Abi Cornered A Possum
In the wee hours of Monday morning Abi wanted out. She has been wanting out in the middle of the night, but not wanting to go out during the day, for some time now.
So I got up and let them out. It was dark outside of course, so it was hard to see where the dogs were. I always stand at the door waiting for them.
Either I heard a sound or something alerted me in my half-asleep state, and I went out to the patio.
I found her and a large possum (about the size of the dogs, 10-12 pounds) behind the big pots against the fence where Jade the tree is.
Abi was about a foot from the possum, which was hissing at her.
Charlie had apparently not yet figured out what was going on and was elsewhere on the patio.
I didn’t have my glasses on, but managed to reach down behind the back of the pots and grab her up.
Then I hurried to where Charlie was sniffing around and grabbed him too and rushed them both inside.
I don’t recall seeing a possum up close before, so I was surprised at how big it was. I’ve seen it at night walking along the fence. Lordy, they are not pretty creatures!
I didn’t let them out the rest of the night, though she was not happy.
Does anyone know anything about possums? Where on earth are they during the day? Do they climb fences?
Infection Update:
Yesterday my doctor called in a different prescription, so I went out to pick it up.
If I’d had any sense I’d have just driven through the drive-thru at Walgreens. But I got it into my head that less than a mile away was a Walmart, and I could pick up a few things like soup and yogurt and I also needed a thermometer, as I couldn’t find one at home.
I haven’t been in a big Walmart in a few years. I just don’t go there. I call it Hellmart. So I don’t know why I got a wild hair to do that.
I got a basket and put all kinds of things in there and got all the way to the very back and started feeling sick, light-headed, and mildly confused. You don’t want to be confused inside a Walmart Super Center, I tell you.
I stood there for a minute and then just abandoned everything and left. I went into Walgreens and got a thermometer and my prescription.
Heavens, this thing is taking a lot out of me. I rarely get sick.
Awful what happened in Texas, isn’t it? The assailant was apparently from New Braunfels. I used to live there. Lovely little community.
Possums can be mean. I always worry there's one hiding under a tree in back, thank goodness I haven't seen one in awhile.
I hope this new prescription helps you, Brenda…that infection has been persistent!
My neighbor told me he'd seen it before. Seems it's been around awhile.
I recently went online looking for information about possums. They are actually amazing creatures. Nurse and carry their babies in a pouch like a Kangaroo, and are marsupials, as are kangaroos. They do not get dog and cat viruses like parvo virus and distemper, and very, very rarely, if ever, get rabies. They are also immune to venomous snakebites. They are made to be part of nature's clean up crew, so their immune systems have excellent immunity from disease. A large number of them die from being hit by cars, possibly because those cute little black button eyes that they have do not have very good vision.
I had pet possums a couple of different times during my childhood. They were tiny, lost babies that I hand fed and took care of for several months until they grew big and healthy, and then I released them into the wild. Being hand raised, they were very tame, sweet animals. I must admit, though, I would not want my little 8 lb Fuzzy Pomeranian to find one and try it's patience out in my backyard. Who knows what a feisty, bark-y, possibly nippy, little dog could make a full grown, wild possum do. It would probably end up "playing possum", but I wouldn't want to take that chance.
If the possum found something good to eat out on your patio, it will probably be back. They may
be dumb in some ways, but according to the info, they rank as one of the smartest animals there are when it comes to remembering where they found food in the past and being able to return there.
Possibly TMI about possums, but I like them.
I could get to liking them. Seeing it in the middle of the night wasn't my best introduction!
Oh, that is so scary about the possum! Glad you got the pups back inside safely! I'm always nervous taking my dog out at night, even on a leash, especially now that there have been coyote sightings. Had to laugh at your Hellmart reference, but hope your infection is resolved soon.
I'm always at the door or with them. But now they don't get to go out after bedtime.
This brought back a childhood memory! I must have been quite young as I don't recall WHY we had a rescued opossum but we did. We had a mother in our stationary tubs in the basement, and she had her babies there!
Glad I helped you remember.
Opossums are docile, non-aggressive animals and will not attack your pets. They prefer to avoid confrontations and if escape is not possible then the threatened opossum may “play 'possum”, show its teeth, or bite in self-defense, as any animal would. They are awkward looking but non-dangerous as far as I know.
I sure hope you can get that infection under control and I am sorry about your Walmart/Hellmart experience. Walgreens for me for prescriptions too. xo Diana
Thanks for the possum info. At least it didn't get Abi and she didn't get it.
