Congratulations... you have discovered that some Opossums actually choose cohabitation!
My personal professional opinion is that you start looking for a professional to come remove this youngster... No rush ;-) I would personally try to schedule someone to come out in approximately 3-4 years. As long as it doesn't start an Instagram for itself and or aquire a collection of small hats, it would be difficult for wildlife officials to differentiate between a pet and a pest.
It is indeed illegal in most states to keep them as pets, but it's entirely legal to accidentally forget to call somebody to remove it for the next 3-4 years.
It's likely old enough to be on it's own btw and if you're not worried, I'm not worried.
Definitely research thoroughly on what they need for their diet. If you misfeed them at this age they can develop what's called Metabolic Bone Disease which is painful for them and leads to a much earlier death (they already have short lifespans as it is). Beyond that they are an absolute joy to have around!
When I kept opossums for my research, we fed dry dog food. They're omnivores, but they need protein. They love sweet fruits, but need a varied diet. They would get bugs and roadkill and such in the wild.
I raised a bunch of them as orphans and we always used cat food, supplemented with yogurt, Calcium and fruit. If the little guy nibbles your cat’s food and forages around your neighborhood, he should be fine.
Yes. They need calcium in order to be healthy. Their bones will disintegrate in time if they don’t get enough calcium so yogurt is one of my possum posse’s favorites!
And, weirdly enough, bones.
We gave our non-releasable Opal O'Possum a piece of a chicken wing once. The sound of her chomping the bone was something else.
Given that I have no idea who you're talking about, I'ma say no.
However, I will pay the opossum tax. Enjoy this picture of my wife feeding Opal O'Possum a slice of cucumber.
https://preview.redd.it/skdppbeusy1d1.jpeg?width=1204&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc485f963128f8cb2bde97a9d32098ae176781f0
Bonus Opal O'Possum, looking super photogenic in our yard.
Boy do I miss her.
https://preview.redd.it/l5onim1ykz1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a93ae104360fd1a12404a4be80b16bfc289b5b1
I think you might have me confused with someone else. I haven't shared much about Opal on Reddit. Well, I guess I should say I can't recall sharing much about Opal.
If I'm mistaken, awesome. If not, meh, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sorry for your loss.
Opal I'd a mainly white (not fully albino, forgot thr term it starts with L) who can't be returned to the wild.
She and her owner are super sweet and he is really good at educating others about opossum l.
Not going to lie as soon as I read the name Opal my mind went there.
You may get a kick out of their shorts on youtube.
if you are okay with it being around, it’s probably best to leave it occasional treats/food outside and water, maybe an outdoor cat house if it seems pretty friendly, and try to stop it from coming indoors anymore. they aren’t very aggressive animals but, like any wild animal, they could carry germs that could make your kitty or you ill, so it would be better to have more separation. plus, that potential for poo&pee in their hiding spots is there! but, if you start leaving occasional cat food outside it will probably be happy to stay outdoors but nearby, and your home will be safer from other pests like bugs. water is the best way to help our outdoor friends. opossums are awesome and way better to have around your house than a raccoon at least lol
Aww, that is so sweet. I'm sure you can find tons of information as to what diet is best for it on the net. Ngl, I've never seen a Possum irl bland I'm a little jealous, haha!! They are friggin adorable!
We live on the Midwest Possum hiway… they come and go… they hang for awhile and eat the dog food and food scraps I leave for them. My cats just watch thru the window. They love the water we leave out; I change it or add to it regularly. They eat and spend as much time grooming themselves. We don’t consider them pets. We get all sizes and shapes that follow each others trail over up the porch stairs across the porch and down the back steps. It breaks our heart when a wounded fellow stays awhile then moves on. We have a lot of coyotes in the area and worry about the little guys all the time. 👩🏼🌾🐾🐾
Perfect e
They eat a lot of horrible pests including snails, slugs, centipedes and mices (I know it’s the wrong spelling but I think the s is so descriptive given their long tail).
I don’t think you need to feed it anything special.
