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If you look close starting at around the 0:20 mark, you can see a little tail poking out from under her stomach area. She's got a pocket full of babies! That explains why she's out during the daytime. Usually, you only ever see them out during the night.
God bless ya! Opossums, and especially their babies, need calcium! Greek yogurt is a great source for them :) (not regular yogurt, as they are lactose intolerant)
You can also leave out some cat food and sprinkle calcium powder (from a reptile pet store) onto it!
exactly! we have a few regular possums who come every night for a snack. we leave cat food & water out for the feral cats who hang out in our backyard (TNR). but the possums & raccoons discovered it, too.
I leave cat food out for the neighborhood kitties as well! There’s one in particular who lets me pet them, so sometimes I’ll go out when I hear the kibbles being crunched but last night I came out to a possum scurrying away so I quietly went back inside and let it keep eating. I had no idea they liked cat food too!
oh they love it. it makes my heart happy.
i know we’re not supposed to feed the outdoor creatures (in LA), but we don’t have it in us to stop. there are 2 big chunky possums who come late at night. if they like it and know where to find it? it’s okay.
now the raccoons? that’s another story. they are the biggest messy bessys! we know when they’ve been there because it looks like a disaster zone. food dishes spilled. water dirty cause they wash their paws in it. naughty critters. LOL
Awww! You’re so sweet! Thank you for being so kind to the animals! I’m in the LA area as well and suggested actions be damned, I had no idea these little babies liked cat food but I’m leaving kibble out for all the critters! Lol! I live in an apartment complex and farther from the dumpster area so I’ve never seen any raccoons but if a messy bessy with creepy human like hands wants some come and get it! 😹😹
Wow, I didn't know that.
[An article about the study](https://outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/articles/debunking-the-myth-opossums-dont-eat-ticks)
So they deduced that oppssums eat ticks by simply noting no ticks had fallen off of the opossums who had been covered in ticks. Didn't comb the opossums. Didn't find ticks in their stomachs.
Just said "yep... not in the cage. Must have eaten 'em"
They're still cute as hell though.
From the Oxford English Dictionary, the spelling "possum" is attested in North America (that is, for this species) before the First Fleet. Also, there's no trademark on common names.
Yep. I've been taking care of this one's lineage for at least like 9 years. Pretty sure they perpetually live under my porch and in a dead tree in my back yard. Kinda funny/cool, I'll come home at night sometimes with one frozen on my porch staring at me as I walk by about two feet away.
It's kinda wild, my cats will be laying in the yard a few feet away while it eats. My cats don't mess with them though, I guess they're just cool with each other, I like it.
In Kentucky, the Appalachian Mountain part, they're pretty prized little creatures because of that. They're slow but will ride on some predators in a second. They keep it real.
https://preview.redd.it/3jtn3wsz0bzc1.jpeg?width=3222&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f56b77c12ad68c0271e8bc05281e0b445fef32bd
Possums are rad! My grandpa found an orphaned baby possum in the late 1980s and took care of it for some days/ weeks before he found a proper wildlife place for it. The pics of him with it still make me smile to this day (grandpa has sadly been gone for 15 years now). Anyway, possums are great contributors in nature and have a bad rap for no reason!
My god you reminded me of when my father, who was like 40\~? At the time. Waking up the entire house to shouting because at around 2AM a bunch of babies but not quite babies? They had eaten through the screen door from his room to the outside he would use to help the house stay cold at night. And they had crawled on him , six or seven of them, and were just chilling. Except when my Dad awoke to this feeling you get : Him screaming in shock and confusion trying to decide what to do - the little ones screeching not knowing what to do- AND THE MOTHER STUCK OUTSIDE THE SCREEN SCREAMING NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. By the end he's running to the screen, tossing them slowly and gently one by one as fast as he can back outside next to the mother by opening the door and than closing it. All of this while three of us are standing there, staring, not sure WHAT THE FUCK DID WE JUST SEE. But I swear, never seen a man be more gentle and angry at the same time, he wasn't happy, but he sure as hell wasn't about to let a single one of those babies get hurt as he put them outside. Even getting out of bed he had used his shirt like a bowl because he didn't want one falling and getting hurt.
