Possums eat ticks? - Page 2

CajunBass · October 5, 2015, 09:32 AM

When I got my first gun, my mother, in a very somber tone, told me to "never kill anything you can't brag about."

I never figured there was much to brag about shooting a possum.

Prof Young · October 28, 2015, 11:13 PM

On several occasions I've encounter possums on my buddie's long drive way. I've done my best to scare them good. High beams, loud aooogah horn, etc. Not once have I ever scene one play "possum." Traps one in a tree in my back yard and stung his butt good with a pellet gun (live in town so no firearms shooting, actually the pellet gun was not legal either) and he just kept hissing at me.

Has any one ever seen a possum play possum?

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

Niantician · October 29, 2015, 12:47 AM

They may eat eggs. But they also eat rats and mice. Which are equally as prolific in eating eggs. So I'd call that a wash. They eat insects. Including ticks. They are the only marsupial on our continent and they have outlasted the dinosaurs. They are also immune to all venomous snakes except coral snakes and they eat snakes too. Kill them if you like killing, but you're not doing your local ecosystem any favors.

Art Eatman · October 29, 2015, 08:46 AM

Yeah, I've seen them "play possum". Usually when I'd poke one with a stick. My grandparents killed them as protection of the eggs in the chicken house. My grandmother sold eggs--as well as turkeys and butter. WW II era.

kcub · October 29, 2015, 09:21 AM

Ticks just need packaging and marketing as high protein organic raisins at Whole Foods. Let the 2 legged possums eat 'em.

natman · October 29, 2015, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Has any one ever seen a possum play possum?

Yes. I once had two of them fighting in my garage at 3 am. (They got in via the cat door). One had taken a defensible position under a cabinet and the other was trying to get at him. When I opened the door and turned on the lights, the aggressor fled, but the other one like it where he was. I figured he'd be gone in the morning, but when I checked later he was still there. So I tried poking him with a broom handle, but he rolled up and played dead. I put on a heavy jacket and leather gloves and picked him up by the scruff of the neck. He still played dead.

So I opened the door into the kitchen and said "I caught him, honey, you get to clean him."

My wife was not amused.

Mainah · October 29, 2015, 07:39 PM

They don't forage for ticks, but as pointed out earlier here they're fastidious about grooming themselves. And they can pick up lots of ticks. So the theory is that they serve as a version of a robot vacuum cleaner for ticks on your property. Not a perfect solution, but maybe a reason to tolerate them if you live in Lyme territory.

Tinbucket · October 30, 2015, 07:02 PM

I don't know specifically about ticks but if they can get it into their mouths they will.
I regret relocating the two Opossums that regularly patrolled the porches and all around the house.
They ate all the roaches and scorpions and anything else the came across including the cat's food.
We would find lots, of little droppings just about every day.
I intended to set some more cat food out and see I can lure some more around here.
You want to wash feed bowls and water bowls every day, for your animals.
Opossum droppings, in hay mows and barns and horse stalls carry diseases for farm animals.

October 5, 2015, 09:32 AM	#26
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	When I got my first gun, my mother, in a very somber tone, told me to "never kill anything you can't brag about." I never figured there was much to brag about shooting a possum. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

October 28, 2015, 11:13 PM	#27
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Ever seen a possum play possum? On several occasions I've encounter possums on my buddie's long drive way. I've done my best to scare them good. High beams, loud aooogah horn, etc. Not once have I ever scene one play "possum." Traps one in a tree in my back yard and stung his butt good with a pellet gun (live in town so no firearms shooting, actually the pellet gun was not legal either) and he just kept hissing at me. Has any one ever seen a possum play possum? Live well, be safe Prof Young

October 29, 2015, 12:47 AM	#28
Niantician Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2005 Location: Ct. Posts: 546	They may eat eggs. But they also eat rats and mice. Which are equally as prolific in eating eggs. So I'd call that a wash. They eat insects. Including ticks. They are the only marsupial on our continent and they have outlasted the dinosaurs. They are also immune to all venomous snakes except coral snakes and they eat snakes too. Kill them if you like killing, but you're not doing your local ecosystem any favors. Last edited by Niantician; October 29, 2015 at 12:55 AM.

October 30, 2015, 07:02 PM	#33
Tinbucket Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2015 Posts: 355	Possums eat ticks I don't know specifically about ticks but if they can get it into their mouths they will. I regret relocating the two Opossums that regularly patrolled the porches and all around the house. They ate all the roaches and scorpions and anything else the came across including the cat's food. We would find lots, of little droppings just about every day. I intended to set some more cat food out and see I can lure some more around here. You want to wash feed bowls and water bowls every day, for your animals. Opossum droppings, in hay mows and barns and horse stalls carry diseases for farm animals.

October 29, 2015, 08:46 AM	#29
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Yeah, I've seen them "play possum". Usually when I'd poke one with a stick. My grandparents killed them as protection of the eggs in the chicken house. My grandmother sold eggs--as well as turkeys and butter. WW II era.

October 29, 2015, 09:21 AM	#30
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	Ticks just need packaging and marketing as high protein organic raisins at Whole Foods. Let the 2 legged possums eat 'em.

October 29, 2015, 07:39 PM	#32
Mainah Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2007 Posts: 1,119	They don't forage for ticks, but as pointed out earlier here they're fastidious about grooming themselves. And they can pick up lots of ticks. So the theory is that they serve as a version of a robot vacuum cleaner for ticks on your property. Not a perfect solution, but maybe a reason to tolerate them if you live in Lyme territory.