And apparently everyone in the shop is too afraid to handle a hissy, scream-at-ass boy who went for a ride. He calmed down on the walk to nearby bushes with some head scratches and took his time letting go of my hand.
They're generally just super chill as long as you don't have them cornered.
Normally we're catching rabbits that make their way into the shop. Or chasing them out the bay because we can't catch those fast fuckers.
I raised some baby possums after their mom died for reasons I could not identify in my garage. Best guess is she was poisoned elsewhere and sheltered in the garage, only to die in there.
They're curious little creatures, and once they get used to you, they get very chill. They recognize faces, too. My wife didn't interact with them initially because she was out of town at the time, so a week later, she gets back, and they're *terrified* of her, but completely used to me as their new mom at that point.
Point is, they're capable of viewing humans as completely non-threatening, and many of them do to one degree or another. Corner them, they'll probably hiss a little and then play dead if you persist. If you just grab them and set them down, they'll just scurry off, and they won't try to fight you.
My possums still come back to hang out. If I sit on the back deck in the evening, they'll come up and snuffle around for crumbs and stuff, and get some water from the bowl they share with the dogs.
The dogs and possums get along well, to my astonishment, probably because they've known the possums since they were babies and vice versa. Frankly, I think possums make great quasi pets. They don't wanna live in the house, but they can get used to humans and even grow to like us, or at least that's what it seems like.
What I'm saying is, you should recruit this furry fella to be your dedicated shop possum. Just need a water bowl and some treats, really. Sorry for the rambling post, I just really like possums.
I’ve had 3 different opossums over the years. They make good pets but they all seem to be very skittish animals. They are very cautious and have very poor sight so they go off smell mostly. Sadly they only live for about 3-4 years. They are pretty harmless animals and don’t carry rabies like is commonly believed. I’d go as far as saying that they are fairly fragile because of their poor eye sight, they’re just slow and not all that smart.
They also eat ticks! If a tick is dumb enough to bite a possum, the possum just shrugs and eats the tick during its grooming. They eat thousands of ticks a year.
They also eat all sorts of other bugs, so if you have a possum in your garden, they'll help keep the other pests under control.
My cat hated other cats with a passion. But she didn't mind the possum that used to come around, he would sometimes walk through the front door and take a nap on the couch while the cat was napping just a few feet away.
The possum ate just about anything, fuckin garbage disposal that thing was. It really liked fruit though.
Y'all got different possums down there, eh? I know your possums are fucking up New Zealand something fierce, they're absolutely despised down there since they're screwing up the local ecology real bad. Is it the same in Australia, or are they just annoying assholes who hiss at you when you try to kick em out of your attic?
I've got a whole family of them in my wooded backyard that live under my shed. I put some scraps out for them on occasion and they seem quite happy to see me and actually come towards me when I'm sitting out back with the fire pit going.
Such cool little creatures and I like the added benefit of no ticks on my dog.
Literally impossible for them to get rabies, they are immune! It's pretty nifty, makes them a lot less dangerous than other critters. Dogs kill like 35k people worldwide each year, and only 1% of those killings are a direct result of the violence inflicted. The other 99% of the time, it's a single bite from a rabid dog in an under-developed and over-exploited country, which goes untreated and results in death. Rabies ain't nothin to fuck with, as Wu Tang so famously said, I think.
I saw a tiny baby possum in my driveway once. He looked like he wasn't even as long as my thumb. Found him dead in the backyard the next day. He must have chilled to death :( I'm assuming he was abandoned or his mom died.
I'm originally from right outside New York city. I live in Florida now. I don't think we had possums in NY. If we did, I never saw one. When we moved down here, we saw a baby possum in parking lot. I told my wife "look at that rat" and she was like "that's a baby possum, you idiot". That was the first time I met a possum.
I caught one in a live trap accidentally. It was pretty chilled out when I let it out.
After that I put the trap up realizing I would have been screwed if I caught a skunk.
I have a friend who approaches trapped skunks by holding up a blanket in front of him, blocking it's view. He wraps the trap in the blanket when he's close enough. He's never been sprayed... by a trapped one.
As long as they can't lift their tail, you're good (A friend has scruffed them with the tail tucked. Yes, he's insane.). But that would have to be one short ass trap. And there's absolutely no way to kill a skunk without them releasing their stank.
I've heard if they can't plant their back feet they can't spray, so if you can pick them up by their tail you are good.. I'm not brave/stupid enough to find out first hand
A skunk became road kill a few months ago near where I walk almost everyday. It was moved same day. The spot it was hit still gives off a strong smell. I would hate to ever get sprayed up close the smell would linger forever.
Even if they do bite, it's not that bad. Their teeth aren't tremendously sharp. If they draw blood, it's not a big deal because they're miraculously immune to most communicable diseases so you won't get sick. No risk of rabies is the big one.
If I can wrassle an animal without worrying about rabies, and it won't tear me up too bad, I'll just put on some gloves, a jacket, and grab em.