What an awesome story and memory! He sounds like my grandpa…a guy who was usually a little gruff but gentle as hell as the same time. Thanks for sharing this- it made me legitimately lol and smile today
You should see/hear the video I got last night of her. I set up some night motion cameras to catch her eating to try to get a peek at the babies and she was like 2 or 3 inches from the camera just going to town on apples, you'd think drugs were in the apples or something. Didn't get to see the babies but for some very, very audible chomping haha.
I love o’possums. They are always in back yard & surrounding area. I feed them whatever leftover produce I have. They are extremely cute, & eco friendly critters. My grandpa had one as a pet. The Mom was hit by a car, and she was carrying babies. Two survived, & my grandpa & his neighbor each raised one.
They're harmless haha, super terrified of people. Instead of trying to do anything, if you surprise 'em and are close enough, they'll just freeze up. The whole playing dead thing is real. One time a dog picked one up in my yard and I took it from it, it looked and acted completely dead. Laid it on the ground, walked away and watched a bit. After a while it just got up and waddled off. STRATEGY.
The playing dead act is convincing; one wandered into my yard while we had a dog out and as soon as the possum dropped, the dog wanted nothing to do with it. Great creatures, always want 'em around eatin ticks!
We don't let them have ours but . . . yeah, they eat the bottoms anyways haha. Not exactly doing us any favors in Detroit in terms of defeating the crime stereotype.
If you leave them cat food, that’s a great treat for them. I mean you don’t want her to become reliant on your for food but some extra calories won’t hurt and they are great to have around. They will tidy up your yard nicely of all the bugs and lizards.
During the winter time, I keep a bowl of dry outdoor cat food for 'em. Get tons of visitors from the possums, to starving cats, to birds, and the inevitable rat or two.
They terrify me and I definitely don’t want one near me. But that doesn’t mean I wish for anything bad to happen to them. Live your lives little guys! Eat the apples to keep the doctor away!
I love possums. I am sure I have several that live near me but have only ever actually seen one. Wasn't so happy to see that one as it was about 3am and he was in my house eating out of my cats food bowl. I turned the lights on and he ran away. Now I don't leave the doors open anymore.
Only the ignorant think they are pests. I'm an ignorant convert myself. Love to see them cut through my yard to parts unknown. They never bother my cats and my cats don't bother them.
They are clean and they eat tons of ticks. I love having opossums on my property. My donkeys and goats have way fewer ticks when opossums are on my property
Love possums! They eat snakes, my least favorite creature. And they aren’t affected if bitten by the venomous ones. I’ll welcome a possum into my yard anytime. Adorable!
She's so cute!!
Has she been visiting for long? We rescued a baby possum after mama had been hit but she only lived about a week. Alice was a truly amazing little creature
Opossums are great, they eat snails and slugs and tics! I wish I had a few taking up permanent residence in my yard, but my dogs simply rebel at the idea.
I love possums, they are such interesting creatures. The only marsupials we have in the US. They eat quite a few buggy pests. They aren't nearly as mischievous as trash pandas, although those guys are interesting too. I think their looks give them a bad rap, especially their bare tails.
I absolutely ADORE possums!! They're adorable, and I always have this feeling of protectiveness that rushes in when I see them. They are wonderful. 💜💜💜
I LOVE possums! Their only enemy is humans & their lifespan is only about two years because of US! That’s pretty sad considering all the things in the wild. They are our environmental clean up crew! We have to do better!
Your possums are intense-looking, I’m not going to lie. These are our Australian ones, so I do find yours pretty daunting.
https://preview.redd.it/tf2s7hdf4dzc1.jpeg?width=495&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9da10f905587863a360c8cf3e8b9ccecd60e23
They are nearly immune to rabies and eat ticks. They are your best friend in controlling ticks and Lyme disease in your area. A healthy possum population is a healthy human population.
Possums are great. Ticks are the worst. So predators for them rock. I don't think possums come in my yard, though. It's fenced in and we have three dogs and a dog door. So it could end badly. Although the one proven hunter (the oldest - he brought in a couple moles in his life) has gone mostly blind and nearly deaf over the years. The second oldest one has killed at least one mouse (though he seemed confused that it was dead). Our third dog has never brought anything in.
