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[ron1]

Wow they do get big don't they? We don't get them over here and I thought they ( possums) only had them in Australia

 

[dthoffsett]

Wow they do get big don't they? We don't get them over here and I thought they ( possums) only had them in Australia

Possums are the only marsupial endemic to the United States.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Glad you released the little bugger! Its baby season again, and me and all of the other wildlife rehabilitators are having huge issues with people finding babies and trying to raise them and keep them as "pets." It usually means dead animals, malnourished animals, or someone getting badly bitten by an unruly adult down the road. Thankfully, the DEC is very happy to dole out hundreds of dollars in fines to people who refuse to surrender an animal to a rehabilitator after being told of the illegality. My neighbors stole a litter of baby rabbits from the nest and killed 4 because they let thier young (3-6) year old children handle them and fed them cow's milk. The animals were confiscated by the DEC (along with a chickadee they'd caught and were keeping in with thier parakeets despite our urgings). They now have a $250 fine per animal (the dead and alive ones) for refusing to hand them over when we told them about the dangers of keeping them and the legal implications. What a horrible lesson to have taught thier children by stealing the babies and then killing all but two by caring for them improperly. I just hope none of the kids get sick since rabbits tend to be loaded with bacteria and parasites.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

just to clarify a few things to those of you who've never seen an adult 'possum, that baby is about as cute and furry as they get. the bald patches don't fill in, the fur doesn't get thicker and the teeth just stick out more and more. the final product looks like a bad experiment involving a piebald rat and an alligator.

i concur with everyone else who's encountered an oppossum: nasty-tempered little beasts. that's one critter that no one should ever try to tame!

 

[hoppybunn]

It is cute, glad it back in the wild.

I rescued one from our swimming pool in Miami once. Delightful creatures (note heavy sarcasm). Played dead on me. I'm like "Yeah, not working buddy, I know you're still alive." Sure enough, it gave up and started screaching "bloody murder". Released it close to our house. They keep insect populations down, especially the giant cockroaches we get there. Now that is gross, a 3.5" long cockroach, not kidding. Oppossums get HUGE! My mom and I waited for one to cross the road once. Now that was an ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size), if I ever saw one.

Miami isn't safe at night...

Hahahaha! Sorry this post just made me laugh a lot.

 

[lljdma06]

Hahahaha! Sorry this post just made me laugh a lot.

Glad to make you laugh. That was me late at night with three benedryl to curb my terrible allergies. I just reread the post and could I have been anymore random? I don't think so.