Are Possums dangerous?

Question

there is a possum running around in my backyard sometimes. i want to know if i should take action

Answer 1

They do a lot of hissing and growling, baring their teeth like they would eat you alive, but they rarely actually bite..only if you grab one.. they won't attack if you don't corner them or touch....they love cat food and old bread.. We used to leave cat food and bread for them, so they would leave our chicken eggs alone..it worked!
You are safe with them in your yard, but if they get under your house they can make a mess..they tore up our heating ducts. they also often have fleas, so your pets can get fleas from them..

Here is a wonderful site, all about them! > http://www.opossum.org/

Answer 2

I have a mother possum and her two babies who come every night to eat cat food that I put out for them. I also have cats, and they sit next to each other and have never had problems with each other. The possums are so used to me that I can walk outside and stand next to them and they don't flinch. I would never attempt to touch them, they're still wild animals and that would be stupid of me. But we can coexist peacefully, and they're beautiful little creatures. I'll feed anything that's hungry.

Answer 3

I have never met a person who was aggressively bitten by a Possum. They do NOT have or carry fleas as their coats are far too thick for suitable flea infestation. Possums are IMMUNE to rabies & do not attack , but faint when cornered , exhibiting frothing @ the mouth which scares people & other animals, as it is meant to do. They are the oldest surviving mammals on earth , estimated to have been here some 70 million years !!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

All animals can be dangerous. Possums generally aren't. If the possum in your yard is not visibly sick, leave it alone. It will look for food and then go on its way. Ignore it or take advantage of your opportunity to watch one of nature's creatures.

I live on a partly farmed, partly wild tract of land. We have some combination of turkey, deer, bear, skunk, fox, coyote, possum, raccoon and just about anything else native to the area in the yard and even on the porch every day. The only precautions we take are to secure our trash and to look out before we open the door. Cohabitation is easy and rewarding as long as you don't startle or deliberately antagonize the wildlife.

Answer 5

No. I had a young possum for a month until the neighbor killed it with a shovel. It would eat my cats food and hang out with my cats. The cats never had a problem with it even at close proximity. I know that the little critter was happy. He came to eat every night at the same.

Answer 6

I have had problems with opossums in the past----I would be completely minding my business, and talking over the fence with a neighbor while on my long deck. After a little while, from the other end of my deck, a huge opossum (larger than a cat) came out and hissed at me IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. I ran into my house. Another time, I found out my one of my neighbors decided to feed stray cats/kittens, unbeknownst to me, on my fenced-in and gated deck. Needless to say, this brought more opossums because of the food. I was not happy and had to use an animal repellant. No way would I use moth balls (harmful to humans, soil, toxic to pets) or try to kill them.

Answer 7

Yes, possums are wild animals. They may move slow and look lazy, but those razor sharp teeth are darn quick and dangerous. Their claws are not too kind either. If you find a motionless possum: Just because the possum is staying still (playing possum!) does not mean it is asleep or dead. This is one trait to cause other animals to assume the possum is dead and leave - however, if anything or anyone tries to double-check a little too close, they may well find out otherwise - the hard & painful way. Yes, they certainly can carry diseases. If you see an unusually aggressive animal, steer clear and call for professional assistance. In short, my advice to folks is to never approach a wild animal unless you work for animal control and are trained!

Answer 8

my possums have always been very tame. I had babies born under the house. They used to try and wander out, but the stupid dogs would always catch them. Every time that I heard the dogs barking, I knew they had cornered a possom.

The possom would be playing dead. I would pick it up by it's tail and carry it back to the front of the porch where it would hide beneath.

I did this for several months. they are all grown now and seem to get by on their own. they live underneath the house with some of my cats. they have never tried to hurt any of them.

Possums seem to be very gentle. If you don't threaten them, they don't threaten you.

Answer 9

Only if they have rabies as would any other animal with rabies would be dangerous. Possums are so ugly they are cute. They are night animals, and freeze up when they see you. They are like a statue. As for their attacking you, etc....NO unless they are Rabid. I have taken photos of possums coming to our yard in a certain "pecking order" to eat. The older ones come first then it goes down to the younger ones. They always leave enough for the entire "family"! LOL

Answer 10

Possums are dangerous, might carry rabies, have sharp teeth. Keep away, and don't leave a calling card of food out for him/her.