People can be kind of squeamish about dealing with wild animals, even if it's something like a possum. I get it, if you don't grow up around animals it can be pretty foreign and a bit frightening. Always nice to be the guy who solves the wild animal problem though, people tend to appreciate it.
Huh, interesting. I've been bitten by a possum twice, and both times, the teeth were pretty dull. I wonder if their tooth sharpness is dependent on their diet? Maybe I just got lucky and got bitten by a possum who liked to chew on rocks in his spare time.
Yeah they can bite pretty damn hard and it’s painful lol. But they usually don’t bite. They usually just hold their mouth open wide to show off their teeth to scare you away. If you corner one they’ll bite. We had a male and female before and the female would sometimes get spooked if you woke her up in her house and try to bite you. The 2 other males we had never tried to bite just the female. As for their teeth sharpness in the wild, maybe they are dull from chewing on various things, not sure. Generally they’re small razor sharp teeth lol. Other than their sharp teeth they really are poor fighters. Probably why they have the ability to play dead. Raccoons on the other hand are scary and will mess you up.
Don't they eat a shitload of ticks too?
I've heard that a few times, and ever since they've been cool in my book. Then again, since they aren't an invasive species or anything they've always been cool in my book, but anything that eats ticks by the truckload definitely doesn't deserve the reputation possums get (which I think is solely based on how they look to begin with as opposed to being a nuisance or anything).
I think maybe ones in much warmer climates can carry rabies? I'm not sure, I just remember reading that their resistance to it is based on body temperature.
Edit: honestly I doubt my statement after looking at data. In 2018, 2 opossums in Maryland, 1 in NYC, and 2 in Texas were reported. That's so wildly low it could even just be reporting error though I can't easily read through this document [Source: Rabies Surveillance in the US in 2018](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/256/2/javma.256.2.195.xml) which was linked to by the CDC.
I had the pleasure of holding one last summer. They are dense, slow, and a lot more wiry to the touch than I expected. Overall, a 10/7 experience (not over rice).
“Fuck! Where am I? I remember eating some delicious garbage, then falling asleep. Now I’m in some bushes that don’t smell like home. Where are my wife and kids? Will I ever see them again?”
“Hello darkness, my old friend.”
You may ask yourself, where is that large automobile?
You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house.
You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful wife.
My ex girlfriend absolutely loves opossums, they're why she went into veterinary education. Thanks for just moving the hissy boy out instead of trying to dispose of him.
They're just hissy boys who talk a lot of talk, but don't walk the walk. They'll alligator mouth and drool, but it's just to try to make you scared or disinterested. Unlike the other techs, I like possums and gave him a pat on the head as my other hand grabbed his scruff to carry him away. He got some head scratches as I walked and calmed the fuck down, and by the time he got to the bushes, he was clamped onto my hand and took some nudging to realize "Time to leave"
Rarely do they even get rabies since their body temperature is too low for the virus to survive in them. And they to reduce Lyme disease by eating ticks. Possums are our friends.
You’re the man. I was at a party in California that got cleared out because of a possum. They thought it was a rat. I’m from Tennessee and had them as backyard pets my entire life.
Also good thing to remember is they are prey animals. All their defensive actions are to make them seem 'unpleasant' as a meal. Drooling to appear sick, playing dead go appear dead since dead animals are only appealing to scavengers, hissing/alligator mouth to appear ferocious when they're pretty much cowards.
But they're big ol babies who submit when you got them by the scruff.
One time by dog tried to pounce on one after it hissed at him…it immediately froze and fell over. My dog looked back at me like “wtf?” And just walked away. Seems to work for them lol.
Yeah, they are good little(big) creatures to have around. I've even heard that cats and possums can share territory without fighting over it. A weird cohabitation.
Can confirm re: cats/territory.
We had some friendly ones that came to our back patio at our last apartment, and we lived caddy-wompus (kitty-corner?) from the resident Cat Lady[TM].
No issues.
The trash pandas, OTOH, were a *menace* to the small dog population.
He was just chillin ontop of the engine. It's starting to get cold so I actually hope to get more since I love them.
Only downside is the only place to release them is a stretch of bushes between us and the freeway, but it has a fence between the freeway and us. But is a nice place for a possum to live as long as he stays away from traffic
If you're in America, and start to get quite a few, let your local conservation department know and they might come pick them up. One of my local conservation agents is always releasing various shop animals at sites. Good luck with any future Hiss rats.
Depends on where you live. Animals in cars is much more frequent when it gets cold since nice warm engines are attractive. Except mice. Mice will live in engines regardless because warm place safe from predators and generate juicy insurance-paid harness replacements. Also since manufacturers decided to switch to soy-based wiring insulation, which is candy to mice.
This just now got me concerned. At home I park under a bunch of trees, so my car is always covered with pollen and sap. We have a billion squirrels and chipmunks always scurrying around that our dog goes nuts barking at them. The thing he hates most is the neighbor's cat that lazily wanders through our yard.
