(^50) September/October 2019
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go into a state of torpor. This means
that their breathing slows down and
their body temperature lowers a few
degrees while sleeping to conserve
energy, but they wake up to forage
between winter snows.
Female opossums have 1 to 3 litters
per year, giving birth to up to 20 un-
derdeveloped offspring, called “joeys.”
Born just 12 to 13 days after mating,
the newborns are about the size of a
jelly bean. Like kangaroos and koalas,
the infants crawl into the mother’s
fur-lined pouch, where they’ll live and
nurse for the first two months of their
lives. If they don’t find the pouch, they
won’t survive. As they grow and the
pouch becomes full, they venture out,
spending another 4 to 6 weeks riding
on their mother’s back until they’re
old enough to go out on their own. The
male opossum plays no role in raising
the joeys.
Virtues of the Lowly Opossum
The opossum is a fascinating
creature that suffers from an image
problem. Frequently perceived as a
dimwitted, rat-like scavenger whose
most impressive trick is playing dead,
the opossum has some lesser known
virtues that just might transform the
aversion of some for this odd, wad-
dling mammal into, at least, tolerance.
Turns out opossums are the unsung
heroes in the fight against Lyme
disease. Ticks that carry the Lyme
disease bacteria are found on mice,
shrews, squirrels, and chipmunks, but
not so with the opossum. Research
by scientists at the Cary Institute of
Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New
York, showed why. Several opossums
were placed in cages and covered with
ticks. The researchers waited for the
biting ticks to jump off, and counted
how many escaped the mammal’s vo-
racious appetite. The opossums ended
up grooming off and eating more than
95 percent of the ticks that landed on
them. It was estimated that a single
opossum could eat as many as 5,000
ticks in one season.
10 Ways to Discourage Opossums
from Hanging Around
If there’s an opossum in your area, it’ll most likely move on in a day or two. If not, there are
simple, nonlethal ways to encourage them to leave. The easiest way to eliminate opossums is
to prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place.
- Eliminate all food sources. Keep in mind
that they hunt at night, relying chiefly on
their sense of smell to find food. - Feed pets indoors or bring in any left-
over pet food before dark, when opossums
are most active. - Keep compost containers secure, and use
tight fitting lids on garbage cans. - Clean barbecue grills and grease traps
after use. - Harvest fruit and garden crops when
they’re ripe, and pick up any fruit that
drops from trees or bushes. Also clean up
spilled birdseed. - Remove brush piles, dilapidated buildings,
and holes under concrete slabs to eliminate
opossum hiding places.
7. Keep your yard well lit at night.
Opossums favor darkness and won’t
consider your property welcoming.
8. If gutters or other vertical surfaces are
being climbed, cover them with an
18-inch piece of sheet metal, or apply veg-
etable shortening up to a height of 18 inches.
9. Motion-activated sprinkler systems are
an effective deterrent. Place them near the
trouble spot, such as your garden or porch.
The system will activate when an animal
comes within its reach, teaching it to steer
clear of the area.
10. Should you have to remove an opossum,
use a live-catch trap baited with a can of cat
food, but first check to ensure that trapping is
legal in your area. You can also call your local
animal control office for help with removing
“nuisance” wildlife.
In the Wild