Overnight Visitor Who Didnt Trash Anything

Im filling the bird feeder yesterday and jumped when i looked in the empty trash can. Somehow this opossum had got stuck in there. The lid was off.
Moved the pail to the yard and gently dumped it out. Scooted a few feet then froze...didnt play full "dead". Wouldnt run away. I left it alone. Mightve been confused with daylight as they are nocturnal. I checked a few minutes later and it was gone.

 

Vermin!!

Need tighter lid

 

Granny would have a nice supper out of that guy!

 

I felt bad as the lid was off already. It mustve smelled something in there.

 

I texted a pic to Ms. buzzsaw when i found it as she was out of state. I jokingly said i had possum for supper!

 

You just can't beat the great taste of possum .... if it's fixed the way Granny cooks it.

 

mebbe ill set a trap for it. I passed that up...and it was free range possum too!!!

 

Possums eat ticks, and around here that is important with the prevalence of lime disease carrying blood suckers. They eat other bugs as well as mice and rats. Possums also can't catch rabies because their body temp is too low. They may dig a little looking for breakfast, but that is not a big deal to me (moles, voles, chippies and squirrels cause way more damage). I know some of y'all don't want them around, but I'm happy to see them in my yard.

 

buZZsaw BRAD I'd be very suspicious of Midwinter about the "chance appearance" of this opossum. Just how close is she to you?

 

One of our dogs (below) would catch possums at night and retrieve them to our back door. I'd carry them out to the back yard and watch them slowly wake up and lumber off.
Funny thing is, I'm pretty sure he caught the same possum like 5 times. It got to be more of a game of fetch than hunting. He never seemed to injure them.

 

Beautiful shepherd!

 

We see them on a regular basis. Plus skunks and raccoons. The coons have figured out how to open the trash pail and i have to rig it with a bungee. Plenty of chippies now hibernating, and squirrels. There's a shrew who i see feeding below the feeding. I leave them all alone. Our indoor cat "Taters" catches an occasional indoor one.

 

I had a possum scare the hell out of me one morning when I was walking to my stand this year . I dont use a flashlight and I heard this growling in front of me in the dark. I quickly jumped back and whipped out the flashlight. Still heard this growling, seemed just out of sight. Then I realized it was right in front of me.
Finally found him, even though he was hiding pretty good.

 

They also frequently carry a protozoan disease fatal to horses.

 

They can have a very ornery growl.

 

Cute lil feller!

Growing up we had a dog that like to catch mice, moles, and possums...he would bring them to the house, then when we came out he would take you to his catch (usually close to the back door) for his "attaboy"...but the possums were usually gone...the look of confusion on that dogs face was hilarious..."I swear, I left it right here!"

 

That is a consideration for some people, and I get that.

 

We used to get one fall in the pool evry now and then. Swimming round and round in circles against the current. We'd fish them out not just for humanitarian reasons but somewhat easier to fish them out from the surface of the pool than the bottom. They do make some snarly noises. I don't recall one "playing dead" though.
I'll get a raccoon in the compost every now and then, maybe possums too but I've only seen a raccoon and raccoon footprints in the snow. The raccoon rummages through for tasty vegetable bits and seeds.

I wanna know what animal (seemingly purposefully) defecates right on the center of my walking trails. Sometimes the turds are laden with grey fur of some sort. Seem too small for a dog but I've never owned a really small dog. Like smaller than red fox size.

 

House or feral cat maybe?