Odd acting opossum.

[scythefwd]

Heard a loud commotion from my pups tonight in my back yard. That is saying a lot since the loudest one just had surgery a week or so ago and is doing chemo. He hasn't been up to a whole lot. Anyways, I heard a yelp from one of my littler dogs. Went out back and didn't see what the fuss was, so I called them in. About 20 minutes later, I let them back out, and they charge back to the same spot. About 20-30 ft from there was a very slowly moving opossum. He was limping, and not moving quick. I called the dogs back in and went to look at the critter. No visible injuries, but there was drool on his back... possible a damaged leg or spine. He did not play dead. He followed me with his ears, eyes, and kept his mouth open but didn't hiss. I thought this was strange enough acting to warrant action. Went and got my .22lr and fired 3 times. First and third were a little high, guess I need to practice with it a bit more at close range for pinpoint shooting. Second shot was a double lung (according to where the exit wound was). Little dogs didn't have any bite marks, but I suspect that they may have been nipped at.

To the point... it is legal season for opossum here, and as a landowner I don't need a permit. Now what do I do with my dead marsupial? I killed it because its actions weren't normal from my experience and I feared it might be sick/rabid (more likely sick). Possum isn't known to be good eating, and I don't want the fur (it was in pretty good shape). A Federal .22lr did the job nicely... and I should have needed 1/3 the number of shots.

Anyone used CB's on these animals at close range with luck? I would like to keep it as quiet as possible.

 

[Grumulkin]

Rarely or never do opossums get rabies.

That said, bury the thing.

 

[scythefwd]

SSS it is. Grumulkin, rabies wasn't the first worry, but it was there, I'll admit. Any sickness puts my dog in danger right now as chemo is killing off his immune system (white blood cells) and I don't want to let him die yet as he is showing no signs of discomfort or pain (he is healing very rapidly from the surgery).

 

[trapperjohn]

what you describe does not sound strange from my experience with opposums. they do nto always play dead and do not always hiss. they will keep their eyes on you and show their teeth though. in my experience those critters are highly individual.

 

[solvability]

I killed one with a CB but it was not a clean kill - stay with LR for that size animal. I have killed squirrels with CB but there is no margin for error - have to shoot for the neck.

I hate opossums.

I put the dead in a garbage bag in the trash - I don't want the dogs digging them up - they are some kind of nasty - lots of fat.

 

[t george]

I have shot 2 in the back yard with cb shorts one was at point blank range and was a clean kill the other was at about 12-15 yard and took 3 shots... I would use a little stonger load in the future

 

[desidog]

Not much experience, but this came to mind:

 

[sheepdog]

...the drool is a part of their defense...from what I've read, they sometimes but seldom have rabies due to their low body temperature...yet there are documented cases that have tested positive...all wild animals should be treated carefully.......emphasis on wild....

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Sound like standard 'possum behavior to me. Of the hundreds of opossums I've dealt with,more DID NOT play dead than did. I'd just bury it.

 

[scmerrill71]

I had one walk next to me once when i was on the way to the woods to do some turkey hunting. it actually hung out not far from me either for that matter it was kind of funny....Bury it deep.

 

[qwert65]

It could of had rabies, If you kill an animal that may be rabid, wait 24hrs for the virus to die, try and pick it up with a shovel, shower afterwards, etc. It may be overkill but better safe then sorry. I'm a vet and offhand I can't think of anything else that it may transmit to dogs(though maybe the immuno-suppressed one).

 

[shootistpd27]

The opossum was acting pretty normal. In fact, you didnt have to shoot it. I get calls all the time in reference to opossums, snakes, bats, ets being in little old ladys homes and I have to go round'em up. It has been my experience that when they are cornered as yours was, all you would have to do is walk up with a flash light in his eyes, and grab him up by the tail and away you go. I caught one and put it in a box and left it on my dispatchers porch one night. I got a heck of a cussing the next shift, and I had to go and get it again. Opossums actually make good pets too. I answered a call to a house once where a boy had two of them in his arms like cats, his dad invited me in for coffee and the best breakfast I have had in years.

 

[AKElroy]

I have had them act that way as well. I think the whole 'playing dead" thing needs to be modified to "acting freaking wierd", moving slowly with bizzare limps & actions. Weird, ulgy little turds.

 

[scythefwd]

sheepdog - it wasn't the possums drool, it was dog drool on the back of it.

This would be the first of many that didn't play dead in my yard when the 85lb barking, growling, snarling, and charging overgrown teddy bear that is my big dog (the immuno suppressed one) sees one. I have seen them move out when I was the only one back there, and I have seen healthy ones give me a little bit of an attitude. This one didn't act in any manner I had seen before. I think my big dog may have grabbed it and given it a shake, hence the drool on its back.

