too late.
@MobileAura wild opposums are much more susceptible to rabies which gives them a horrible reputation. They make great pets, just not very affectionate.
@@MobileAura That's pretty funny. I'm afraid that most on here that read it won't recognize it for what it is. Pure sarcasm.
I agree! They are sooo damn beautiful and precious. Human ignorance has been detrimental to their safety and that saddens me to no end. 😢
LOL I love them! Imagine seeing someone walking their possum with that harness and leash 🤣
I am so intrigued by these amazing creatures. I would love to take one in as a rescue but my cats would probably not appreciated that. Also, I read that they only live several years even in captivity and in their last year of life that they decline quickly. That would break my heart getting attached to one of these critters then lose it so soon. i love how they use their hands.
Funny you mention that, as I have always wondered how cats get along with them - do they view them as some "benign" species of strange cat, or as a potential predator (hisssss!)? One interesting question I have about them from a zoological standpoint - their eyes are located on the front of their skulls, not the sides, which in science indicates they are more a "predator" than a "prey" animal. For some reason I just don't see them as predators .. at least not of anything more than some insects and worms, small snakes, etc.
@@attygarland6909 there scavenger
Cats and oppossums actually dont really bother each other. My wife and kids cats never wanted anything to do with our ferrets. they seemed afraid of them. They seem slightly intrigued by our two new small opossums we're currently taking care of.
@@attygarland6909 I have 3 outdoor cats and an opossum that lives in the garden with them and they get along way better than my cats do with my dog lol
They eat together and just lay around together at night
Possums have short lifespans. Witch really sucks since you get so attached to them.
That's their main downside, unfortunately. Most don't make it until even age two. Zoologists have long been puzzled by this fact .. Possibly it has some link to their extreme "resilience" during the time that they are alive, and is maybe a "biological trade off" of some kind. Not only do they have a tolerance/immunity for most snake venom, it has recently been discovered (not sure though how they were humanely about to do so) that possums also have some tolerance for even inorganic toxins and poisons, such as cyanide. Amazing creatures ..
I hear they can live longer in captivity and with a good diet. 😌🌎✨
@@OJesusX3 it only is still around 4 to 6 years
That's a long time to love and be loved. 😌🌎✨
My female opossum just passed. She had a very good 4 year's.😢
I genuinely wish critters like raccoons and opossums had been domesticated. Love that opossums eat ticks and are virtually immune to rabies. Even being able to litter box train them is astounding, considering we haven't actually domesticated them over innumerable generations like dogs and cats.
Just watching Scruff rub his fuzzy little face on one of the host's friend's neck was goddamn adorable!! I want a million of them.
I don't think that raccoons, as adorable as they look, make good pets. I had one, as a kid. They grow to be very large and are extremely willful creatures. Mine would give us the side-eye and insist on doing things his way. After he was satisfied with the damage he'd done, he'd come up to us for kisses and treats, LOL! Raccoons are their own masters and while they will have favorite humans, they don't bond as closely. They're much happier in the wild.
On the other hand, opossums make wonderful pets and actually bond to their owners. It's a win-win situation.
Just because creatures appeal to us doesn't mean that we should possess them in captivity unless there are no other options.
@@dwhatsit1yeah, you don’t have to seek out many videos about raccoons to find they just do not make good pets, and it’s for similar reasons to if you wanted a monkey, they’re a bad mix of intelligent and independent, and the fact both of them can use their hands to mess with stuff also doesn’t help
@@gameb9oyAgreed!
Marsupials aren't very effective animals when it comes to domestication: Their lack of placenta means that they are much more dependent on their mothers for much longer periods of time than placental mammals, and their reproduction is thus more limited.
Raccoons would also be awful domestic animals because other than being pets, what utilitarian purpose would they serve with humans?
@@Wasserkaktus My reproduction is not more limited. I can have 2-3 a year, did you know that? After a few months, my offspring is outta here.