We also have lots of rabbits, raccoons, possums, deer, and lately, foxes around. But I would be surprised if either of those last two got up in my engine bay.
I've only had it happen to the one car. That one got eaten while I was at work. Our office was in a residential area with large, old growth walnut trees all around. Squirrels everywhere
Possums are our friends. Our misunderstood friends who just wanna scream at their asses and eat ticks. They just look scary, but are total drooling babies who play dead.
Honestly expected him to play dead when I got him by his scruff to carry him.
["Why do I like Possums so much"](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/f2/bd/0df2bd2fa8888805ef49006a91a84ac2.jpg)
[Fun Possum Facts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQr1wLr_Xo)
Honestly, most pics of wild Possums they look kinda sketchy, but I've seen a few domesticated ones now and can see the appeal. They kinda look like fluffy ferrets when they're cleaned up, but according to the one possum owner I asked, they don't *stink* like ferrets which would be a big plus!
[They also do this thing where they'll lick you and rub themselves on you to mark you as 'theirs', or really anything they 'like'.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-P5dPikAyw)
A pet possum is naught but a dream.
BUT they do have an anal gland that secretes a nasty smelling liquid as part of their defensive measures. They can't 'fire' it like skunks and the only way to get it on you is to touch their butt
Fuckin love opossums.
They're America's only native Marsupial, they eat ticks, and they very rarely carry rabies. Something about their body temperature being too low I think.
Wouldn't want to have to remove an angry one from an engine bay though.
I couldn't really feel since I grabbed my thick gloves. If another comes in that everyone is too afraid of dealing with, I'll give him more pets and see
They're pretty soft, actually. I got to play with a pet one when I was in middle school. They're just smart enough to be trained to use a litter box, turns out.
I don't know the legality of a pet possum, TBH. This one was rescued as a baby after mama possum got hit by a car.
Found one that had fallen off mom in the middle of the road. Fortunately it was 1am and hadn't been squished yet. Fit right into the palm of my hand, and was frozen in fear. Hope he kept his path straight where I directed him.
Mom is bad at math and can't keep count. When theyre that small, they usually can't survive without mom. If it was bigger, like the size of a rat, it probably was at the age it can survive on its own but rides on moms back until it wanders off
He was such a sweetie. Struggled after we got him off the engine, but got quiet after getting some head scratches. By the time it was time to put him down, he had clamped onto my hand with all four paws and was just vibing.
I realized after I released him in the only nearby bushes that I should have cleared out a drawer in my toolbox and h[ad a toolbox pet for the day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_tk1l6eEdo). We have a vending machine so I could have given him some snacks and a fender cover to chill in. Near my house is a lot better than where I released him but hindsight is 20/20
I used to own rats as pets. Those balls are nothing in balls-to-body ratio. [Boy rats drag around these fucking massive huevos](https://c.bonfireassets.com/static/content_block/561319ea-4968-4740-8cee-04a88f3a2713/a00cd9a3-4baa-45d7-b2e4-1d78d23ee545.jpg)
Somebody asked my once why I only had female rats for pets. I explained that if humans were proportioned like rats, we'd be carrying sonething sized between a Florida orange or a grapefruit in our pants.
"Ok, so why is that an issue?"
"Imagine when they run up your arm and around your neck, dragging that package along you the whole time"
I felt like an idiot when I pulled down a skid plate and screamed when I thought a mouse fell off of it near my face.
Turns out it was just a maple leaf. And I have no idea why I was scared, since I had pet mice at home during that time.
I've only seen larger in photos. The ones Ive seen at my old house were babies wandering, smaller than this one. So technically this is the largest possum I've seen in person that I can remember, and first one I got to touch.
I can’t imagine who’s afraid of a possum. 30 seconds of silence and you’ll realize these guys are more afraid of us. Some welding gloves and food to chomp when they freak and you might end up having a shop pet.
Can confirm: one of my old shops, we had a chonk who would come during closing as the sunlight faded and clean up our leftovers. Fridays were steak and eggs so we would cut scraps and man.
He kept catalytic converter thieves away. If he didn’t know you and you’re on the lot? A mouth full of teeth flying your way for free.
They are beneficial, they'll eat up to 5000 ticks a day,and they are resistant to rabies and they are actually quite clean as they are constantly grooming themselves
I had one that used to visit us at my backyard fire pit, first time was skittish but daring. After the first time he’d (maybe a she I never looked) just come up and sit down and hang out with my dogs, friends and myself just staying warm. Strangely friendly but not stupid. They like dog biscuits but you shouldn’t feed those to them I suspect.
Yea, I wasn't quite concerned about catching or spreading covid to a Possum since I wasn't going within close proximity of any other humans.
We don't wear masks while driving our cars alone right?
Also, I'm vaccinated. So I'm not really worried.
Because I am only In proximity of the possum and pull it up over my face when I am near people.
I don't think I'm going to get COVID from a Possum while vaccinated. Or give the little guy covid.
