I don’t know if our backyard has become a breeding ground for opossums or what.
A couple months ago, we found a baby opossum in the chicken coop. We think he’s an orphan, as we’ve seen him a few more times foraging alone at night. We’ve seen a handful of adult opossums as well, and though we’re never sure if they’re the same ones, at least one or two have taken up residence in our yard and up our tree. And it seems those opossums have been gettin’ busy.
Last week, we set out our Havahart traps to catch a couple of destructive squirrels we’ve been seeing around the garden. Right away, we caught an opossum and released him that night. We reset the trap… and yesterday, we saw that we’d caught another critter.
But upon closer inspection, we found another opossum in the trap… and not just one opossum, but a mama opossum with seven of her babies!
The babies must have been clinging to her back while she was roaming the yard, and they’d all become trapped together when she went sniffing for our treats. Or had they all been nestling inside her pouch? (Opossums are the only marsupials in North America; I was intrigued by this fact and found this fascinating photo of ‘possum pups in their mother’s pouch.)
Each baby was about 5 inches long from nose to rump, with tiny pink noses and tiny pink hands, and tender little ears and tails. They were the most adorable things I’d ever seen… I almost wanted to keep them as pets!
All seven babies were piled on top of each other, clinging tightly to their mama or their siblings, yawning and squirming and sleeping. Such precious little things.
These two siblings were especially sweet.
We gave them a small bowl of water and covered the cage with a towel to keep them calm. That night, we released the family in a nearby nature reserve. Since it’s still mating season for the opossum, I wonder how many more babies we’ll see this summer (and hopefully, not in our traps).
Here in New Zealand, they are one of our worst pests. They kill masses of birds, strip our bush, spread bovine tuberculosis amongst our cattle and breed like rabbits! Sorry, but our first instinct is to grab a rifle whenever we see them. Ours are very aggressive. If we caught a couple in a cage, they’d be tearing strips out of each other. We don’t have squirrels however 🙂
Opossums (in the Western Hemisphere) actually belong to a different family than possums (in the Eastern Hemisphere). Ours are usually not aggressive unless provoked or threatened. Typically, they run away or play dead when encountered.
RT @laurafcgo: Who knew opossums could be so cute? RT @theGardenBetty: Blogged on Garden Betty: Baby Opossums http://t.co/MH8pusS4Io
It’s mating season for these marsupials. Look what I found in my backyard: Baby Opossums http://t.co/MHfwhHBWpf < TY for RT! @rockmaven56
Baby Opossums http://t.co/7SVqqMDEjm #paperli #wildlife
The most adorable things I’ve ever seen, and in my own garden! Baby Opossums http://t.co/ABdZwhulbX #gardenchat
Stumbled on a little surprise in my Havahart trap. Baby Opossums http://t.co/v1Cbdxfr7e #gardenchat
RT @theGardenBetty: It’s mating season for these marsupials. Look what I found in my backyard: Baby Opossums http://t.co/MHfwhHBWpf #garden…
It’s mating season for these marsupials. Look what I found in my backyard: Baby Opossums http://t.co/MHfwhHBWpf #gardenchat
Found in my backyard: A mama and her litter… all seven of them! Baby Opossums http://t.co/gbGRb9meCy #gardenchat
Amy Watkins Pellicer liked this on Facebook.
All seven of them… found clinging to their mother’s back in my yard. Baby Opossums http://t.co/0OEa4j6Kkx #gardenchat
Who knew opossums could be so cute? RT @thegardenbetty: Blogged on Garden Betty: Baby Opossums http://t.co/BS7wFtCmsW
I did some research on possum n learn tht they r the most harmless wildlife n do not carry rabies, far better ( they eat all of d harmful critters like snails or slugs in ur yard) n harmless than mean but cute wildlife like a squirrel
They’re definitely very tame… In our yard, the squirrels and raccoons are the troublemakers.
Amanda Laubinger- El Hadid liked this on Facebook.
Laura Morrow Jacobs liked this on Facebook.
Bonnie Max Fuentevilla liked this on Facebook.
Great photos ! So glad you took the time to release them out into a safe environment. Awesome possum!
Lee Wazowski liked this on Facebook.
Renée Girard Groening liked this on Facebook.
Cary Bradley liked this on Facebook.
Marjorie Pitts liked this on Facebook.
Too, too, too sweet. We had one ‘play possum’ with our cat in the front yard in Whittier years ago. Cat lost interest, walked away, soon possum walked away too. Cutest thing!
I’ve read that “playing possum” is an involuntary reaction… and that they’ll even emit a foul smell to make it seem like they’re a rotting carcass. Nature is so fascinating!
Baby Opossums:
I don’t know if our backyard has become a breeding ground for opossums or what.
A couple month… http://t.co/3JKG9LL5Kv
Blogged on Garden Betty: Baby Opossums http://t.co/MH8pusS4Io