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... I overheard a Boomer pro-tip while passing through one of our toolrooms this week. One of our seasoned toolmakers was telling one of the younger guys not to kill a possum that had been frequenting his back porch. Toolmaker explained that where there are possums, there are no rats. It was news to me. I searched tonight and yep, possums killing and eating rats is a thing. The pro-tip here is don't whack your rat killers. They're hunter/killers 🐀 ML
1,961 likes9milpill All fun n games until they eat my fruit. Then all bets are off 2 likes
- laruetactical @9milpill ... Persimmons ain't what I'd call "fruit" 6 likes
- 9milpill @laruetactical was thinking of the tangerines but whatever the garden grows
agchrist54 What if they are in your attic? Still cool? Asking for a friend. 4 likes
- laruetactical @agchrist54 ... Long as they don't smoke ... falling asleep with a cigarette in their mouth up there can be problemattic 24 likes
gunsmithlee Don't know if its true, but i heard they also eat ticks. 18 likes
- insectclout @gunsmithlee They do, yes. 2 likes
- tatu_fan123 @gunsmithlee that is true, and another fun fact, they are immune to snake venom. Their dna aided us in the synthesis of antivenoms 8 likes
- lockonthom @gunsmithlee they are the ticks mortal enemy 5 likes
- micheal.onyema214 @lockonthom it's also extremely hard for them to get rabies 1 like
legitimate.businessman Wow you just saved a possum's life at my house! Have one I've been after but I'll give him a pass for keeping the property rodent free. 6 likes
tycoramerizdad They eat ticks too 10 likes
the_curious_engineer They also eat poisonous snakes and ticks too. A single possum can eat over 3,000 ticks per week. That sure is a cheap, easy way to hold down on the problem of Lyme disease, which is becoming much more prevalent. 8 likes
- wfodave @the_curious_engineer Never mind Lyme disease, Lone Star tick disease! 1 like
- wfodave @the_curious_engineer Never mind Lyme disease, Lone Star tick disease!
c.haltermann Only problem is they tear up chickens. 😐 4 likes
abellbrian I put out cat food for the opossums under my back porch, and I have been for several years. We don't treat them like pets but we like very much to see them around the outside of the house. We even have a shelter for them under the porch for winter. We have never had a mouse. 6 likes
utahstrong_ish_man Great Tip Sir! Too many people kill them just because of how they look. 2 likes
lonestar_hunting1 Ticks. They eat ticks. Great reason to live 4 likes
bigaggiemike Who knew! 🤷
- getmemarlowe @bigaggiemike Who didn't?
ohpossum_daddy Mmmmmm yes. Can confirm. 1 like
manic_pyro They also eat the ticks out of ur lawns 1 like
zhernandez92 Opossum 2 likes
tango.charlie05 And they love snakes 1 like
optiskate Good to know. 😂 Also... the crazy lady that captures, fixes, and keeps a million stray cats also keeps your neighborhood rodent free.... ask me how I know.... 😂😂😂 1 like
scottdonn1 Yes this is all true however if you own horses you will want them off your property as they carry EPM and s 1 like
wiersbowski Only problem is if you own horses. Possums can give them EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis). Possum piss is bad for horses. 1 like
matthewdropco Years ago my dad's cousin brought a Ferret home to the trailer they lived in out in the country. Half an hour later they had rats and snakes running and sliding out from under the trailer. I guess they got a whiff of its musk and said "we out!". They didn't wanna fight a ferret. Something like Ricki Ticki Tavi. 5 likes
gimli_the_bloomer As long as you don't keep horses you're good to go. Their feces can be deadly to horses and that's a no go for any horse owner 1 like
- joewarner6336 @gimli_the_bloomer Bad possum poop comes from them eating dead starlings. Most horse people I know have learned to keep their horse feed in sealed containers to keep the possums, rats etc. out. Also Ops are North America's only marsupial and they lived with the dinosaurs. Besides rodents and bugs they eat snakes, even poisonous ones as they are immune to the venom of all but the coral snake. They being marsupials have a low body temp and so are not a vector species for rabies or other viruses. Good animals to keep around and yes we were once Op rehabbers doing about 400 a year. 2 likes
- gimli_the_bloomer @joewarner6336 I mean yeah. If you don't graze your horses that's fine. But I don't know a lot of people who don't. I know how great they are, and I've relocated my fair share while working around horses. But I'm still not going to mix the two, and if it's a toss up between a 18k dollar animal and an oppussum? The horse isn't gonna be the one dying
- schonebergperformance @gimli_the_bloomer my thoughts exactly. Horses are our livelihood. I don't hunt but I shoot every single opossum I come across.
