Quote:I pretty much do. People always think the worst of opossums but they are really fascinating creatures and they aren't giant rats or vicious animals. I've only been bitten once by a opossum and that was by one of my babies that I had previously and I was giving him a flea bath and he was scared to death. But what people don't realize is that opossums are disease resistant especially to rabies. They can carry a parasite that can be deadly to horses so most barn owners will shoot and kill opossums. But for the most part they are placid animals that just want to be left alone. I have several wild ones that come through the yard and up on the porch usually looking for food and they have never tried to attack me or been aggressive. In fact one big female that visits will rub against my leg and put her paws on my leg to get my attention. The first time she did this I thought she was my cat and I reached down to pet her. lol we were both surprised. She doesn't do that to anyone else even though she's been to my neighbor's house. I can tell them apart by the markings on their ears which are somewhat like a fingerprint for opossums. Their feet are really amazing and work like little hands and their back feet can actually rotate backwards. They are phenomenal climbers and have a keen sense of smell. However they really are practically blind. They have to be right up on something before they can really tell what it is. I've never had problems with the opossums going after my ducks either. Then again I make sure the ducks are locked up and safe from all predators since I also have raccoons in the area. People who complain that they are predators and will kill their chickens or ducks are people who don't take the extra time to make sure their animals are locked up safely. The opossums have never bothered my cats at all and will come and eat beside the cats with no problem. Opossums' biggest threats are humans and specifically cars. More opossums die from being hit by cars than any other way.
We've only had one problem with a possum and that was when we first had chickens three years ago. The possum did kill a couple of birds in the barn. One evening we found him in there and tried to shoo him out. No dice, he kept snarling at us and finally "played dead". Well, we resolved the problem by closing the barn, leaving one door slightly open, and turning on all the lights and the radio on full blast. When we came back he was gone...he was so scared he didn't bother to go out the door, he dug his way under a wall through the dirt floor of the barn. Since then, he and his buds have never been back (knock on wood). I really think they prefer eggs or carrion to live birds.
Oh, and on that note, I should probably clarify...we never did actually see the possum kill a chicken. For all I know, he might have just come for the spoils. Could've been a coon, I guess, but I think it was him as after that we had no further problems of any kind for a long time.