O'possums

[bluey]

...don't forget leptospirosis, and also the fact that possum are usually infested with fleas, ticks, mites and lice which are easily transferred to domestic animals. the larger the possum population, the worse the infestation.

 

[eggchel]

Quote:
Eeeeeeeeeew! Some how that seems even worse than eating chicks. Im not sure why, maybe because I dont think of cats as prey animals.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Lepto is usually spread by rodents, not possums -- except, possibly, if you live in Australia or New Zealand, in which case we're talking about an entirely different type of marsupial that also gets called "possum".

And I'm MUCH more worried about getting fleas or ticks, etc. from my own dogs and from the plants in my yard (ticks) than from any possum. I don't think I'll be eliminating the dogs any time soon, or burning over my grass, just to avoid that flea/tick risk.

Please note that I'm NOT saying possums or any other native species are harmless. Some of them can be quite irritating, in fact. I just think that some people tend to demonize them and/or inflate the threat they usually pose, to both humans and livestock.

 

[bluey]

that is patently untrue...but I did an internet search anyway just to check because my wildlife management courses did occur back in 1989.

If you perform an internet search that went past one article (the NZ and Aus article), you'd find many others documenting leptospirosis cases in dogs in the US and also find that the vectors are rodents, raccoons, possums, skunks etc...

C'mon amazon, you're better than that. Isn't this your field?

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
It isn't patently untrue. Lepto is most commonly spread by rodents, although all mammals can carry it. Cattle and pigs are other common sources of infection, along with others. Of course I'm biased towards sources of infection that would affect private homes and laboratories rather than farms, but the general fact is still true.

Here's just two sites to check. I don't have time right now for a thorough reference search.

" All species of mammals can be infected, included humans. Among domestic species, cattle, dogs, horses and pigs are the most commonly infected animals. In the wild, rodents are the usual reservoirs of the disease."

http://www.spc.int/rahs/Manual/Multiple_Species/LEPTOSPIROSISE.htm

"Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by spirochetal bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Rats are an important animal host in terms of transmission of leptospirosis to man, but nearly all mammals and reptiles are capable of harbouring the bacteria and transmitting disease. The most common hosts worldwide are dogs, cattle, goats, and rodents."

http://www.nathnac.org/travel/factsheets/leptospirosis.htm

edited to add another source I found:

"The significance of leptospirosis in wildlife species that appear to be susceptible to Leptospira infections (white-tailed deer, raccoon, striped skunk, red fox, gray fox, opossums, rats and mice) is that they serve as reservoir hosts only. Even this status is not clear because very few leptospirosis outbreaks in humans and domestic animals have implicated wildlife species other than rodents (rats and mice)."

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26943--,00.html

 

[bluey]

Very good information. So, your argument is that possums are A resevoir for lepto but not THE main resevoir. That really doesn't sound any different than what I said initially.

In your first citation the following statement is put forth for prevention:

Prevention of the disease involves:

Control of reservoirs (rodents, mongoose, possums),

That's not different from what I proposed either, so

what exactly are we debating?

Oh, yeah... whether possums are harmful and should be disposed or left alone...

Let's see...on the negative: they can eat your chickens, eggs, harbor disease in unmanaged population possibly getting your domestic animals (dogs and horses) sick and they, although disgusting to think about, may also eat your kittens....also generally regarded as a nuisance animal that can also hosts ticks, fleas, mites and lice.

on the positive: I can't remember any positives. I know some folks keep them as pets. Are there any other positives I'm forgetting?

I choose to eliminate them...just as I did to one about an hour ago...

I free range my chickens (yes, I'm one of THOSE irresponsible chicken owners who choose to free range). I believe in active varmint control (of non-protected species) much as my tagline says, quoting Uncle Ben Parker from "Spiderman" with a little bit of a different twist. 18 months of free ranging...no lost chickens.

Can we just agree to disagree and move on?

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I have no "argument" at all. I'm merely presenting the fact that there is very little risk of lepto transmission by possums.

From that third site I quoted:

"very few leptospirosis outbreaks in humans and domestic animals have implicated wildlife species other than rodents (rats and mice)."

and

"the risk of infection from free-ranging, wild animals is virtually non-existent."

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26943--,00.html

My only desire in regards to this thread is that people would stop demonizing wild animals and/or falsely inflating the danger they present, when trying to justify killing them. If you're going to make an argument for lethal control, use FACTS. That's all I'm asking for. And in this case, the fact is that the risk of lepto transmission from possums is "virtually non-existent".

(edited to add -- oh, P.S. - those "possums" in the quote you provided are the Australian/New Zealand marsupials, not the North American ones.)

 

[DLS]

I would like to borrow that 'possum that ears cats . we are over run with wild house cats.

 

[Duppydo]

I read something in another post about opossums and wanted to know if anyone here knows.
Oblie13 posted under the thread " Whats Killing My Hens ? " a peice written by Gail Damerow that state the following...
"And if your marauders are a family of 'possum, think twice about exterminating them,or you'll likely end up with a rat problem"...

Now my question is, does this mean what i think it means...? Opossums are good ratters...? I've caught a couple opossums in a live trap. very close to my hen house. Yes, i put them down. I have discovered this summer i have a rat problem..Now i'm thinking the opossums are the lesser of the two evils...! From what i read a oppossum will kill a chicken, given the chance, but they are not as aggressive as raccoons and rats. I really hate rats, they destroyed my pond, trashed my garden, and i know they will try to get my eggs and chickens. I can't honestly say opossums have done any damage and are as big a threat to my flock...
Does anyone know for sure if oppossums hunt and eat rats....? If they do, i will likely not kill them when caught and my even welcome them. My hen house is pretty well secured. I have allot of raccoons around and so far, knock on wood, they haven't gotten into my hen house...What do you folks think...?? Kevin

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I doubt a possum would be much danger to an adult rat. OTOH I'm quite sure they would love to eat baby rats if they found any.