Zuri, you know I totally support you and am confident that you give your horses the best care possible, but I do want to dispel the common myth that 'possums carry rabies.
From the Humane Society:
People often mistake the open-mouth hissing and drooling behavior of opossums as a sign of rabies. However, this is just a bluffing behavior that opossums use as a defense mechanism and does not indicate a sick animal. In fact, rabies is extremely rare in opossums, perhaps because they have a lower body temperature than other warm-blooded animals.
I have a thing about getting the truth out about 'possums. They might not be the cutest or most lovable looking creatures, but they are really harmless and actually do a lot of good. Also, they are unique to NA, so we should really show them the respect they deserve...
Again, from the Humane Society:
Opossums usually don't get into garbage cans or gardens, but they might stop to clean up the mess left by other wayward critters, and get the blame. The have been accused of killing chickens, but that happens very rarely. Most people complain about opossums just being there, rather than for any problems they cause.
Tolerance
If there is an opossum in the yard, don't worry. He is not a threat, and more than likely he will be moving on in a short while. The best way to keep them from visiting is to have tight-fitting lids on garbage cans, and not to leave any pet food outside overnight. Remember to pick up any fruit that has fallen from trees.
But far from being a nuisance, opossums can be beneficial for your garden, eating snails, slugs, insects, and sometimes even small rodents. They’ll even clean up spilled garbage as well as that fallen fruit off trees.
Opossum are not aggressive, although their open-mouth, defensive hissing may make them appear that way. But they are only bluffing and trying to look vicious as a defense. And if that doesn’t work they play dead when really scared!
Did you know?
Aside from being North America's only marsupials, here some interesting facts about these fascinating animals:
1.
Natural immunity. Opossums are mostly immune to rabies, and in fact, they are eight times less likely to carry rabies compared to wild dogs.
2.
Poison control. Opossums have superpowers against snakes. They have partial or total immunity to the venom produced by rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and other pit vipers.
3.
Omnivores galore. Their normal diet consists of carrion, rodents, insects, snails, slugs, birds, eggs, frogs, plants, fruits and grains. They also eat human food, table scraps, dog food and cat food. They have an unusually high need for calcium, which incites them to eat the skeletons of rodents and road kill they consume. They're the sanitation workers of the wild.
4.
Smart critters. Although many people think opossums are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, there are several areas of intelligence in which they soar. For one, they have a remarkable ability to find food and to remember where it is. When tested for the ability to remember where food is, opossums scored better than rats, rabbits, cats, dogs … but not as well as humans. They also can find their way through a maze more quickly than rats and cats.
5.
Pest control. Since their diet allows them to indulge on snails, slugs and beetles, they are a welcome addition to the garden. Opossums also keep rats and cockroaches at bay by competing with them for food. In fact, it’s common for opossums to kill cockroaches and rats if they find them in their territory.
6.
All thumbs. The opossum has opposable "thumbs." The opossum's "thumbs" (called halux) are on its rear feet (so, technically they're toes), and abet the opossum’s formidable climbing skills. Primates and opossums are the only mammals with opposable first toes.
7.
Impressive tails. They have prehensile tails which are adapted for grasping and wrapping around things like tree limbs. The opossum can hang from its tail for short periods of time, but the creature doesn’t sleep hanging from its tail, as some people think. Opossums have been observed carrying bundles of grasses and other materials by looping their tail around them; this conscious control leads many to consider the tail as a fifth appendage, like a hand.
8.
Good pupils. The eyes of the opossum appear black, but what we are seeing are strongly dilated pupil; there is iris around them, it’s just mostly out of sight. The giant pupils are thought to be an adaptation to their nocturnal habits.
9.
Smile! The mouth of an opossum holds an impressive 50 teeth.
10.
Natural defenses. When threatened, opossums run, growl, belch, urinate and defecate. And when all else fails, they “play ‘possum" and act as if they are dead. It is an involuntary response (like fainting) rather than a conscious act. They roll over, become stiff, close their eyes (or stare off into space) and bare their teeth as saliva foams around the mouth and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from glands. The catatonic state can last for up to four hours, and has proven effective as a deterrent to predators looking for a hot meal.
Read more:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/an...s-you-didnt-know-about-opossums#ixzz3k9mgnhjE
