Opossum, Oh My, Oh Me....

Isn't he/she adorable??? Really, so cute... Wed. at 6:30 AM, we came home from the gym and let the dogs in the back yard, still dark at that time. They both ran to the corner of the yard and disappeared  When Bob called, they did not come. He got the flash light and Jake had this little guy by the back of his neck.

Bob made Jake put him down, picked up the dead Opossum and put him between the fences in the plant nursery, to await proper burial.

He came in and said Jake killed a possum, and I said how do you know it was dead and not playing possum?

Brave person that I am, I gingerly opened the door of the garage and carefully peeked around the corner to see if it was dead or alive.... Bazinga! the first photo is what I saw, except the teeth were showing and there was hissing going on.

Guess what I did next?

Snap! Snap! and scared him half to death. It would have been better but not only was it dark, MadSnapper was afraid I would be attacked....

He was so afraid of the flashy beast, he hid his little face and my heart melted. Bob came out and opened the gate into our front yard, which is a safe zone from Jake the Hunter. The thing is he went and camped out on the front porch which causes barking and also could be a problem for using the front door.

My Knight In Shining Armor went out on the porch and clapped his hands and said SHOO! Shoo! this went on for a while because possums lay down and pretend to be dead when afraid.

He did finally wander off into the neighbors yard and I do hope when Barbara puts out her trash she doesn't faint.

I wonder what all the neighbors thought was going on in the dark that Bob would be out there yelling SHOO! 

Trust me, possums do not shoo!

I found a really really Cool Site, Please Be Kind, go there to read all about possums and other wild critters. a Wealth of info that Bob and I both read and now we know they are good for our eco system, will not attack, will not fight, are meek and mild and the worst predator for them is MAN... but not these MANS

JUST IN CASE you don't go there, here is the site in short...


1. Opossums are exceptionally non-aggressive and non-destructive. They will not harm people or pets. However, they are wild animals and should not be handled.

   2.  Opossums do not dig into the soil nor do they destroy property.

3.      Opossums help maintain a clean and healthy environment. They eat all types of insects including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, etc. They catch and eat rats and mice. They consume dead animals of all types. They like overripe fruit, berries and grapes that have fallen to the ground and they think that snails and slugs are a delicacy.