Thanks for the tip on the CB's, in my yard they don't get shot unless I think they are too intent on staying and that is at point blank range (literally 5-6 ft). May have to find some good subsonics then if the CB's won't do... maybe some shorts.

 

[ASCTLC]

I'll add my experience to the "sounds like a normal opposum to me too" responses.

Actually we use to pick them up and throw them when we were younger (mid to late teens). As farm country kids we found strange ways to entertain ourselves and once the thought struck that we should be able to grab the tail and spin them as fast as we could, it wouldn't be able to bite. Conclusion: it worked

Andy

 

[Grumulkin]

I can still remember the day WAY back when I lived in California that my mother encountered an overturned orange crate on the floor of a car port. My mother picked it up to stack it neatly again and there was an opossum under it leering at her.

She became VERY excited and screamed, "Johan, Johan, why did you do it? Why did you do it?" Johan, by the way was my father.

Johan denied all knowledge of the affair so my Uncle Enok, a well known jokester was then blamed. He turned out to be innocent as well. Apparently the opossum in its nocturnal wanderings had managed to dump over the orange crate and had fallen to the floor whereupon the orange crate landed on top of it.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Another vote for typical or normal opossum behavior. They don't all play dead. As in this case, the opossum probably had interacted with dogs previously and realized that playing dead did not work well.

My job in the past had me examining the remains of lots of opossums, specifically their skeletons. What was found was that many survive injuries and live quite a while beyond them. Healed fractures were common in their ribs and legs, some having set quite terribly resulting in greatly shortened bones or bones that were misaligned. Similar finds, but not as numerous were seen in raccoons as well. Given that the study samples were from the 1800s and early 1900s, we assumed that the broken and healed fractures were a result of the arboreal lifestyle, specifically, the result of falling from trees (as opposed to being hit by cars). Sure enough, turns out to be a problem with a lot of non-flying arboreal mammals. So seeing an opossum that is walking funny would not be unexpected.

It could of had rabies,

As noted above, it is rare. Actually, it is almost nonexistent in opossums. Their body temperature isn't maintained high enough for the virus to survive. The opossum and armadillo share this feature. So if you have an opossum running a fever from another infection that has been recently infected with rabies, then yeah, maybe it will be carrying rabies. Otherwise, infected opossums apparently get over rabies fairly quickly and continue their lives.

 

[courtgreene]

I really never thought that I could learn so much about possums on a gun forum... simply amazing. thanks to all of you.

 

[gunsandreligion]

By the way, You ever try opposum tail stew?

 

[scythefwd]

I have never been so poor that I had to get the cheap toilet paper (cannot be that poor, its like sandpaper, which I'd rather use) or eat anything with opossum in the title. I am pretty adventurous about what foods I'll eat, but it ain't gonna be me cooking it.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Any animal that makes my dog vomit just by chewing on it has to be nasty!

They are the animal kingdoms version of a deranged homeless person.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Normal opossum behavior....

Their reactions times are WAAAAAY slow...makes you wonder how they have survived over 65 million years unchanged.

They can be caught live, by hand...and safely.

Grab them by the tail, drag them backwards just enough so they can't turn around or roll up and get your hand....and at the same time, grab them around the back of the neck.

Not by the hide...like a kitten...but, around the neck, from behind.

They cannot bite you once you have them by the neck (actually I've never known one to even try)...I've carried hundreds of them like that for hours on end (one at a time of course)...I used to sell the hides for $2-$5 each, when the sack got full...me and GranDad would get what we could carry and head for home to do the skinning.

 

[Supertac45]

None up here, but we had them when I was growing up in PA. Harmless nothings that can be nice around people.

 

[scythefwd]

Supertac - feel free to come meet the ones round here. They aren't so civilized I'm pretty sure this one took a swipe at my littlest dog, but either didn't break skin or didn't get him. My littlest dogs yelp is what set me investigating.

Ridgrunner - This guy only had 1/4 of a tail left... Wasn't much to get a hold of. He was curled in a semi circle already, so he mouth as almost in biting range of the tail. I could have gotten to the back of the neck without it ever seeing me, it was kinda on its side. It was halfway between playing dead - on its side, and not trying to get away, and posturing for an attack - mouth open, eyes following me, not trying to look dead at all. I suspect one of my dogs injured it.

Thanks about the rabies info, will keep that in mind. Considering that it might have been injured, I won't feel bad about putting it down.

 

[Zip7]

I have a small army of possums that are constantly trying to invade my house, shed, shop and dog pen. I have two big hounds in a huge penned area out back, and they raise hell when one comes around - not good. So, I tend to shoot them when I see them. CB's knock them out and then smack 'em with something.

I've trapped 15 or 20 off my neighbor lady's porch. Had two this year actually climb into the dog pen. I didn't need to shoot those two. Fished two out from under my shed. When I used to have a cur dog, I let her kill them, but the two dogs I have now are working coon hounds, so I do not want them to develop a taste for possum.