what do Possums eat?

Question

we have a possum that comes onto our verandah and lets us pat it I think the last owner of the house must of fed them.

Answer 1

Since your name is Maori Girl, I take it you're in NZ? If you're in NZ or Australia, I think you're talking about true, marsupial possums :-) Aren't they beautiful? We feed possums in our back garden here in Melbourne too - and they become so friendly and inquisitive! You should try feeding them some sliced apples - they love them!

Here's a great web page - there's more links down the bottom too - enjoy -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum

Answer 2

Possum Food

Answer 3

What Do Possums Eat

Answer 4

Lately I have been feeding these 2 possums on the back verandah. The male is quite timid and will take the food out of your hand and run and hide under the bench. The female however is not shy at all and doesn t even flinch when you pat her. I can scratch her nose, tickle her ears, even pat her tail. As long as she is eating at the same time she just sits there and takes it all while chomping away on banana or apple. I only feed them a little bit on one day of the week so they don t become used to us feeding them. I hope this is okay because they are very beautiful creatures. Those that call them pests are those that have no tolerance for nature.

I believe the female is pregnant though because she is very hungry and sometimes when she sits there eating I think I can see a baby kicking in her tummy. Which might explain why she is so fat. Would it still be okay to feed them once a week after she gives birth? I don t want the baby to learn that food comes from humans.

Answer 5

I have heard that possums will eat almost anything if it's dead but I don't know of them being the kind of animal that kills for food. I do know they will eat crackers with peanut butter, fed one last deer hunting season. they also love cat food, we once had many outdoor cats which led to having some huge possum hanging around all the time. so, anyway, if something happen that the guinea pig died then the possum will probably have enjoyed him, sorry

Answer 6

Among other things, they eat garden snails. I don't know where you live, but where I live that is a big help; if you have opossums, you have no snails. They are known for eating the food people put out for their cats. Try cat food or leftovers from dinner. They eat a lot of different stuff. I'm amazed it lets you pat it. The opossums i've seen in my yard either run away or faint at the sight of me! That is so funny; the closer you get, the deader they look. Touch them, and they grimace as if they died of strychnine poisoning! Let them alone, and sooner or later they get up and walk away. The first one I saw, I thought it was dead, but it had only fainted because the dog barked at it.

Answer 7

Possums are native to Australia and a protected species. They are pests in NZ.

If you're in Australia - Don't Feed Them !!!

If you feed them then they lose the ability to get their own food. If there are a lot of trees around your property then they'll have enough to eat.

In my last house I had a lot of possums around and once every 3 or 4 weeks I left some apples (quartered) on the fence and they loved them. But they were a treat, not a staple diet.

In this house I never see them but I hear them every day up in the attic. They're beautiful creatures....treat them well.

Answer 8

possums eat anything they can find, they are especially attracted to cat food left outside

Answer 9

Opossums, colloquially known as possums, are generally omnivores, feeding mostly on pests.

Answer 10

possums will eat about anything they can find