Thursday, January 24, 2013

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.

40 comments:

RoeH said...

Awwww.....so cute! I want to just pick him up and cuddle. I went to the site. I didn't know a whole lot about them so to me it was interesting.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Our blog friend, Possum, would be happy to read that Bob let this critter back out. Thanks for the summary about how beneficial they really are, but I can image the hissing and baried teeth could be a bit unnerving.
Kudos to you and Bob in getting to the gym early, but at 6:30 am we are still thinking about getting there by 8 a.m.

From the Kitchen said...

So there really is some truth to "playing possum"! I hope he/she is going to be o.k.!

Best,
Bonnie

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

With your yard having all kinds of yummies, I can see why animals would love to come visit. He/she is cute...... hum, I cant believe I said that.
I did not know they were not aggressive. One AM I was changing the birdbath and one came over the fence in my direction. I was not going to hang around to see, I did try SHOO... did not work either.

Remington said...

Oh yes! They are SO smart! I have Peggy the opossum who works at RRC! She ROCKS! Great shots, my friend!

ClickNCamera said...

Years ago, I found a giant white opossum on my patio eating from my cat's dinner dish. I had NO idea what it was, nor did I think they would get close to apartment complexes like that. Great photos!

Marie said...

You are so right, I do love this post! He or she is adorable! I hope he survives. That photo of him being bashful is adorable!
Man is the most danger for a lot of wildlife! One night we saw a couple of grown men walking and harassing a opossum. They had trapped him along a brick wall and he was trying his best to get away, but they wouldn't let him by. We parked and started watching them. One of the men grabbed him by his tail and threw him down. Well, that was it for me! I told them we will call the police! They did move on at that point and yes we were across the street from those punks in a safe distance. :)
So glad Bob let the little guy live! You have made my day!!!

Ginny Hartzler said...

YIKES!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened your blog!!! And what great pictures and clear pictures and up close pictures you got under a stressful situation!! The Madsnapper is on duty even when under pressure! I have had them come up to me in the dark and hiss, terribly frightening when you just see glowing eyes and hear the hiss. So I had always thought they were dangerous, what with all the hissing. I NEVER knew they are frightened!!! A GREAT post today, sis, I LOVED it. And an unexpected surprise for both of us.

Muffy's Marks said...

Wow, I'd have been scared to death. What a good photographer won't do to get that perfect shot!!!

Amy Burzese said...

Haha. Been there, done that. I love/hate possums.

TexWisGirl said...

my dogs 'killed' one one time. wouldn't move. wouldn't move. finally, i picked it up by its tail to fling it into the pond (where all my critter carcasses go) and he started wiggling. :)

i don't mind them, except they carry a disease that can kill horses. my neighbor's old (OLD) horse died last year from it. sad...

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

So cute.

and good to know facts.

:-)

Suburban Girl said...

Well, that was an adventure! Glad it was just playing dead.

GOOSE said...

I've never met one. But MOM has and she likes them. Were all God's creatures and have a purpose.
Blessings,
Goose

Cheryl @ TFD said...

What a story! Love the photos, too. We have a possum that likes to visit the patio and eat the outside cat's food once in a while.

DawnTreader said...

Had no idea about any of that. We don't have them here. And it seems quite different from the possums of Australia/New Zealand... A blogging friend from NZ has had lots of trouble with their kind which apparently do a lot more damage.

Golden Woofs! SUGAR said...

Woof! Woof! Oh No ... Mom is scared of them ... but the photos are cute. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

Susannah said...

Wow! Alot of excitement at your house! It's just kind of cute to me...I guess I have seen too many of them.

My Mind's Eye said...

PLAYING POSSUM....YOU ARE A FUNNY WOMAN AT 6:30 AM!!

I HAD NO IDEA THEY AT BUGS INSECTS AND RODENTS. WTG OPPOSSUM!!
HUGS AND EXCELLENT PHOTOS.
c

Deb said...

we get them around here a lot too...I don't know how many have been on our fence just sitting there while the dogs went nuts...when we were early married I was the manager of a mobile home park...one of the tenants came to pay the rent...they said when did you get your new pet...I asked what they were talking about...there on my porch was one sitting there eating our dogs food..didn't even move when we were looking at it...my FIL used to have one that came every night to eat the cat food...

