Can You Turn A Possum Into A Pet?

If you've ever heard the phrase, "so ugly that it's cute," there's a good chance the person was referring to opossums. If you haven't seen one, describing their physical attributes might be hard to imagine because they are crazy-looking. They've got grey, furry bodies approximately the same size as a cat's, which taper to white faces with long, pointed snouts. Their eyes are black and beady, and their ears and prehensile tail are hairless, which puts them at risk for frostbite. They are the United States' only marsupial, which means they carry their young in a pouch similar to a kangaroo or a koala. According to archaeologists, their ancestors evolved in South America over the last 66 million years. The only species in North America is the Virginia opossum.

After watching them on YouTube, you may think about getting an opossum for a pet. A better question may be, how well can you create their natural environment and way of life. Many people these days think it's trendy or cool to have so-called exotic pets, and while they might look interesting in pictures, it is merely a nice way of saying you have a wild animal for a pet. Having a wild animal for a pet is typically bad news for those who aren’t properly trained, and opossums are particularly bad to bring home. For starters, in the wild, they are omnivorous, opportunistic scavengers, meaning that they'll eat about anything they can find, and when they find it. In your home, it's been found that recreating a healthy, balanced diet for opossums is exceedingly difficult. This can lead to a sometimes fatal condition called Nutritional Metabolic Bone Disease, and there is no commercially sold opossum specific food. Pet food just doesn’t cut it. In captivity, they have even been known to engage in cannibalism.

These critters are used to scurrying up to a half-mile a day searching for something to eat, which means plenty of opportunities to exercise. When kept as pets, not getting this cardio can easily cause them to become overweight, leading to medical issues, and they are not the running on a wheel type. Opossums are also solitary animals, so if you've already got other pets like cats or dogs, chances are they aren't going to get along, and your pet usually comes out on the wrong end of the 50-toothed mouth. The internet might be filled with wild animal best friends cuddling, playing, and otherwise being adorable, but these nasty-looking critters probably won't be interested. Sorry Instagrammers and Tik Tokkers.

If you see one of these ugly things laid out as though unconscious, paws tightly clenched and tongue hanging out it doesn't mean anything is wrong, and they don't need rescuing. When they become overly stressed due to a confrontation, they have a very strange, completely involuntary response that is aptly called "playing possum," where they appear to have died on the spot. From 40 minutes to 4 hours, the little thing goes limp, totally unconscious. Drool may flow, and Rigor Mortis may appear to have set in. They even release a green, disgusting-smelling odor from their anal gland that is reminiscent of rotting meat and discourages most predators from attempting to eat them.

Because opossums are not available at the local pet store, some people finding a baby outside bring it home and attempt to domesticate it. For starters, many animal mothers leave a baby alone in an attempt to keep predators away and you touching the baby may cause the mother to abandon it. Bringing one home is often unexpectedly expensive and possibly heartbreaking.

Besides the fact that this is illegal for someone who doesn't have a wildlife rehabilitation permit for their state, opossums are known carriers of many diseases that are transmissible to humans. These include spotted fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, and tuberculosis. Also, besides ticks, they may be infested with mites, lice and, especially in urban environments, dog, and cat fleas. Fleas have been especially troubling in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California, where flea-borne typhus has recently increased.

Depending on where you live, to even acquire a wildlife rehabilitation permit may require volunteering with a wildlife rehabilitator, passing a written exam, or taking a training class beforehand. Once healthy, it is expected that wild opossums be released back to the wild. Should one that is too sick or hurt to be released be found, the ensuing care can be overwhelming and expensive. For the average person, though, it's just a bad idea, and a domesticated animal can make a better pet than one of these. Dogs have only been domesticated for about 40,000 years, and that was with man’s help, and there is a reason why wild animals are called wild.

Sometimes even if you don't bring an opossum onto your property on purpose, they manage to make their way there anyway. If you're in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas and you've got this critter tearing through your trash and making a mess, it's time to get in touch with 101 Gopher & Pest Control. For more than 20 years, we've been helping our neighbors in L.A. and Ventura counties get nuisance wildlife off their property and out of their hair. Contact us today for an estimate.