We live on 147 acres in NW Indiana. There are tons of various wildlife here, including huge numbers of opossums. We have a 4.5 acre co-op garden that is worked by us and a couple dozen other families. It has fencing and landscaping around the perimeter to keep deer out, but the possums can get through it. Since possums prefer to eat the damaged and rotting vegetables, they help us with the garden in that way.
I’m on the fence about keeping wild animals as pets. I absolutely adore opossums, but I think since they’re such an important part of the ecosystem it’s best to keep as many of them in the wild as possible. That being said, if an opossum is unable to be released back into the wild for whatever reason I think it’s okay. As long as whoever is taking care of them is giving their opossum their best life of course.
I have a few that I feed nightly. One seems to have been injured for awhile and drags his hind legs. I was thinking of maybe taking him in so that he can be safe since he has trouble moving.
@@poltad is he doing ok?
@@marialovesmusicalot sadly he passed away not too long after. He was well fed so hopefully enjoyed his last full meal. We have other possums that come around along with several racoons including an albino one.
@@poltad aw ok :s at least someone like you is watching them ☺️
I do agree that wildlife belongs wild but in some cases domestication has the benefit of educating people to become an advocate in the defense of animals. Undoing learned perceptions.....
by where i live in the summer there is always a possum that chills by my home.. never attacked me, ive gaved it food before.. never bothered my house, always friendly, and only hissing when it was scared of my dogs.
I would love to have a pet possum. They seem to have wonderful little personalities.
Pat k
Where you at can you handle a mother and baby I'm in California USA
I love possums…have since I was a child. They do have short lives, which imagine can be hard emotionally. Once saw a Mom with babies on her back in my neighborhood. Quite adorable!
I lived and worked on a 300 acre farm for several years in central Kentucky and I have to tell you I had plenty of Possum friends. They were all over the farm and as I went through the day I knew where to expect to see them. If I took a break along a wood line I would expect to have one come out and greet me. They were naturally inquisitive and to see babies was always a real treat. I usually had something from the garden in the tool box on my old Farmall tractor. I loved them all.
I've got a young one sharing the food bowl of my outdoor cats 😺😂
Interesting video for me since I have a female Opossum that has been living in my house, underneath my bed since about last October and I did not know it. I had a major water leek that left a hole underneath my bathroom vanity and the hole is not noticeable because it is totally underneath the cabinet. The Opossum would come out at night in the kitchen and eat the cat’s food and whatever else she could find. Eventually I realized she had made a nest underneath my bed when I was awake one night when she was bringing in a pile of leaves and going underneath my bed. Sh had babies but they never made any noise. Two weeks ago I was awake very early in the morning and the Opossum came out from underneath my bed with about ten or twelve babies hanging on her and she took them outside through the hole under the bathroom vanity. I didn’t see her for a few days but now she is back and underneath my bed again. It’s really amazing how quiet she was, especially with all of those babies, I never heard anything from them, I have cats so I would have thought it was one of the cats if there had been any noise under the bed.
Where is they now are you going to keep them
@@k.k8000 They went outside and I guess they are living somewhere on my land. I have seen a different and smaller Opossum in the kitchen eating the cat’s food late at night a few times recently.
Lool man didn’t u get scared? Imagine living 10 possums under ur bed and u don’t know about it if I saw it I would go nuts
@@Hollywoodplyaz1998 broo they are cuuuteee
Good to know I am not the only one with a possum that got in the house!
So cute! I'm pondering the ecological effects of introducing them to my country where we have problems with Lymes disease if the could help reduce ticks
Just always carry your PTPO
Personal Tick Protection Opposum
Do not introduce invasive species into your country! Asian carp is an invasive species in Canada, for example.
@@ildart8738 I know and i won't although it is stimulating to ponder such a thing 🙂
where are you from? opossums are common in the americas, but another option would be the guinea fowls, they are even better than opossums when it comes to eating ticks
@@WeatherStone I'm from Sweden 🇸🇪 Oh really we call Guinea fowls 'Pearl hens' but it gets rather cold here in winter so i reckon they wont survive. We have problems with tick borne diseases such as Lyme's disease. Do oppossums and Guinea fowls tolerate freezing temperatures?