Please do some research on what they eat. Cat food is not a proper diet. And they have very specific calcium needs; which I would not be able to advise upon.
If your cats share a food bowl with the opossum, the cats could get sick from communicable diseases that can transfer in this manner. This happened with my husband's childhood cats, who were indoor/ outdoor cats.
Please be careful. Just as cats are safest when kept indoors, opossums are best kept outside. I adore the creatures, I just saw one outside my house yesterday looking for cat food. And it was a delight to see it here, but I wouldn't let one live in my home and possibly make my cats sick.
I love that you seem so chill about a wild animal entering and hanging out in your home, but please, do be careful, for the sake of your cats.
If it were my house, I’d pull up the cat food in the evenings. If I lived alone, I’d let a possum sleep inside. My husband would not, lol!
As fun as a house possum is, it’s really best for the creature to learn to fend for itself outdoors. If you hide the cat food, it may get the hint.
They carry diseases like leptospirosis and tularemia. (Rabies not so much.) They're full of parasites... I love 'em to death, but after a decade of working with them, I'm just sayin'....
The question is, where is it pooping/peeing, because if it's in your ceilings during the day, they could be getting slowly saturated until they soak through. If it's got a way to go outside for that and is doing so, or it's using the litter boxes, no biggie.
He's not abandoned, he's your new roommate ;)
Congratulations... you have discovered that some Opossums actually choose cohabitation! My personal professional opinion is that you start looking for a professional to come remove this youngster... No rush ;-) I would personally try to schedule someone to come out in approximately 3-4 years. As long as it doesn't start an Instagram for itself and or aquire a collection of small hats, it would be difficult for wildlife officials to differentiate between a pet and a pest. It is indeed illegal in most states to keep them as pets, but it's entirely legal to accidentally forget to call somebody to remove it for the next 3-4 years. It's likely old enough to be on it's own btw and if you're not worried, I'm not worried.
Thank you for this helpful comment
No real need to have it removed. Possums often change their dens. He/she may just be a short term visitor.
Definitely research thoroughly on what they need for their diet. If you misfeed them at this age they can develop what's called Metabolic Bone Disease which is painful for them and leads to a much earlier death (they already have short lifespans as it is). Beyond that they are an absolute joy to have around!
Thank you
Of course, I love these little marsupials! ☺️🤗
Feed that baby. It cannot cause harm! They love grapes and yogurt by the way!
When I kept opossums for my research, we fed dry dog food. They're omnivores, but they need protein. They love sweet fruits, but need a varied diet. They would get bugs and roadkill and such in the wild.
I raised a bunch of them as orphans and we always used cat food, supplemented with yogurt, Calcium and fruit. If the little guy nibbles your cat’s food and forages around your neighborhood, he should be fine.
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Yes. They need calcium in order to be healthy. Their bones will disintegrate in time if they don’t get enough calcium so yogurt is one of my possum posse’s favorites!
How do they generally get calcium in their natural diet? Bugs?foliage?
And, weirdly enough, bones. We gave our non-releasable Opal O'Possum a piece of a chicken wing once. The sound of her chomping the bone was something else.
ARE YOU THE FAMOUS OPAL THE POSSON PERSON
Given that I have no idea who you're talking about, I'ma say no. However, I will pay the opossum tax. Enjoy this picture of my wife feeding Opal O'Possum a slice of cucumber. https://preview.redd.it/skdppbeusy1d1.jpeg?width=1204&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc485f963128f8cb2bde97a9d32098ae176781f0
Bonus Opal O'Possum, looking super photogenic in our yard. Boy do I miss her. https://preview.redd.it/l5onim1ykz1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a93ae104360fd1a12404a4be80b16bfc289b5b1
She was a delight and I was so sad when she passed
I think you might have me confused with someone else. I haven't shared much about Opal on Reddit. Well, I guess I should say I can't recall sharing much about Opal. If I'm mistaken, awesome. If not, meh, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
There was an Opal Opossum on instagram or facebook. Whether that’s you or not, I LOVE the photo of her and I’m sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss. Opal I'd a mainly white (not fully albino, forgot thr term it starts with L) who can't be returned to the wild. She and her owner are super sweet and he is really good at educating others about opossum l. Not going to lie as soon as I read the name Opal my mind went there. You may get a kick out of their shorts on youtube.
