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Does daytime opossum = rabies?!


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We just noticed a possum walking around the neighbor's yard at 10am. This seems really weird and I've never seen a possum out during the daytime. Do they sometimes do there or get "lost" or something! Or is it likely rabies or something where he's lost his mind?

 

At first I thought it was kind of fun and interesting, now that the kids are out in the yard I'm a bit worried! They are kind of freaked about it (after I mentioned don't ever go near, rabies, etc.!), and I know they'll run at first sighting if he comes back.

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Yup, not sure about the "don't get rabies" thing, but I've seen lots of them wandering around in daylight.

 

I think they're just dumb.

 

And also, they're not nasty; they're still wild animals and if provoked, can bite. So they shouldn't be handled unless necessary...with heavy gloves.

 

They'll usually play dead. No, really.

 

It makes a big fuss, hissing and showing its teeth, and if you grab it by the tail, it conks out like it's been shot.

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We had this happen one time. I contacted an opossum rescue group & asked. They said sometimes possums are out in daytime, esp. sometimes moms w/ babies who may be foraging for more food/water (esp. if there's been a drought lately). Not really anything to worry about....

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I had a pet possum growing up, and they will hiss in order to get you to leave them alone. It isn't a bad idea considering their mouths are filled with sharp, pointy teeth. They don't want to bite you, and they would rather you just didn't bother them.

 

That's very cool. I have never known anyone who had a pet possum. We used to have two possums that came by every night to get fed, once they learned that I was feeding one of the neighborhood raccoons who had been injured. (And yes, I am an idiot who befriends wild animals.) We named them Phil Possum and Pete Possum, and they were pretty friendly. I didn't go quite so far as to dress them up in doll clothes and wheel them around in a baby carriage or anything, but I was sort of tempted with Phil. He was super cute. :tongue_smilie:

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When I worked animal control I called our state Vet about an odd acting squirrel. He told me that squirrels and possums don't get rabies due to having 'rodent' blood.

 

They do walk around sometimes in the daytime. I always liked them and found them easy to deal with. In a 'so ugly they're cute' sorta way.

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Not to make any blatant accusations, but it sounds to me like somebody's a Possum Teaser... ;)

 

You caught me! :D

 

I actually had to tease it mercilessly (not really) and then put my (gloved) finger INTO its mouth before it would bite down. And even then, it bit down slowly and not very hard lol.

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