I had an Opossum get into my house and hide behind my bookcases for a couple of weeks. It ate from my cat's food area at night and would always poop in the same corner of the livingroom; as far away from the food in the kitchen as possible. I finally managed to trap it and release it back into the yard. Cute but too much of a climber, kept knocking things from shelves at night.
Because of his/her preference for my books as a nesting place, I nicknamed it, "Professor Possum".
I love possums.
If I could I would have one as a pet, but not like a wild caught one, but one captive bred after many captive bred generations.
Get a wild one as a baby that’s how I got mine now he’s my homie 🤙
You can domesticate wild babies
@@YeenQueenCreations you can tame a wild one. domestication is a animal going through generations with humans to weed out the bad stuff in em.
That is a beautiful thought. 😌🌎✨
Im so happy my daughters who are 25 grew up loving all living creatures. I made a point to educate them and myself on all these wonderful creatures.
That’s wonderful. If I had children I would have educated them the same way. 😊❤
I got my two girls a little less than four years ago when my friend's dad found them in their tub. They were the sweetest little things, and I'm super glad I got the opportunity to care for them. Their names were Betty and Violet💕 overall, great little babies
Did you give them any medical care like shots or anything like that ?
@@jonathanbatchelor8248 i was only really able to have our vet check em out, that i know of, there isnt really any vets qualified to give that kind of care for opossums in my area
I had one when I was a teenager,very docile and non aggressive.A good pet in my humble opinion.
He's the healthiest-looking opossum I've ever seen in captivity. Nearly 100% of the opossums that people bring to me after they've tried to raise them, have MBD and crossed eyes due to an inappropriate diet. Great job!
Serious question because I feed 4 possums of varying sizes here in Los Angeles. How does an improper diet cause crossed eyes? What is an improper diet and what is an appropriate and healthy diet for them? Thank you.
@@BirdTalk13 The most successful diet for opossums that I've found is what people call a keto diet with the addition of extra calcium. The crossed eyes are caused by too many carbohydrates creating fat deposits behind their eyes that push their eyes together. Give them a calcium source every day, but not in pill/supplement form: yogurt, crushed raw chicken bones, cheese, etc. You can give them low-carb veggies. You can give a little fruit only as a treat and rarely. If they won't eat the veggies (mine hates them) don't fret over it. It's that easy. Good luck with your babies.
@@BirdTalk13 Metabolic Bone Disease happens from an imbalanced diet that doesn't take into account the need we have for a specific ratio of calcium to other nutrients. We need things like grubs and slugs, berries and other things including bones. Sometimes it happens when we eat only cat food as our main meals. Please look into this further before feeding us. thank you.
Another fun fact for the audience: They are climbers and a major thing that makes them very good climbers is the fact that they can rotate their rear feet so they point backwards, and this lets them climb down just as well as they climb up. You can see this towards the beginning where Scruff is trying to climb down.
Possums are so misunderstood! They’re wonderful little critters. I had a possum friend I called Simon; he loved marshmallows! I’d love one to be interactive with me!
Thank you for being an ambassador for possums.
That's so sweet. Thank you for loving these little lives.
It's not just ticks either, I've seen these guys happily feed on rats. I think we're just so used to the "fear" reaction because we're so much bigger than them. :) They're tough little critters, not as defenseless as they might seem when approached by humans!
Yes, we will eat mice and rats, and we are immune to most snake venom so they are fair game as well.
Really enjoyed this episode, turns out there’s so much I didn’t know about opossums!
Super informative, excellent video. Thank you for sharing your expertise too, Katelin!
I work with a possum at work! She's really old (four and a half!) and blind.
WHOA THATS ANCIENT
Amazing! How did they get her to live that long?