If you have a possum , be happy because it means you have critters that possums like to eat living in your immediate area. They like to eat snakes, rats, mice, bugs, etc. ( We know how much you like mice.) I'd much rather have the possum than ANY of the above. They are excellent, natural pest control.
Possums are not aggressive but will bite if cornered and threatened and playing "possum" doesn't work. Behaviour is similar to the way a cat or dog might react. I've had a possum in my garden. A quiet, shy fellow, he was.
Then I will try to be friends with this possum.
I feel for wildlife. Just don't want the possum to hurt the dogs.
I am so sorry to hear you are still having problems with your UTI. If this RX does not do the trick you may need to ask your doctor to do a culture to find out why.
I do not know anything about possums, but I have a tender heart for all wildlife. We have lots of coyotes here in the surrounding area and even though we have intruded on their territory by building homes, they are still something to be careful of. I used to live near a small canyon and they would come out at night before garbage pickup to search for scraps. But what concerns me more is that Eagles can easily pick up a small dog or cat and carry it off. My daughter lives in the country near the woods, and she heard of one of her neighbors whose little dog was carried off by one in broad daylight and there was nothing she could do, and she never saw it again. So heartbreaking! When Romeo was still alive and we would visit, I worried all the time about him getting carried off. He wanted to run and play with my daughter's dogs and he loved roaming the large yard area, but I was constantly checking on him.
Reading your comments there's certainly mixed views on the possum! I'm not sure if your possum is like ours here in New Zealand but where I live I often here them at night, though I live out in the country. My son brought home a baby possum home a couple of years ago, She was such a tiny thing and so cute. She was a great pet the cats and the dog didn't mind her at all. But she did love to climb!!! She would also curl up in the kids hooded jerseys like it was her Mothers pouch. As she got older we let her outside to come and go as she pleased. One day she didn't come home, I'm told they usually do that once they are old enough to find a mate!
A baby I might could handle. This one was big!
Always an adventure with animals, isn't it? Hope you're feeling better soon. Take care…
It surely is.
Possums are nocturnal. That's why you don't see them in the daytime. The will not bother you if you let them be. They may get into garbage cans, etc. I think they can carry rabies, so I would not let pets out at night. If it tangles with your pets, they can do some serious damage. Occasionally, I see one when I bring my trash out & it's dark out. But they have not bothered me, nor tried to bite me or anything. I just keep my distance from them & no problems. Hope your new med's work! -Mary
They didn't much like it, but they were kept it all night.
Actually, possums have a much lower body temp and are not able to replicate rabies and such.They are marsupials, not mammals. You don't want the pups to get into a tussle as possums have a lot of very sharp teeth! ?
Had one living in our woodshed for a long time,I would occassionally see it at night.
Didnt seem agressive at all,our dogs were big,barkers and rowdy.
My headaches were skunks,the trio managed to get hit at least once a summer:(
Hope this antibiotic does the trick,rest up.
I sure don't want a skunk on my patio!
How frightening!! I'm so glad you rescued the babies, possums are MEAN!!! And ugly!
This one was sure hissing at Abi!
All I know about possums is that they are the only marsupials native to North America.
I know the pupsters will have to stay in at night!
Possums are actually beneficial to our environment, despite their reputation for being a homely creature. I think they're cute – they are good parents and they eat ticks and are not aggressive.
Sure hope you're feeling better real soon – horrible thing, the shooting.. it goes on and on.
That's good to know. Don't think they're beneficial to Abi and Charlie though!
Wow about the possum. I do not think they are aggressive so that was probably a good thing for Abi. Glad you could scoop them both up without incident!!!! Hope you begin to feel better on the new prescription.
Kris
But the dogs would not have been able to leave it alone. That's what I feared, that it would get mad.
Possums creep me out. It's their tails. Their faces are cute though.
We call Walmart the hellhole and avoid it as much as possible even though it's only a mile and a half away.
Hope your new antibiotic helps. You should know in a day or two at the most if it is working.
The shooting was horrific but nothing will be done as usual. More families are living a horror story now. Some won't open their eyes until it happens to their loved ones. 🙁
Sure wish they'd outlaw those assault weapons. They are for war, not civilians.
Glad you saved the pups. I don't think they are aggressive but if cornered who knows.
I hope this RX does the trick. Seems like your immune system is shot after the shingles.
So sad for Texas. ?
Seems like it.