Miss Debbie said...

Actually, I don't think they are so cute!! But your pictures are great and so is your story!

Linda said...

I had a possum that lived around and IN my house for a whole year. I keep a lot of doors and windows open and he wandered in and out. As he got older it was a little unnerving to find him spread eagle on the bedroom screen door - on the INSIDE!!

Okay! I am impressed with your possum and the pictures - MOSTLY about you returning home from the gym at 6:30 in the MORNING??? Good grief! What time do you guys get up??

Chatty Crone said...

I love how you remembered they played possum - and he was. They are cuter then you think. And I didn't realize how cool they were. sandie

Debra Dickinson said...

Thank you for posting that information! People are often mean to these loving creatures, and it makes me very sad.

I used to work with someone that volunteered for a local wildlife refuge. She cared for baby possums until they were released in the wild. She had a special carrier and everything. Every few hours she would take thm out and feed them with the tiniest of tiny formula bottle. Too cute!

I often wondered if they were human friendly as adults. Maybe that's the case with your possum! :) Kudos to you and Bob!

Inger said...

We had lots of them in the middle of Los Angeles and our hound dog would think he killed them and was proud. I would leave them alone for a while and usually they would be gone. I think only one or two were actually dead. This one was so sweet and so scared, I'm glad Bob managed to shoo him away without incident.

Ann said...

Jake probably thought he had himself a HUGE lizard....lol
The only time I ever see these guys is when they are running across the road in front of me. Glad you got the shots, he is pretty cute

Kathy said...

I wouldn't want to be bitten by those teeth!

Rose said...

Glad he wasn't hurt...just think if it were dangerous...Jake would save you!

Unknown said...

Olá.
Adorei passar por aqui e conhecer seu cantinho.
seu blog é muito bom, parabéns.
Sempre que possível estarei passando pra ver as novidades.
Até mais

Catherine said...

Awwww what a little cutie! You just have to love a critter that cleans up the world by eating bugs, rats and mice!!!!
xo Catherine

LC said...

I think your photos are cute, but the possums I have encountered in person have hissed and bare vicious looking teeth. I have no urge to cuddle even tho I trust the accuracy of the info from the Web site. Live and let live.

Dee said...

Last year we had a possum visiting us. It would come up to the patio window and look in. I actually got attached to the little fella.He has not been back. :( Like you I think they are cute...most people do not. But then...we are not most people :)

SquirrelQueen said...

Aw, he is a cute little fellow. I'm glad he's aright. The ones I see here are a little lighter color with shorter hair. We often seen them in our backyard and they visit our patio. The cats just ignore them when they are around. I have to make sure all the cat food is picked up before dusk or they will help themselves. I have walked out on the patio many times and been greeted by one of the little fellows. In the spring we sometimes see little ones.
TexWisGirl is right, they carry a disease that is fatal to horses.

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

He is so clever and so cute.. Its amazing how they know to play dead. I'm glad it wasn't. Every one of Gods creatures have a reason and a purpose. Your Opossums do a good job but, its not good to know they carry a disease harmful to horses.

Linda P said...

What an exciting life you have! There's never a dull moment in your backyard and I love reading about all the creatures, domestic and otherwise, that live down your way - as well as about your plant/tree experiences.

Just Mags said...

I think they are cute little critters too and you got some great pictures of this one. We have them around here and the only time they give us a problem is when they make up their mind to sit atop our privacy fence and keep the dogs barking. Hubby has to go out and spend a loooooooooong time convincing them they need to get off the fence.

EG CameraGirl said...

You were brilliant to know it was only playing possum You get an A+.

Betty Manousos said...

goodness me, he is soo cute! i have never seen a possum in person, so i was delighted to see your photos.
glad he wasn't hurt.

Michaele said...

Thanks for this post about Opossums and for not killing it. They always startle me when I come upon them, but then I remember how passive they are.

Jo said...

Clever Sandra to realize the Oppossum was playing dead. I've learnt quite a few facts from your post. Thanks!