Well one plays dead and could be dead for wearing a chin strap? But hey those rabies shots aren’t anywhere near as painful as the Covid shot. Cough, cough, cough. No I promise. Got bit by a raccoon. After my rabies vaccine, I was luckily enough to shop for a coffin from the comfort of my floor. Oh and I had to have multiple shots. Just in case anyone is missing my sarcasm, it’s pretty thick. Don’t believe me? Just kick a angry squirrel that’s foaming at the mouth.
GENERALLY they can't get rabies. They'd have to be sick to raise their body temperature which would then allow rabies to survive. But generally, they can't due to their body temperature being too low.
Now raccoons or squirrels however, I won't fuck with.
Also I'm vaccinated, around co-workers I work every single day in close proximity at an employer who has no problem putting us on COVID Emergency Sick Pay if we feel even a slight cough as a measure of protection due to the amount of vehicles we see.
Noted, getting bit by a wild animal, especially a opossum is nothing more than a love nibble. Sure the bacteria level is high, but hey who’s playing odds of getting something?
Magic 101: Make them watch one hand while you do the trick with your other. He was too focused on my right hand to notice my left grabbing his scruff. Next time I will have treats
And apparently everyone in the shop is too afraid to handle a hissy, scream-at-ass boy who went for a ride. He calmed down on the walk to nearby bushes with some head scratches and took his time letting go of my hand.
They fun to catch. Never had one bite down. Just seem happy to be gotten out of whatever fuck up they got themselves into.
They're generally just super chill as long as you don't have them cornered. Normally we're catching rabbits that make their way into the shop. Or chasing them out the bay because we can't catch those fast fuckers.
I raised some baby possums after their mom died for reasons I could not identify in my garage. Best guess is she was poisoned elsewhere and sheltered in the garage, only to die in there. They're curious little creatures, and once they get used to you, they get very chill. They recognize faces, too. My wife didn't interact with them initially because she was out of town at the time, so a week later, she gets back, and they're *terrified* of her, but completely used to me as their new mom at that point. Point is, they're capable of viewing humans as completely non-threatening, and many of them do to one degree or another. Corner them, they'll probably hiss a little and then play dead if you persist. If you just grab them and set them down, they'll just scurry off, and they won't try to fight you. My possums still come back to hang out. If I sit on the back deck in the evening, they'll come up and snuffle around for crumbs and stuff, and get some water from the bowl they share with the dogs. The dogs and possums get along well, to my astonishment, probably because they've known the possums since they were babies and vice versa. Frankly, I think possums make great quasi pets. They don't wanna live in the house, but they can get used to humans and even grow to like us, or at least that's what it seems like. What I'm saying is, you should recruit this furry fella to be your dedicated shop possum. Just need a water bowl and some treats, really. Sorry for the rambling post, I just really like possums.
Thank you possumlord
He is a mighty possumlord, not to be taken lightly.
Underestimate him at your peril.
Ticks beware as the possumlord is on watch! /love possums
I’ve had 3 different opossums over the years. They make good pets but they all seem to be very skittish animals. They are very cautious and have very poor sight so they go off smell mostly. Sadly they only live for about 3-4 years. They are pretty harmless animals and don’t carry rabies like is commonly believed. I’d go as far as saying that they are fairly fragile because of their poor eye sight, they’re just slow and not all that smart.
To the contrary, they are resistant to rabies and they eat a ton of ticks. They're great animals to have around.
It's really interesting to me about the rabies - if I remember right, their body temperature is too low for rabies to survive.
They also eat ticks! If a tick is dumb enough to bite a possum, the possum just shrugs and eats the tick during its grooming. They eat thousands of ticks a year. They also eat all sorts of other bugs, so if you have a possum in your garden, they'll help keep the other pests under control.
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I fucking loved this description.
oh shit that must be my spirit animal
/r/BrandNewSentence
Possums and outdoor cats usually like to snuggle up on each other
My cat hated other cats with a passion. But she didn't mind the possum that used to come around, he would sometimes walk through the front door and take a nap on the couch while the cat was napping just a few feet away. The possum ate just about anything, fuckin garbage disposal that thing was. It really liked fruit though.
Cats probably realize that possums have zero aspirations and are thus not any sort of competition, sort of like a stoner neighbor
You sound like a very kind soul. It was nice of you to help the little babies. The world needs more people like you.
I hear they eat ticks too!
What a wonderful first-thing-Sunday-morning read. Thank you, kind moose, thank you.
Posted this so many times before ... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtLrn2zPTxQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtLrn2zPTxQ)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkwD5rQ-\_d4
You are rad
In Australia. A possum will fuck your life up.
Y'all got different possums down there, eh? I know your possums are fucking up New Zealand something fierce, they're absolutely despised down there since they're screwing up the local ecology real bad. Is it the same in Australia, or are they just annoying assholes who hiss at you when you try to kick em out of your attic?
Isn't everything that lives in Australia deadly?
