awwwwwww... I followed my new 'pet' back to his hole...

[luvmychixandducks]

My brother and his daughter set up a tent in the backyard a few years back, and being a particularly still night, brother put a big fat multi wick candle on the lawn about ten feet away from the tent, as a night light .
During the night, an opossum walked between the candle and the tent. If you think these look scary in normal size, imagine a projected shadow the size of a large dog "walkling" by in the middle of the night - mouth open. Shadow was very visible from inside the tent.
We trapped the culprit the next night, and let the little girl release it in order to prove how small and harmless it actually was... back in the days when we were not raising poultry. She recovered and had no further fear of camping as a result of the incident.
Wouldn't be so quick to adopt catch and release now- we lost baby Muscovy ducks to opossum last year, and don't believe in second chances any more.

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
They DO hibernate in NY, not sure where youre from but here they hibernate all winter

-Sigh-


to hibernate the core temperature must drop and the heart rate/ breath rate must drop.

a species either does or doesn't -doesn't matter where the critter is-

nothing as large as a opossum hibernates, too much surface area to volume ratio

 

[jennh]

Quote:
They DO hibernate in NY, not sure where youre from but here they hibernate all winter

-Sigh-


to hibernate the core temperature must drop and the heart rate/ breath rate must drop.

a species either does or doesn't -doesn't matter where the critter is-

nothing as large as a opossum hibernates, too much surface area to volume ratio

Well, I'm from Pa, just south of NY, and I can tell you they do NOT hibernate here!!!

Jen

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
They DO hibernate in NY, not sure where youre from but here they hibernate all winter

-Sigh-


to hibernate the core temperature must drop and the heart rate/ breath rate must drop.

a species either does or doesn't -doesn't matter where the critter is-

nothing as large as a opossum hibernates, too much surface area to volume ratio

You mean bears don't hibernate???

Darn that Discovery Channel!!!!!

 

[destinduck]

I knew possums didnt hibernate.But bears... cmon firetigeris

 

[reesepoultry]

There very good pets if you get them when they are babies. But they will go after live chickens and eggs. I turned mine loose on my property when they got big and I had to relocate them because they were killing my chickens and eggs.

I found these babies on the road not too far from my house there mother was hit and killed by a car so I brought all 8 babies home and raised them. Sadly I didn't make it in time to save baby #9 who was killed in the road too. Enjoy the pics: this was about 4 yrs ago.

 

[JulieNKC]

Opossums don't hibernate. I can't remember what it is called, brumating or something. It's like hibernating but not as drastic. They basicly just go dormant I think. During real hibernation the animal hibernatings metabolism, blood, temp, everything changes.
And if found as babies they do make good pets, although they dont live very long in captivity I think either.
That said, I hate the things. I had one chase me down the street to my neigbors house growling showing me those ugly teeth. I had to jump the fence to escape what I thought was for sure a rabid possum. I dont go outside by myself after dusk without my bb gun anymore due to them and the fat coons who are not scared of me at all (I shot one right in his butt from 5 feet away and it didnt even run) and I live on the outskirts of kc, maybe 10 minutes from downtown. They haven't messed with my chickens yet though. Think there's too much easier food to get.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
A marsh rabbit

 

[aprophet]

Quote:

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
-Sigh-


to hibernate the core temperature must drop and the heart rate/ breath rate must drop.

a species either does or doesn't -doesn't matter where the critter is-

nothing as large as a opossum hibernates, too much surface area to volume ratio

You mean bears don't hibernate???

Darn that Discovery Channel!!!!!

"Torpor" some interesting reading