@@dermgerm While I think I was told a slightly overestimated age (She's closer to 3-3.5 I believe) a good varied diet and plenty of love and exercise really helps! Sadly your comment comes on the eve of her death as she's being put to sleep tomorrow. She's been having a hard time walking and she's very tired. It's her time, so while it hurts to say goodbye I know it would be cruel to make her hang on longer. I gave her lots of treats today
Playing dead is rarely a good strategy. It may sound weird, but this is precisely one of the reasons why I love Possums! They are so sweet!
They make good pets in the sense they are friendly and sociable but they dont live long so you are basically attaching yourself to a short commitment with pain and heartache. A friend of mine in Maryland just watched her possum die a couple days ago and she's really bummed. She told me she could not take him to a vet because they would confiscate and kill him. I dunno if thats true but she believed it.
He's sooo cute!!!! After doing some research including this video.. I'm falling in love with opossums!! Awesome video and thank you for all that you do for our animals. ❤️
Thank you so much for educating us about opossums, they're so misunderstood! Scruffy is adorable 😍 💖
They are very misunderstood. I'd disagree with the adorable part but their gentle behavior does tug on my heart for how we treat them. It's like they're little Frankensteins (I mean the monster, not the doctor)
I have wanted one forever 💕 I just love these Amazing little creatures 😍 Thank You for sharing the information.
They are very delicate, they eat a lot, and are not active pets. Only recommend taking one in if it has no chance of surviving in the wild even after rehabilitation
@@jameslune2096I wouldn’t call them delicate lol
What a fantastic video. Katelyn, you seem like such a wonderful animal handler. Can't wait to see more videos like this showing you interacting with animals! :)
He is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!! ❤
My cat Gimli just gifted me a baby opossum today!!! Luckily Gim doesnt have any front teeth so the baby had no damage just a lot of slobber. I live in Arkansas where it is legal to own a hand caught possum. Im so glad i came across your video!!!
Ooo thank you for telling us about that. I’ve been wondering about that sound! Possums are great. Very misunderstood. I’m with a rescue and we’re getting loads of babies. I actually just brought in a baby. Cute little guy.
Thank you for this wonderful video! Scuff is so cute! I wish people would make an effort to accept Possums and how important they are for the environment. Possums can not get rabies.Their life span is short.About 4 years or less.
We gave ours a staple of Blue Buffalo puppy food, along with calcium supplements (to help with being prone to osteoporosis later on in life) and always give a treat once or twice a day of vegetables, fruits, proteins, or a combination of the three - they usually appreciate anything except for grapes, prepare to pick up lots of skins if you don't pre-skin them ahead of time. Lol
I had a wild one here at the lake.. he doesn't like apple skins lol
@@marcellix They aren't fans of grape skins either. 😂
@@jasonrobertson216 It is funny how when they eat grapes they can keep the skin in their mouth to toss afterwards!
Psst: our favorite is persimmon. But yes, we like apples, and most of us hate the skins on just about anything. Metabolic Bone Disease is prevalent in possums who live in captivity, and we need a special diet in order to avoid it.
@@MarilynOPossum We had a female (Nova) die at 2yrs 9mths and a male (George) die at 5yrs 1mths.
Have had our male "Ollie" for about a year and a half. Cannot imagine not having him.
Can you message me please. I'm about to be owned by one and need to know the do and don't
😂 7:19 I don’t think scruff was thinking too much about the shampoo 😂
Always have possums in my yard. They get along ok with my cats. It's like they have an understanding. Love them. I call them land sharks because of the teeth. Cute.
1:05 lol for a moment I thought I was watching Doug Demuro
She should have started: "This is a Possum, and today we are gonna review it's quirks and features"
I really hope you answer this question. What about Salmonella? Do they carry this, and how can you keep them clean? Do they like to take baths? How hard is it to get them hand trained (tamed)?
I loved watching Scruff eat the egg. Adorable!!!
so adorable. i love opossums
Possums have the cutest little hands. A pet possum seems like you'd have the best of both worlds: sort of like a cat in that cats won't always come when called and like dogs as they seem very loyal.
i had 1. it is almost exactly like having a cat. they just do their own thing and tolerate you. they even prefer to use a litter box.