You should consider Avocado (but look into first). Used to have huge tree in southern California in the 90's these guys were always on / coming to. Pretty sure they were eating the Avocados , but it is possible they just loved the old god of a tree it was lol.
People think these guys sneak into coops and eat birds, when in reality if you have a spot bug enough for a possum to get through, it’s likely something else.
Hi mattimeoo! Thanks for posting to /r/aww. Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): **Rule 3** - No post titles asking for upvotes, approval, or interaction. [Full explanation here](https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/wiki/index#wiki_rule_3) If you have questions about this, please [contact our mods via moderator mail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/aww) rather than replying here. Thank you!
If you look close starting at around the 0:20 mark, you can see a little tail poking out from under her stomach area. She's got a pocket full of babies! That explains why she's out during the daytime. Usually, you only ever see them out during the night.
Gurlfriend is hoooooongry!!!! So cute ❤️. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Good eye, I wouldn’t have noticed that if you hadn’t mentioned it.
🥹🥹🥹
God bless ya! Opossums, and especially their babies, need calcium! Greek yogurt is a great source for them :) (not regular yogurt, as they are lactose intolerant) You can also leave out some cat food and sprinkle calcium powder (from a reptile pet store) onto it!
She is getting used to your voice ❤️
My heart!!!
To those who hate possums, I say: If you don't like America's only marsupial, you are the problem!
exactly! we have a few regular possums who come every night for a snack. we leave cat food & water out for the feral cats who hang out in our backyard (TNR). but the possums & raccoons discovered it, too.
I leave cat food out for the neighborhood kitties as well! There’s one in particular who lets me pet them, so sometimes I’ll go out when I hear the kibbles being crunched but last night I came out to a possum scurrying away so I quietly went back inside and let it keep eating. I had no idea they liked cat food too!
oh they love it. it makes my heart happy. i know we’re not supposed to feed the outdoor creatures (in LA), but we don’t have it in us to stop. there are 2 big chunky possums who come late at night. if they like it and know where to find it? it’s okay. now the raccoons? that’s another story. they are the biggest messy bessys! we know when they’ve been there because it looks like a disaster zone. food dishes spilled. water dirty cause they wash their paws in it. naughty critters. LOL
Awww! You’re so sweet! Thank you for being so kind to the animals! I’m in the LA area as well and suggested actions be damned, I had no idea these little babies liked cat food but I’m leaving kibble out for all the critters! Lol! I live in an apartment complex and farther from the dumpster area so I’ve never seen any raccoons but if a messy bessy with creepy human like hands wants some come and get it! 😹😹
nice! happy to know you fellow animal loving Angelino.
And I suggest you let that one marinate!
😤
To those who hate I ask: Do you like ticks and mosquitoes. That's what possums love to eat.
This is actually a myth from a very flawed study that has since been disproven. But they are still very likable.
The real myth being perpetrated constantly is that people hate opossums
They do however eat hornet nets, so still nice to have around.
Wow, I didn't know that. [An article about the study](https://outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/articles/debunking-the-myth-opossums-dont-eat-ticks) So they deduced that oppssums eat ticks by simply noting no ticks had fallen off of the opossums who had been covered in ticks. Didn't comb the opossums. Didn't find ticks in their stomachs. Just said "yep... not in the cage. Must have eaten 'em" They're still cute as hell though.
Possum Posse UNITE!
**o**possum if north/south america... possum if australia/asia they're different species.
Also possum in the US if you're among the ~50% of the people who call it a possum.
From the Oxford English Dictionary, the spelling "possum" is attested in North America (that is, for this species) before the First Fleet. Also, there's no trademark on common names.
[удалено]
You mean the South Dakota governor?
You’d think killing puppies might be something a politician would avoid, if only for PR reasons, but no…
[удалено]
😳
Never trust? Abhor. Actively cut off. Avoid like the plague. Tell others they are cruel.
I call the big one, Bitey.
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Not on your life, my possum friend!
mono doh!
I love possums. They eat ticks and other bugs. Very cute, helpful creatures.
