RE: My Newest Feral
Smudge's Mom > 03-01-2021, 08:31 AM
Opossums are wonderful creatures to have living near your home. They eat grubs, slugs, ticks and mosquito larvae (when they aren't gobbling cat food). And unlike skunks and raccoons, they don't carry rabies. They are the only marsupial in North America and I believe the one that is a friend of the Wild Bunch is healthily pregnant.
Opossums are usually very shy and easily frightened. When they get scared they "play possum"...fall over and pretend to be dead until the danger has passed. When I came across Posey (yes, I have named her) she froze in the position of the photo for nearly two hours until darkness came and she felt that she could safely run back to her den in the woods.
Possums do not hibernate during the winter but may not leave or venture far from their dens if the weather is very cold. During spring, summer and fall these little guys are usually nocturnal, but during winter, they will come out on the warmer, sunny days.