I absolutely adore them we feed 1 possum, and 3 raccoons every night, such tender, loving, shy creatures ( messy eaters though) I leave 5 large bowls of water so they can wash their hands🥰. Possums are not only beautiful but also beneficial to the ecosystem. They help control the population of pests, such as rodents and insects, and they disperse seeds through their feces. They also provide food and shelter for other animals, such as owls, foxes, and raccoons.
Possums are wonderful animals that deserve our appreciation and protection. They are not pests or nuisances, but rather valuable members of the natural world. The next time you see a possum, remember how amazing they are and how much they contribute to the environment.🥰❤️🥰
💕🤗I agree with ur comment 💞 I just started feeding them...they watch me while I prepare their candle light feast 💞 They don't fear me...I think their adorable 🤗💕
3:00 Very important information to share.
I was having a couple of beers on my porch the other night and saw one of these guys just walking around out in the rain like it was no big deal.
Your a amazing lady I love your personality
Pretty lovely personality and way cute freckles! Scruff is a looker also ha ha cheers from Salt Lake City!
I never thought I’d love an opossum eating food so much as I did tonight.
SCRUFF IS SOOOO DARN CUTEEEE!😁❤
I was moving my plants around on the porch for the oncoming wind storm tonight and come across this tiny baby possum in between the house door and storm door..... I picked it up by the tall and let it go in the front yard, but it was cold and wet and came right back to the house.....
I scooped the poor thing up and put it in a 5gal pickle bucket from work with a clean towel in it.... For some reason, this little critter knew my house was a safe spot to go..... I'm really not a fan of these things, but seeing it struggle to find a warm place to go and not helping it would kill me a little bit
What happened next?
@@happyduck1424 during the summer our a/c went out during 90°+ weather and the poor thing overheated and passed away 😢 He was such a cool little dude, and I learned SO much about opossums that I wish they weren't so hated. They really are a benefit to have around ❤️👍
Whether it legal or not don’t really have to consider about bringing them home since they kind of make themselves at home rummaging about and sometimes just get up on the foot of the bed and look. Friends have called the place a sort of grown up treehouse and there’s not a lot of separation between indoor and outdoor out here among trees, bushes, wildflower meadows, vegetable gardens, fruit trees etc.
They are the perfect pet ,they rarely have any illnes and they are very peaceful and non confrontonial animals
A friend of mine usually has a possum pet or two. Most or all of them the result of the mother being killed by a car, and the little ones staying by her side on the road..It's illegal in our state, but how could someone just let the little ones starve to death? They are surprisingly sweet, considering their appearance, lol.
I have 3 that come and get midnight feasts. I witness extremely weird sounds outside in the back yard
I thought it would be the raccoons grunting because of me coming outside. I will usually be feeding the raccoons in the doorway. I found 2 opossums having a a argument with each other and one wa upside down in a branch with the other just above. I can't get them to stick around like the raccoons. I open the door and they quickly waddle off. I feed them and I get amused and confused. A full plate of food and it gets eaten quickly. I immediately make another plate, same thing. Human size portions 3 times
I don't know if it is just one or all three. I learned they store food in the esophagus to bring it to the young. Can they injure themselves by over eating?
It's 3:00 AM, and I hear "AAAHHH, AAAHHH, AAAHHH", followed by the smell of possum breath in my face, than scratchy big rat claws followed by a wood rasp for a tail dragging across me.
Entertaining pets maybe, but not what I would call ideal. Easy to feed though; they eat anything, though particularly fond of feeder mice. Unless they can coerce you into giving up whatever is on your plate; coerce meaning they dive into it and then challenge you to take it back.
I just found a baby opossum. Its mother and all of her other babies were dead on the side of the road. The rehabilitation center was too full, and I'm not sure if i can trust the other places that weren't recommended to me by anyone. I'm afraid they would use it to feed another wild animal. Do they keep you up at night? I couldn't sleep last night.