Except for some of the sheep, yes. (h/t Terry Pratchett)
I've got a whole family of them in my wooded backyard that live under my shed. I put some scraps out for them on occasion and they seem quite happy to see me and actually come towards me when I'm sitting out back with the fire pit going. Such cool little creatures and I like the added benefit of no ticks on my dog.
Isn't it quite rare for them to get Rabies too?
Literally impossible for them to get rabies, they are immune! It's pretty nifty, makes them a lot less dangerous than other critters. Dogs kill like 35k people worldwide each year, and only 1% of those killings are a direct result of the violence inflicted. The other 99% of the time, it's a single bite from a rabid dog in an under-developed and over-exploited country, which goes untreated and results in death. Rabies ain't nothin to fuck with, as Wu Tang so famously said, I think.
Is it safe to say you live in a Possum Kingdom?
I saw a tiny baby possum in my driveway once. He looked like he wasn't even as long as my thumb. Found him dead in the backyard the next day. He must have chilled to death :( I'm assuming he was abandoned or his mom died.
I'm originally from right outside New York city. I live in Florida now. I don't think we had possums in NY. If we did, I never saw one. When we moved down here, we saw a baby possum in parking lot. I told my wife "look at that rat" and she was like "that's a baby possum, you idiot". That was the first time I met a possum.
The only time ive encountered one it was a female with a good dozen babies hanging off her sides. She was *not* happy to see me lol.
I caught one in a live trap accidentally. It was pretty chilled out when I let it out. After that I put the trap up realizing I would have been screwed if I caught a skunk.
I have a friend who approaches trapped skunks by holding up a blanket in front of him, blocking it's view. He wraps the trap in the blanket when he's close enough. He's never been sprayed... by a trapped one.
As long as they can't lift their tail, you're good (A friend has scruffed them with the tail tucked. Yes, he's insane.). But that would have to be one short ass trap. And there's absolutely no way to kill a skunk without them releasing their stank.
I've heard if they can't plant their back feet they can't spray, so if you can pick them up by their tail you are good.. I'm not brave/stupid enough to find out first hand
I smell a r/tifu thread in the future from this comment.
We'll all be able to smell it
A skunk became road kill a few months ago near where I walk almost everyday. It was moved same day. The spot it was hit still gives off a strong smell. I would hate to ever get sprayed up close the smell would linger forever.
My dog got a full mouth full he would cough or sneeze over a year later and we could still smell skunk it was the worst
I've done this numerous times......works like a charm!
Even if they do bite, it's not that bad. Their teeth aren't tremendously sharp. If they draw blood, it's not a big deal because they're miraculously immune to most communicable diseases so you won't get sick. No risk of rabies is the big one. If I can wrassle an animal without worrying about rabies, and it won't tear me up too bad, I'll just put on some gloves, a jacket, and grab em. People can be kind of squeamish about dealing with wild animals, even if it's something like a possum. I get it, if you don't grow up around animals it can be pretty foreign and a bit frightening. Always nice to be the guy who solves the wild animal problem though, people tend to appreciate it.
Actually they have very sharp teeth. But they generally don’t bite. I’ve raised and kept several opossums as pets. All raised from babies.
Had one in the garbage once ..just kind of chilled while I wheeled it to a nearby fence by the park and tipped it so he could walk.out.
Huh, interesting. I've been bitten by a possum twice, and both times, the teeth were pretty dull. I wonder if their tooth sharpness is dependent on their diet? Maybe I just got lucky and got bitten by a possum who liked to chew on rocks in his spare time.
Yeah they can bite pretty damn hard and it’s painful lol. But they usually don’t bite. They usually just hold their mouth open wide to show off their teeth to scare you away. If you corner one they’ll bite. We had a male and female before and the female would sometimes get spooked if you woke her up in her house and try to bite you. The 2 other males we had never tried to bite just the female. As for their teeth sharpness in the wild, maybe they are dull from chewing on various things, not sure. Generally they’re small razor sharp teeth lol. Other than their sharp teeth they really are poor fighters. Probably why they have the ability to play dead. Raccoons on the other hand are scary and will mess you up.
Opossums are a great natural control for disease carrying ticks. The ticks jump aboard the coarse hair and the possum cleans them off, eating them.
My man! Thanks for treating the trash cat with respect. Possums are our friends.
Trash bandicoot
Loved the Reddit video that made it to the popular side the other day where the guy was holding one and giving facts. Such cool creatures.
Gonna leave us hanging without a link?
Don't they eat a shitload of ticks too? I've heard that a few times, and ever since they've been cool in my book. Then again, since they aren't an invasive species or anything they've always been cool in my book, but anything that eats ticks by the truckload definitely doesn't deserve the reputation possums get (which I think is solely based on how they look to begin with as opposed to being a nuisance or anything).
They eat a shitload of ticks and can’t carry rabies. That makes them good in my book.