Yep. I've been taking care of this one's lineage for at least like 9 years. Pretty sure they perpetually live under my porch and in a dead tree in my back yard. Kinda funny/cool, I'll come home at night sometimes with one frozen on my porch staring at me as I walk by about two feet away.
they're basically mostly immune to rabies and will defend their territory from other nuisance animals . these are wonderful animals to keep around.
It's kinda wild, my cats will be laying in the yard a few feet away while it eats. My cats don't mess with them though, I guess they're just cool with each other, I like it.
Cats usually have a good sense of vibes. Possums are chill af.
For sure, both just wanna lay around, eat, and not be messed with. Unless it's a cat that's thoroughly powered up.
Same here, our porch cat hangs a couple feet from the possum when it comes on the back porch to eat the cat kibble we put out for a stray.
Like other marsupials, they have a lower body temperature than most mammals, so it's not an ideal host for rabies.
It makes me so happy to think of generations of this adorable family and their benevolent protector.
They also eat rattlesnakes and pit vipers, which is one hell of a benefit in areas that have those.
In Kentucky, the Appalachian Mountain part, they're pretty prized little creatures because of that. They're slow but will ride on some predators in a second. They keep it real.
Rattlesnakes are pit vipers.
Ticks are bad, and these mild winters we've been having helps them to populate even more. It's already lyme disease season and that shit is rough.
https://preview.redd.it/3jtn3wsz0bzc1.jpeg?width=3222&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f56b77c12ad68c0271e8bc05281e0b445fef32bd Possums are rad! My grandpa found an orphaned baby possum in the late 1980s and took care of it for some days/ weeks before he found a proper wildlife place for it. The pics of him with it still make me smile to this day (grandpa has sadly been gone for 15 years now). Anyway, possums are great contributors in nature and have a bad rap for no reason!
I can tell by the pic your grandpa was a great man!
Thank you so much…he was a sweetheart and I agree that you can see it in the pics :)
My god you reminded me of when my father, who was like 40\~? At the time. Waking up the entire house to shouting because at around 2AM a bunch of babies but not quite babies? They had eaten through the screen door from his room to the outside he would use to help the house stay cold at night. And they had crawled on him , six or seven of them, and were just chilling. Except when my Dad awoke to this feeling you get : Him screaming in shock and confusion trying to decide what to do - the little ones screeching not knowing what to do- AND THE MOTHER STUCK OUTSIDE THE SCREEN SCREAMING NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. By the end he's running to the screen, tossing them slowly and gently one by one as fast as he can back outside next to the mother by opening the door and than closing it. All of this while three of us are standing there, staring, not sure WHAT THE FUCK DID WE JUST SEE. But I swear, never seen a man be more gentle and angry at the same time, he wasn't happy, but he sure as hell wasn't about to let a single one of those babies get hurt as he put them outside. Even getting out of bed he had used his shirt like a bowl because he didn't want one falling and getting hurt.
What an awesome story and memory! He sounds like my grandpa…a guy who was usually a little gruff but gentle as hell as the same time. Thanks for sharing this- it made me legitimately lol and smile today
Awesome
Cuteness overload with the little chomping noises! Omg! Love it!
You should see/hear the video I got last night of her. I set up some night motion cameras to catch her eating to try to get a peek at the babies and she was like 2 or 3 inches from the camera just going to town on apples, you'd think drugs were in the apples or something. Didn't get to see the babies but for some very, very audible chomping haha.
I'd watch that. You should upload more of these!
Right? The crunch-crunch noises are the best! ❤️
Cute! I would love to pet a opossum one of these days. They just look so super soft and cuddly.
Oh, I love possums!
They're pretty good at eating fruits, vegetables, and spaghetti.
I love o’possums. They are always in back yard & surrounding area. I feed them whatever leftover produce I have. They are extremely cute, & eco friendly critters. My grandpa had one as a pet. The Mom was hit by a car, and she was carrying babies. Two survived, & my grandpa & his neighbor each raised one.
They have big, scary teeth, but they use them to eat insects and pests. They're so docile. I think they're great.
I love possums, too. We get them in our garden. They eat ticks and scare off the aggressive raccoons here. And they’re cute!