Opossum seem like really rad animals, but i would rather keep reptiles cuz i like em more and are easier to keep. No offense opossum lovets, i love these dudes as well.
You are so good at what you do.
One question: do they play?
Omg I love her!!! and Skruff!!!! Felt like I was hanging out with a friend 🤗🤗🤗
I bet Clint from Clint's Reptiles would be pretty happy to see this video.
Great video I really needed it as I just saved a little fellow this morning. He’s healthy but to small to survive alone. I’m happy to see what’s possible for him
Very beautiful, I think I’m in love, and I’m not even talking about the possum 😉
I want one so bad! Once I am on my own im gonna try to get a license just to have one. They are so cool and cute!
I've always liked possum. Find them fascinating.
I had no idea we have them here in Ontario, Canada.
Great video. Thank you !
😊🇨🇦
Opossums have high resilience (not to cars) to diseases/viruses like Rabies (their body temperature is extremely low, so if something rabid bites them, well, nothing will happen), that and they're resilient to snake venom. Only trade off for this is their short lifespan. Hopefully, we can discover their immunity to rabies and harness it.
My family had a pet possum when I was a teenager. It was one of the best animals we've ever had and never bit. Her name was lucky, and she lived in the laundry room in the clothes hamper to cuddle in and sleep.
I love watching them eat. Such thorough chewers
He was like "I WANT ALL THE TREATS!!!" lol :D
As a son of the South…I’ve always loved the opossum…thank you for your channel 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
How did you get the harness on him? (ps really learned much about these beautiful animals from this) God bless you and your good work.
He is super sweet and just lets me clip it on! :) 🖤Katelyn
@@DavKaufmansAdventures I subscribed and am re sharing .. this content will raise awareness.. @Figinformer
Do they vocalise ? Squeak etc?
I have a visitor every night in my yard, and I feed him! I love to watch the possums, but I have a question, I noticed when I got out to leave the food, he or she run away to the tree. When I back to the house, then come to eat. Some tip for star a better approach???
Thank you so much for this video. I learned a lot about these amazing animals. There is one visiting my bird feeder area at night. It seems to be young and it didn’t run when I spotted it. I also leave a bowl of water to the birds so maybe it comes to drink. Do possums eat bird seeds? I want to leave out some appropriate food for the possum. I am so happy this one is visiting my patio every night.
Nice video. Thank you. How much does he weight?
Wow i never thought i would say this but possums are adorable you see them in your backyard all the time making a mess but this video showed me if they are treated the right way can be great pets.
Hello, i hope I’m not bothering you, but I really need some help. how do you know if your opossum is sick / has any diseases and how do you handle
it if he is. I recently found a orphan baby opossum and I would like to care for him. I’m just worried about any disease spreading to my dogs. Also can you take him to a vet to get checked up on?
had an opossum pull a rabbit through chicken wire... let me tell you that sound wakes up the entire camp.
😊 Very interesting , informative video , thank You very much ! How is Scruff doing ?
I absolutely love possums. I just released a mom with 8 joeys . I believe they should be domesticated. Mine litter trained on her own. They do love people when raised from a baby. Wish they lived longer. Great video! Cheers !😅
Sad fact that most of us will never have a pet possum in our lifetime, they literally make a click sound letting you know they like you
they seem to have big teeth,so if you picked up a wild one would it bite you?
In SA there is a specialist woman who runs a exotic animal show that has a blind possum she has raise since a baby. registered with the state to own her. also has prairie dogs (very cute) and several other animals all from wildlife shelters that realized they could not go back to wild. most were former illegal pets or had injuries.
There are a bunch of baby opossums underneath a concrete porch on a property near me. There's a lot of human traffic so they're conditioned to humans. They like to run under lawn chairs. I hissed to get them away, but I'm worried they're still going to be "half-domesticated." Is this something I should be worried about?
How do they do in side a house? are they destructive like racoons?