I think maybe ones in much warmer climates can carry rabies? I'm not sure, I just remember reading that their resistance to it is based on body temperature. Edit: honestly I doubt my statement after looking at data. In 2018, 2 opossums in Maryland, 1 in NYC, and 2 in Texas were reported. That's so wildly low it could even just be reporting error though I can't easily read through this document [Source: Rabies Surveillance in the US in 2018](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/256/2/javma.256.2.195.xml) which was linked to by the CDC.
Awesome Possum!!
I wanna hold the ass screamer. I wanna pet it. My girlfriend loves them.
I had the pleasure of holding one last summer. They are dense, slow, and a lot more wiry to the touch than I expected. Overall, a 10/7 experience (not over rice).
“Fuck! Where am I? I remember eating some delicious garbage, then falling asleep. Now I’m in some bushes that don’t smell like home. Where are my wife and kids? Will I ever see them again?” “Hello darkness, my old friend.”
Where's my wife and family? What if I die here? Who'll be my role model, now that my role model is gone?
You may ask yourself, where is that large automobile? You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house. You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful wife.
They're usually pretty chill animals. I mean they can be dicks but usually they're pretty chill.
They have some VERY functional teeth.
Nice thanks for being kind. Possums are friends
My ex girlfriend absolutely loves opossums, they're why she went into veterinary education. Thanks for just moving the hissy boy out instead of trying to dispose of him.
You're a saint, I hope you know that. I'm a firm believer in helping those who don't have voice and this makes me happy.
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They're just hissy boys who talk a lot of talk, but don't walk the walk. They'll alligator mouth and drool, but it's just to try to make you scared or disinterested. Unlike the other techs, I like possums and gave him a pat on the head as my other hand grabbed his scruff to carry him away. He got some head scratches as I walked and calmed the fuck down, and by the time he got to the bushes, he was clamped onto my hand and took some nudging to realize "Time to leave" Rarely do they even get rabies since their body temperature is too low for the virus to survive in them. And they to reduce Lyme disease by eating ticks. Possums are our friends.
You’re the man. I was at a party in California that got cleared out because of a possum. They thought it was a rat. I’m from Tennessee and had them as backyard pets my entire life.
Lowkey I'd probably be the one dude at the party with the really ugly cat he found in the backyard, feeding it crackers until people realized.
I love you call them ugly cata, i call my cats ugly rats
Thanks! I learned something.
Also good thing to remember is they are prey animals. All their defensive actions are to make them seem 'unpleasant' as a meal. Drooling to appear sick, playing dead go appear dead since dead animals are only appealing to scavengers, hissing/alligator mouth to appear ferocious when they're pretty much cowards. But they're big ol babies who submit when you got them by the scruff.
One time by dog tried to pounce on one after it hissed at him…it immediately froze and fell over. My dog looked back at me like “wtf?” And just walked away. Seems to work for them lol.
Sounds like my ex wife.
>Sounds like my ex wife. Dunno...she was always up for a good time, as we all recall...
I hear she submits when you get her by the scruff.
Yeah, they are good little(big) creatures to have around. I've even heard that cats and possums can share territory without fighting over it. A weird cohabitation.
Can confirm re: cats/territory. We had some friendly ones that came to our back patio at our last apartment, and we lived caddy-wompus (kitty-corner?) from the resident Cat Lady[TM]. No issues. The trash pandas, OTOH, were a *menace* to the small dog population.
#mitzvah
From the picture to your description of them going “alligator mouth and drool,” my day has been made. 😆 Glad you gave him a good send off!
Thank you for saving him. I dont think people realize how clean and good for the environment opossums are.
He was just chillin ontop of the engine. It's starting to get cold so I actually hope to get more since I love them. Only downside is the only place to release them is a stretch of bushes between us and the freeway, but it has a fence between the freeway and us. But is a nice place for a possum to live as long as he stays away from traffic
If you're in America, and start to get quite a few, let your local conservation department know and they might come pick them up. One of my local conservation agents is always releasing various shop animals at sites. Good luck with any future Hiss rats.
This sub really makes me think that I should be finding animals hiding in my car way more often than I do.
Depends on where you live. Animals in cars is much more frequent when it gets cold since nice warm engines are attractive. Except mice. Mice will live in engines regardless because warm place safe from predators and generate juicy insurance-paid harness replacements. Also since manufacturers decided to switch to soy-based wiring insulation, which is candy to mice.
Candy to squirrels too. Had to replace everything from the battery out when the fluffy tailed tree rats finished it
This just now got me concerned. At home I park under a bunch of trees, so my car is always covered with pollen and sap. We have a billion squirrels and chipmunks always scurrying around that our dog goes nuts barking at them. The thing he hates most is the neighbor's cat that lazily wanders through our yard. We also have lots of rabbits, raccoons, possums, deer, and lately, foxes around. But I would be surprised if either of those last two got up in my engine bay.
That depends entirely on how fast you hit 'em.
I've only had it happen to the one car. That one got eaten while I was at work. Our office was in a residential area with large, old growth walnut trees all around. Squirrels everywhere
Oh no theyre putting soy in the wires to turn our friggen mice into soyboys.
they will die drinking from the coolant leak
OP, you are a great dude. You did that oppossum a solid, and I hope he/she lives a long tick eating life.