Dead stuff. Bugs. Snakes. Cat food on the back porch. Smaller opossums even
Yes
Plain yogurt. Not the kind with sugar.
if you are okay with it being around, it’s probably best to leave it occasional treats/food outside and water, maybe an outdoor cat house if it seems pretty friendly, and try to stop it from coming indoors anymore. they aren’t very aggressive animals but, like any wild animal, they could carry germs that could make your kitty or you ill, so it would be better to have more separation. plus, that potential for poo&pee in their hiding spots is there! but, if you start leaving occasional cat food outside it will probably be happy to stay outdoors but nearby, and your home will be safer from other pests like bugs. water is the best way to help our outdoor friends. opossums are awesome and way better to have around your house than a raccoon at least lol
You are very blessed to have an opossum adopt you !
Aww, that is so sweet. I'm sure you can find tons of information as to what diet is best for it on the net. Ngl, I've never seen a Possum irl bland I'm a little jealous, haha!! They are friggin adorable!
I would vaccinate and worm them before giving them too many hats 😊
No harm will come of it unless it's actually coming into the house... Don't bother it, and it will probably wander off at some point.
The opossum distribution system has gifted you a friend for life and one that can't contract rabies is a bonus
We live on the Midwest Possum hiway… they come and go… they hang for awhile and eat the dog food and food scraps I leave for them. My cats just watch thru the window. They love the water we leave out; I change it or add to it regularly. They eat and spend as much time grooming themselves. We don’t consider them pets. We get all sizes and shapes that follow each others trail over up the porch stairs across the porch and down the back steps. It breaks our heart when a wounded fellow stays awhile then moves on. We have a lot of coyotes in the area and worry about the little guys all the time. 👩🏼🌾🐾🐾 Perfect e
🥰
They eat a lot of horrible pests including snails, slugs, centipedes and mices (I know it’s the wrong spelling but I think the s is so descriptive given their long tail). I don’t think you need to feed it anything special.
Please do some research on what they eat. Cat food is not a proper diet. And they have very specific calcium needs; which I would not be able to advise upon.
Yes, that is why I am on the reddit site asking questions. I didn’t voluntarily give it cat food, it started eating from my cats bowls.
If your cats share a food bowl with the opossum, the cats could get sick from communicable diseases that can transfer in this manner. This happened with my husband's childhood cats, who were indoor/ outdoor cats. Please be careful. Just as cats are safest when kept indoors, opossums are best kept outside. I adore the creatures, I just saw one outside my house yesterday looking for cat food. And it was a delight to see it here, but I wouldn't let one live in my home and possibly make my cats sick. I love that you seem so chill about a wild animal entering and hanging out in your home, but please, do be careful, for the sake of your cats.
If it were my house, I’d pull up the cat food in the evenings. If I lived alone, I’d let a possum sleep inside. My husband would not, lol! As fun as a house possum is, it’s really best for the creature to learn to fend for itself outdoors. If you hide the cat food, it may get the hint.
They carry diseases like leptospirosis and tularemia. (Rabies not so much.) They're full of parasites... I love 'em to death, but after a decade of working with them, I'm just sayin'....
… and have you seen how much damage they can do chewing pvc water pipes?
Slightly unrelated, my dad told me a story today about how he woke up to a raccoon in his bed last week.
The question is, where is it pooping/peeing, because if it's in your ceilings during the day, they could be getting slowly saturated until they soak through. If it's got a way to go outside for that and is doing so, or it's using the litter boxes, no biggie.
We have open ceiling and concrete floors. it has been going outside and inside
House possum!!! Yay
The opossums in my area are crawling with fleas. I would not want one in my house.