They might look a little scary, but they are actually good for the environment. They eat the bad bugs,kill rats, snakes and any dead thing. They aren't aggressive at all. I feed two feral cats every morning and two possums come along with two or three racoons. They come every morning and I just can't not feed them. The racoons are good also, as they keep the bad things away from the house. Our exterminator sets these traps outside our house that only a rat can get in and since the possums have been coming, the traps stay full of food and we have zero rats, and I never see roaches or any bad things. I love them coming at night and cleaning up. I am glad you kept the dogs away from them though. Love you sweet lady, and hoping you get well soon.
I don't mind it as long as I can keep the pupsters away from it.
I love possums. We had one in our back garden when we were interviewing Realtors. One of them said 'oh they are ugly little creatures aren't they?' I never answered her and she didn't get to sell our house! They really are quite cute and as someone else said they are not usually aggressive, they prefer to hide rather than confront another animal. Then again I have never met an animal I did not like!
Sorry you are still not feeling good Brenda, that is what happened to me, the first anti biotic did not do the trick. I remember the name of it for the future in case I get another UTI.
It wasn't too cute when it was hissing.
Possums are usually not aggressive but probably would be when corned. And your pups are small so the possum was probably a bit more aggressive than usual. I have large dogs and possums get into the yard on occasion. The possum will usually play dead or "play possum." I bring the dogs into the house and a few minutes later the possum climbs the fence and is on its way. I am sure they probably carry disease so I would not want my dogs to be bitten or scratched by the possum. Good thing you were close by.
So sorry that you are still feeling poorly. Seems like as I get older, nothing heals as quickly as it did. Hope the new prescription is effective.
I am also one of those shoppers who avoids Walmart. I prefer if possible to support our local shoppes.
I normally go to a local grocery store.
Brenda, I can relate to you and your seemingly never ending UTI! I took two prescriptions of Cephalexin. At the end of each course of that RX, I felt somewhat better but within a few days to a week after finishing the prescription, I would start feeling sick again. I went back to my doc and she did a culture…it was an ecoli infection! She gave me an RX for Cipro and it cleared up and I’ve been great! My UTI lasted a month!! I hope you feel better very soon!
Oh heavens, please not a month!
Possums do climb fences. One night Jacob just wasn't coming in after his last potty run. I went outside and there was a huge possum in the grape arbor, apparently getting a snack. He ran along the top of the fence and jumped off into the neighbors yard. One morning a baby possum had gotten into the chicken run and into the coop. The chickens were chattering, quite upset. We liberated the possum and released him out of our yard. The chickens wouldn't go back into the coop to sleep for several nights. They do hiss…I'm just glad you got your dogs away from it.
I don't blame the chickens. In the middle of the night, it sure was scary!
I've had several run-ins with opossums at my parents' house, next to a very wooded park. They definitely climb trees. I saw a bunch of them emerge from the woods and come down the street to go up the big oak tree in front of my parents' house, cooing the whole time. It seemed like there was an army of them. They aren't generally aggressive though.
I am trying to envision a pack of possums coming down the street!
YES, YES POSSUM CAN CLIMB. THEY CAN SCALE A WOODEN FENCE AND EVEN STUCCO WALLS EASILY THANKS TO LONG CLAWS.
THEY ARE HOMELY CREATURES, BUT I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACTUALLY HAD ONE AS A BELOVED PET. ELEANOR WAS AFFORDED ALL THE LUXURIES ANY DOG COULD EVER HOPE TO ENJOY. I NEVER GOT TO MEET HER PERSONALLY, BUT HAVE SEEN MANY PHOTOS OF HER OVER THE YEARS SHE LIVED WITH MICKEY AND HER FAMILY IN THEIR HOME.STRANGE RELATIONSHIP TO SAY THE LEAST.
SO RELIEVED TO KNOW YOU WERE THERE TO RESCUE ABI AND CHARLIE TOO.
YOU HAVE REALLY BEEN PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER WITH THIS UTI, HOPEFULLY THE NEW MEDICATION WILL CLEAR IT UP COMPLETELY.
TAKE CARE AND SNUGGLES TO THE PUPSTERS.
I just don't think big possums and little dogs mix.
Thank goodness you heard whatever you did and retrieved Abi from a possible altercation with the possum. I do not know anything about them but once in awhile the babies come and eat birdseed from out feeder.
Take care and yourself. I hope that you feel better soon.
I don't know what would have happened had I not intervened.