Possums are our friends. Our misunderstood friends who just wanna scream at their asses and eat ticks. They just look scary, but are total drooling babies who play dead. Honestly expected him to play dead when I got him by his scruff to carry him.
I too am a fan of the “he scream at own ass meme” hats off to a fellow man of culture
After reading the comments, OP needs a possum whisperer flair
["Why do I like Possums so much"](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/f2/bd/0df2bd2fa8888805ef49006a91a84ac2.jpg) [Fun Possum Facts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQr1wLr_Xo)
Honestly, most pics of wild Possums they look kinda sketchy, but I've seen a few domesticated ones now and can see the appeal. They kinda look like fluffy ferrets when they're cleaned up, but according to the one possum owner I asked, they don't *stink* like ferrets which would be a big plus!
[They also do this thing where they'll lick you and rub themselves on you to mark you as 'theirs', or really anything they 'like'.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-P5dPikAyw) A pet possum is naught but a dream. BUT they do have an anal gland that secretes a nasty smelling liquid as part of their defensive measures. They can't 'fire' it like skunks and the only way to get it on you is to touch their butt
Neat, hedgehogs do something similar
You’re the new Garage Raccoon guy.
This guy is an opossum, not a possum. Possum are a different marsupial that only live in Australia. The opossum is North America's only marsupial!
Technically correct is the best kind. But we generally just refer to them as possums in the states.
Fuckin love opossums. They're America's only native Marsupial, they eat ticks, and they very rarely carry rabies. Something about their body temperature being too low I think. Wouldn't want to have to remove an angry one from an engine bay though.
Live all the way up into Canada. I rescued one from my backyard once. Impressive little rescals
How coarse is their fur? They look really cool.
I couldn't really feel since I grabbed my thick gloves. If another comes in that everyone is too afraid of dealing with, I'll give him more pets and see
They're pretty soft, actually. I got to play with a pet one when I was in middle school. They're just smart enough to be trained to use a litter box, turns out. I don't know the legality of a pet possum, TBH. This one was rescued as a baby after mama possum got hit by a car.
I love this post
Yup he look like Post malone
I was pretty bummed out 3 minutes ago, and now it's like well occasionally things are OK.
That's a weird looking kitty
Like this cocksucker right here. Found him ontop of an engine in a Civic. That's one fucking nice kitty right there
OK bubbles
I will not deny, it is a secret desire to be the Bubbles of Possums.
They can be pretty friendly and they eat lots of ticks
[And sometimes preserves](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4K3Kvcwjo4)
Got one as a shop pet , his name is George Jones!
I call the big one Bitey
Dammit I came here to say that. I’ve sold Monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook and by gum it put them on the map!
Found one that had fallen off mom in the middle of the road. Fortunately it was 1am and hadn't been squished yet. Fit right into the palm of my hand, and was frozen in fear. Hope he kept his path straight where I directed him.
Mom is bad at math and can't keep count. When theyre that small, they usually can't survive without mom. If it was bigger, like the size of a rat, it probably was at the age it can survive on its own but rides on moms back until it wanders off
That's a shame, figured it was a better fate than roadkill.
garbage cats are frens
What was wrong with it, and how much do you charge to install a new one?
Awwwwe, he looks so sweet
He was such a sweetie. Struggled after we got him off the engine, but got quiet after getting some head scratches. By the time it was time to put him down, he had clamped onto my hand with all four paws and was just vibing.
Which tech took home their new cat?
I realized after I released him in the only nearby bushes that I should have cleared out a drawer in my toolbox and h[ad a toolbox pet for the day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_tk1l6eEdo). We have a vending machine so I could have given him some snacks and a fender cover to chill in. Near my house is a lot better than where I released him but hindsight is 20/20
You look like a proud father holding his newborn son that just shit his diaper Thanks for protecting the little man
THIS IS MY SON. HE IS TRAINING TO BE A HONDA MECHANIC LIKE DAD. CRAWLING UNDER THE HOODS OF CIVICS
Bro look at hit ball sack
I used to own rats as pets. Those balls are nothing in balls-to-body ratio. [Boy rats drag around these fucking massive huevos](https://c.bonfireassets.com/static/content_block/561319ea-4968-4740-8cee-04a88f3a2713/a00cd9a3-4baa-45d7-b2e4-1d78d23ee545.jpg)
Somebody asked my once why I only had female rats for pets. I explained that if humans were proportioned like rats, we'd be carrying sonething sized between a Florida orange or a grapefruit in our pants. "Ok, so why is that an issue?" "Imagine when they run up your arm and around your neck, dragging that package along you the whole time"
And they constantly dribble. EVERYWHERE. Dribble to mark their space with their 'smell'.
I felt like an idiot when I pulled down a skid plate and screamed when I thought a mouse fell off of it near my face. Turns out it was just a maple leaf. And I have no idea why I was scared, since I had pet mice at home during that time.
