Possum, Oh my.

[malokvale77]

I just spent the last 30 minutes coaxing a possum into a bucket to get him outside.

The dog had him up in the bed playing. Must have brought him in the doggie door.

It was a young one.

[MaggieD]

1. Yikes

You're brave!

[malokvale77]

4. Not really...

They are mostly harmless. I just don't want them in my house. LOL

[MaggieD]

5. They don't bite?

Good to know. My dog dragged in a mole once. It was nasty.

[Scootaloo]

12. Sometimes they'll bite

not very often though. They also have pretty weak jaws, and their body temp is too low for rabies. So at worst you'll get a little cut that you can treat with neosporin and a bandaid.

They're nothing like raccoon, who will do their level best to fuck your shit up, and are very able - like big cats with better muscles and worse tempers.

[MaggieD]

13. Good to know - thanks

And +1 on raccoons. Even my dog knows better than to mess with one.

[Scootaloo]

2. Just pick him up and take him out there

Possums are pretty chill; unless you're hurting them, they'll usually let you handle them without a problem. Just a carefull scoop, lift, and into the bucket he goes.

Though I guess you resolved it your way. something to keep in mind if your dog brings another one home. Safe yourself a little time.

also, opossums don't carry rabies - their body temperature is too low for the virus to survive. They do, however, carry fleas, so you'll want to take care of your bedclothes and shampoo your dog.

[malokvale77]

6. When I chased the dog off it slithered between the bed frame and head board.

I couldn't reach him. I used a broom to run it out and scoot him into the bucket.

[Scootaloo]

8. Ahhh, there ya go then

Poor thing. First it ends up in some freakish monster's mouth, then it's in a weird right-angle hole with a wooden snake poking at it. He's gonna have a story to tell.

"So there I was...!"

[malokvale77]

9. Hah...

I felt sorry for the little thing even though it pooped in the bed.

[icymist]

11. It is rare, but yes. Opossums can get rabies. Any mammal can get rabies.

Rabies
People often mistake the open-mouth hissing and drooling behavior of opossums as a sign of rabies. However, this is just a bluffing behavior that opossums use as a defense mechanism and does not indicate a sick animal. In fact, rabies is extremely rare in opossums, perhaps because they have a lower body temperature than other warm-blooded animals.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/opossums/tips/solving_problems_opossums.html

Answer: Any mammal can get rabies. However, the chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum’s body.

http://opossumsocietyus.org/faq-opossum/#Do opossums carry rabies?

[haikugal]

3. Ahhh, poor little blighter...you did good!

Was it hurt?

[malokvale77]

7. No, I did not hurt it.

It was mighty scared though.

[haikugal]

10. LOL...by the dog. Was it hurt by the dog "playing"

They have a lot of teeth which they like to show but I'm glad you were able and patient enough to coax it into the bucket.

[malokvale77]

14. LOL, no the dog did not hurt him.

He's a Vizsla (Hungarian hunting dog). They point out prey, not kill it. He will retrieve dead birds though.

He does have a couple of old teddy bears that he plays and sleeps with, so maybe he just wanted to add it to his collection.

[haikugal]

16. Ha, well good he has a soft mouth!

My dog has Beanie baby elephants to snuggle and play with.

[tblue37]

15. possums are kinda cool:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[malokvale77]

17. Cute...

Thanks for posting that.

Unfortunately, I barely have time to groom the dog and cat. LOL

[tblue37]

18. The actor Anna Dresdon performs these "Proper Opossum" videos under the name of Georgette

Spelvin (a tradition pseudonym for actors). She is also a licensed wildlife rescuer, so she obviously knows about possums and how to handle them.

Here is my favorite: "Proper Opposum Face Off"--in which she promises viewers the possibility of watching the beasties "eat {her} face off"--or, she says, perhaps they will just "eat off {her} face. . . . It could go either way."

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



ON EDIT: Sorry--I accidentally posted the massage video again--but this is the face off video.

[malokvale77]

19. Well...

It seems I'm going to have to start watching "Proper Possum", so I can deal with my dogs new friend properly.

Thanks again.

[tblue37]

20. Yeah, her videos are pretty darned funny. nt

[Warpy]

21. This can happen if they're not so little

[longship]

22. At least you knew enough to not put up posters.

[safeinOhio]

23. I've picked them up before

Just grab the tail at the base and pick them up.