- joewarner6336 @gimli_the_bloomer Agree, with the value of a horse vs op, but virtually all of the cases of poisoning come from contaminated feed in stalls. Considering how valuable horses are a container for your feed is cheap insurance.
tactical_brass_recovery 🧡
mcy.tm Awesome info!
livelyac Who knew?
samuel.culper_sr Ticks too!
solas4me They also eat chickens..
michael.zimmerman.75457 They eat chickens too so they all gotta go.
leeengland They eat ticks too.
_intellectual_slacker I heard there rabies proof too
happpyaf But, they taste really good!
breedlove.ben They also eat ticks, snakes, and other unpleasantries
robb_actual They slay ticks nicely too.
nicolasdinsmore Apparently they eat a ton of ticks too
glowfinger1 And they eat ticks and cockroaches also. Great animals to have around
300blackout_ As long they stay away from my chickens we're cool.
coloradoshighestelevation They'll also kill and eat all of your chickens-'something to be aware of
losrukos_barbell Those little dudes are immune to cottonmouths and rattlers. They've been known to partake in snake as well
lasse___b Leave possums alone, they are friends
davispinner Bigger rat eating smaller rat. Got it. Just kidding
fucyea_murica_ The terminator of the street pandas
mimedical_ I don't believe they get rabies either also they love to eat ticks 1 like
predator_prey_outdoors I tell you what, I got a cat that kills the heck out of rats. We live surrounded by a cow pasture and I have a decent size garden area that I chased 3 rats from one day from the corn rows when I mowed them down. I also have a couple possums that hang around. So it sounds like they need to start upholding their end of the deal because my cat can't keep up 😂
brad_okelly They also eat copperheads
kevin_nagle63 I have possums and rats in my backyard. My possums must be Liberals, they ain't workin'.
alta_life Can they eat puppies? If so then I think one of them killed one of my pups and then the mama (BelgianMalinois) ran it off hard to believe but next two days she killed one then 2 the other days...
texaselectric1973 Possums get a pass from me but the dogs don't know this.
556_marine Hmmm when ever I see a possum they not as quick as a rat and they eating grubs or worms and insects in the back yard at work or digging through trash
chasin_pedos_to_the_gallows And they eat other pests like cockroaches etc. plus they are our only relative to kangaroos in NA
garry_mcpeak They eat loads of Tennessee Ticks too.
josh.macintyre No issues with possums. But I absolutely despise raccoons! My Tobr has taken quite a few!
justacivvy @tuffpossumgear 1 like
- tuffpossumgear @justacivvy boom!!! Legitness! 2 likes
txmerica @j.cowboy.r Los tacuaches 1 like
gnarbecue Repent @bobbycooley 👀
f1504rad @heatherlynnoh
cow2u @gunsmithlee Yep they eat rattlesnakes and ticks also. They're one of the good guys!
458_socalm Wish I could break my terrier from wrecking them, I stop him every chance I get. Hard to tell him the difference between groundhogs raccoons and opossum. He got to another one this morning, about to go see if it's really dead or not. I stopped him as soon as I could, but he's a hard little bugger!
drake_conman They will also smoke your chickens and rabbits so just depends on the situation.
willsmashu I like boomers more than i like millennials..by leaps and bounds..
rxnemo we need some opossums in Washington 1 like
rkelley187 They also eat a shitload of ticks and are virtually immune from rabies. 2 likes
mrs_gerdes They smell like 💩.
harrystetser I was today years old when I learned this. I also tell people not to kill snakes around their home. Especially rat snakes for the same reason
j.namck Any bugs, carcasses,and snakes. What if it is a venomous one? Well these guys have built in antivenom. They may look weird, because they have virtually been unchanged for the past few million years. Fossil records indicate they came in around 50 million years ago. They are also not very smart, I've seen one struggle with a leaf in its mouth for ten minutes trying to get it out.
teddytacticool They are also so damn ugly that when you walk around a corner and stumble across one it startled the piss out of you when all a guy is trying to do is take the trash to the curb.
19macsuibhne16 I'm amazed how many assholes love shooting possums for no reason.
- schonebergperformance @19macsuibhne16 I shoot every one I see. They give horses epm. We rely on horses for income so I don't play around with paying bills.
razorhog33 Out here in the country, they eat my chickens! I kill em!