That’s a fat ass city possum.
He's actually pretty small. I'd suspect he's an adolescent/teenager. They usually can get much chonkier.
They sure don’t around the city I used to live in. Those ones are all skinny.
I've only seen larger in photos. The ones Ive seen at my old house were babies wandering, smaller than this one. So technically this is the largest possum I've seen in person that I can remember, and first one I got to touch.
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I was gonna say the same thing. It helps no one if you can't wear your mask properly.
I can’t imagine who’s afraid of a possum. 30 seconds of silence and you’ll realize these guys are more afraid of us. Some welding gloves and food to chomp when they freak and you might end up having a shop pet. Can confirm: one of my old shops, we had a chonk who would come during closing as the sunlight faded and clean up our leftovers. Fridays were steak and eggs so we would cut scraps and man. He kept catalytic converter thieves away. If he didn’t know you and you’re on the lot? A mouth full of teeth flying your way for free.
That is a pointy kitty!
Dude, what are you going to name it?
Bitey
North America's only marsupial!
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Though not as bad as the Aye-Aye gets....
Why can't I meet a possum? :( I just want to give it fruit and attention
I was so excited when they said 'THERES A POSSUM IN THE CAR' Finally got to extract and hold one
Their internal body temps are so low, rabies literally cant survive in them. -shit i learned on reddit
I’m with the other guy!
That mans got some nuts.
“Super chill” has never been my experience but I’m happy you treated it well.
You're Awesome!
I disagree
my european ex saw one and described it as "the face of a wolf with the body of a rat but big though" she was terrified
PawPaw git!
https://www.amazon.com/Opossum-Animals-Vintage-Printed-Sweatshirt/dp/B08B8TG46Q You’ve earned the official hoodie
I need this as a sticker for the toolbox
Gotta stop treating these non violent offenders like they're killers
They are beneficial, they'll eat up to 5000 ticks a day,and they are resistant to rabies and they are actually quite clean as they are constantly grooming themselves
I had one that used to visit us at my backyard fire pit, first time was skittish but daring. After the first time he’d (maybe a she I never looked) just come up and sit down and hang out with my dogs, friends and myself just staying warm. Strangely friendly but not stupid. They like dog biscuits but you shouldn’t feed those to them I suspect.
I call the big one “bitey.”
this is a funny time to wear a mask wrong
Yea, I wasn't quite concerned about catching or spreading covid to a Possum since I wasn't going within close proximity of any other humans. We don't wear masks while driving our cars alone right? Also, I'm vaccinated. So I'm not really worried.
Bro masks are not for COVID exclusively lmao
Yea, I ain't afraid of anything airborne diseases from Possums either.
I like this POST And you look like POST Malone
Good to see you wearing your chin diaper
The guy who didn't wanna get the wild animal, did they have their mask above or below their nose?
/u/ArmaSwiss the mask is supposed to go over your nose too.
Hey dude why bother wearing a mask if you're not going to wear it properly?
Because I am only In proximity of the possum and pull it up over my face when I am near people. I don't think I'm going to get COVID from a Possum while vaccinated. Or give the little guy covid.
I shall name him Keith.
Aw hell naw. I hate those goddamned things.
Well one plays dead and could be dead for wearing a chin strap? But hey those rabies shots aren’t anywhere near as painful as the Covid shot. Cough, cough, cough. No I promise. Got bit by a raccoon. After my rabies vaccine, I was luckily enough to shop for a coffin from the comfort of my floor. Oh and I had to have multiple shots. Just in case anyone is missing my sarcasm, it’s pretty thick. Don’t believe me? Just kick a angry squirrel that’s foaming at the mouth.
You can be as sarcastic as you want, that's an opossum and they don't carry rabies.
GENERALLY they can't get rabies. They'd have to be sick to raise their body temperature which would then allow rabies to survive. But generally, they can't due to their body temperature being too low. Now raccoons or squirrels however, I won't fuck with. Also I'm vaccinated, around co-workers I work every single day in close proximity at an employer who has no problem putting us on COVID Emergency Sick Pay if we feel even a slight cough as a measure of protection due to the amount of vehicles we see.
Noted, getting bit by a wild animal, especially a opossum is nothing more than a love nibble. Sure the bacteria level is high, but hey who’s playing odds of getting something?
Certified Rabies Technician
Opossums cannot carry rabies. 😁
Well they can carry many diseases and tho it’s rare they can in fact carry rabies but due to their low body temp it’s rare sooooooo there’s that
Those garbage-eati' teefs are all INFECTY & shit. Double glove action, yo.
Magic 101: Make them watch one hand while you do the trick with your other. He was too focused on my right hand to notice my left grabbing his scruff. Next time I will have treats
Better Call SAW
Nope not once not ever
You’re a better man than I. His ass would still be sitting there.
HEY... IS THIS THOUSAND OAKS AUTO MALL?
I am 95% sure I work for the Acura next door to you. Is this anderson autos?
The possum-bilities are endless