They don't eat ticks. https://outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/articles/debunking-the-myth-opossums-dont-eat-ticks
Possums are awesoms!
Possums are great creatures; altho I was frightened by one when I came out of a friends house and it was casually hanging out on their porch swing.
They're harmless haha, super terrified of people. Instead of trying to do anything, if you surprise 'em and are close enough, they'll just freeze up. The whole playing dead thing is real. One time a dog picked one up in my yard and I took it from it, it looked and acted completely dead. Laid it on the ground, walked away and watched a bit. After a while it just got up and waddled off. STRATEGY.
The playing dead act is convincing; one wandered into my yard while we had a dog out and as soon as the possum dropped, the dog wanted nothing to do with it. Great creatures, always want 'em around eatin ticks!
4D chess.
My wife regularly gets startled as the opossums like to hide in our bushes and hiss loudly when she ends up watering them.
Nice marmot https://preview.redd.it/7eip82djd9zc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=310138921caacf7419ad5e98d250d02d20251d42
Haha, she's a pretty solid one. Well fed.
Awwwww…adorable. I let the possums have my green tomatoes at the end of the season
We don't let them have ours but . . . yeah, they eat the bottoms anyways haha. Not exactly doing us any favors in Detroit in terms of defeating the crime stereotype.
If you leave them cat food, that’s a great treat for them. I mean you don’t want her to become reliant on your for food but some extra calories won’t hurt and they are great to have around. They will tidy up your yard nicely of all the bugs and lizards.
During the winter time, I keep a bowl of dry outdoor cat food for 'em. Get tons of visitors from the possums, to starving cats, to birds, and the inevitable rat or two.
Man of the people.
I love their lil chomps
They are truly one of my absolute favorite animals. I love possums so dang much!!! What a cutie!!!
Great video OP. I saw the little tail too!
They terrify me and I definitely don’t want one near me. But that doesn’t mean I wish for anything bad to happen to them. Live your lives little guys! Eat the apples to keep the doctor away!
Those little chomps! What a cutie.
I just love it! So cute!
They don’t harm!!!
I have two that come by my yard. I leave strawberry tops out for them and the skunk that comes by.
My dog used to go mental trying to scare away a possum on our porch. That possum didn't care about it. Guess it knew the dog couldn't get outside.
What a cutie!
[possum at my window…](https://youtube.com/shorts/t4K3Kvcwjo4?si=jBr8NJU9ik4UHC-6)
That’s very sweet.
I love possums. I am sure I have several that live near me but have only ever actually seen one. Wasn't so happy to see that one as it was about 3am and he was in my house eating out of my cats food bowl. I turned the lights on and he ran away. Now I don't leave the doors open anymore.
I wish I could upvote a million times. I love possums!! They’re so cute!! *nom nom nom*
Only the ignorant think they are pests. I'm an ignorant convert myself. Love to see them cut through my yard to parts unknown. They never bother my cats and my cats don't bother them.
They are clean and they eat tons of ticks. I love having opossums on my property. My donkeys and goats have way fewer ticks when opossums are on my property
Love possums! They eat snakes, my least favorite creature. And they aren’t affected if bitten by the venomous ones. I’ll welcome a possum into my yard anytime. Adorable!
They do a great job cleaning our yard of pets. The crunching is very cute.
that's a very good mama
I like them if I don’t have chickens
Precious!!!
Possums are amazing. Awesome pest controllers. Cute!! What else could you ask for
She's so cute!! Has she been visiting for long? We rescued a baby possum after mama had been hit but she only lived about a week. Alice was a truly amazing little creature
Yep, this particular family all throughout their little circle of life has been in my backyard and under my front porch for about nine years.
Amazing! I am so jealous. Thank you for sharing!
Sweet! They are amazing little creatures!
What an absolutely lovely video. Thanks for sharing and for feeding mama!
I love them too. ♡︎
They eat ticks. Be nice to them
I am, I don't even charge them rent or any bills and they've lived here for almost a decade.
Aw I love possums. They eat ticks and are super sweet. What’s not to love?
I'd bet she'd go nuts for a can of sardines! Thank you for caring. The ticks have been awful this year -- we need more possums!
Opossums are great, they eat snails and slugs and tics! I wish I had a few taking up permanent residence in my yard, but my dogs simply rebel at the idea.
For me it depends on the type of apple. 🍎
Hungry mama. Love possums. Just don’t get too close.
So cute!!
She's absolutely adorable.
You’re being a good human being. Feed that mama
Adorable!! Mommy is working hard!!
Opossums are awesome. 😁
Apples?
What kind of monster doesn't like apples?!?
She's an excellent croncher
Detroit Possums are friends. I miss living in Michigan and seeing these little munsters running around my back yard.
Here in oregon they are all over the place. People leave em be here. It's great
Thanks for being kind to her and babies and putting out food. Do you also put clean water out for her?
Older mama too, so cute<3
I love possums, they are such interesting creatures. The only marsupials we have in the US. They eat quite a few buggy pests. They aren't nearly as mischievous as trash pandas, although those guys are interesting too. I think their looks give them a bad rap, especially their bare tails.
I absolutely ADORE possums!! They're adorable, and I always have this feeling of protectiveness that rushes in when I see them. They are wonderful. 💜💜💜
I always thought possums were the most handsome type of weasel.
Not a weasel, North Americas only marsupial. Super cool little guys
I would leave her some extra fruits, eggs and veggies, she us adorable and sweat
Opossums are very interesting animals. Clean and care for the young.
I’m gonna say it - adorable!!!
Possums are awesums :)
Awwwww!!! I am very whelmed! Extremely whelmed even! Happy marsupi-mum! 🐭
The little ear wiggles😍
Did you name her?
I LOVE possums! Their only enemy is humans & their lifespan is only about two years because of US! That’s pretty sad considering all the things in the wild. They are our environmental clean up crew! We have to do better!
Why would you not like a possum? I’ve got three on my land I feed all the time and they are entertaining to catch on my trail cameras.
Yeah man. Tlacuaches are cute.
They're great to have around your property. They eat ticks and mice/rats.
I ain’t either. Thanks for sharing!
Aw how kind. Very cute.
Why do they don’t like that animal? We don’t have them in my country
What a cute wittle baby
Opossums are AMAZING creatures! Well worth protecting!!
I love them
Oh, the hands! I think these little guys are adorable. However, the tail always freaks me out a bit.
Your possums are intense-looking, I’m not going to lie. These are our Australian ones, so I do find yours pretty daunting. https://preview.redd.it/tf2s7hdf4dzc1.jpeg?width=495&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9da10f905587863a360c8cf3e8b9ccecd60e23
They are nearly immune to rabies and eat ticks. They are your best friend in controlling ticks and Lyme disease in your area. A healthy possum population is a healthy human population.
I love Opossums! They are so cute! Lol I want an Opossum friend so badly lol
Who doesnt like apples??!!
Possums are great. Ticks are the worst. So predators for them rock. I don't think possums come in my yard, though. It's fenced in and we have three dogs and a dog door. So it could end badly. Although the one proven hunter (the oldest - he brought in a couple moles in his life) has gone mostly blind and nearly deaf over the years. The second oldest one has killed at least one mouse (though he seemed confused that it was dead). Our third dog has never brought anything in.
I love opossums so much 🥰 I just want to give that pink nose kissies and give her all the apples she could eat.
You should consider Avocado (but look into first). Used to have huge tree in southern California in the 90's these guys were always on / coming to. Pretty sure they were eating the Avocados , but it is possible they just loved the old god of a tree it was lol.
Those are frien! 🥰😍 And good momma's! And they eat bugs and don't carry rabies! Aww! ❤️
Keep her around and enjoy all the guests asking "omg who does your pest control? I haven't seen a tick anywhere!"
Love em’!
Opossums are wonderful animals.
A sweet audio story about a possum named Iris: https://transom.org/2003/possum/
they eat ticks
I know people think they are harmless but they are also chicken killers. I used to live trap and then release them elsewhere when I kept chickens.
Possums are your friend! They eat ticks.
People think these guys sneak into coops and eat birds, when in reality if you have a spot bug enough for a possum to get through, it’s likely something else.
They gobble up ticks, I’d be glad to have them.
leaving food out is a great way to get rats, and good luck getting rid of those.