CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device
DEAR JOAN: Recently, we had an unusual sighting in our backyard — a mother opossum carrying her babies.
Is there anything that we can or should do to help protect the mother and her babies?
Jennifer W., Campbell
DEAR JENNIFER: The opossum is one of my favorite animals, although truthfully, I pretty much like them all. The opossum, which early settlers described as having the head of a swine, tail of a rat and size of a cat, is a fairly harmless creature that eats snails and slugs, and has a resistance to rabies, making them a nice visitor to the yard.
I noticed two things about the photo you sent. The first is, the “babies” are actually getting to be teenagers, which means they’ll be dropping off mom and going their own way fairly soon. It might seem as though they were still too young, but that’s the way of the opossum.
The other thing I noticed is you appear to have a swimming pool. That could be the biggest threat the opossums face. If they fall in trying to get a drink or because they’re a bit clumsy, they may drown because they can’t get out. You might want to put in some sort of temporary ramp for them to use, or cover the pool when not in use.
The other major threat to opossums are pets. If you have dogs or cats, keep them indoors or on a leash outside if the opossums hang around. They likely are just passing through in their search for food. Opossums are solitary wanderers and will only stay if they find food, water and shelter, although even then, they never move in permanently.
DEAR JOAN: I know that opossums play dead when they feel threatened. Well, around 6 p.m. this past Saturday, I noticed an opossum lying on its side, stiff.
It is right up by my house along the outside basement wall. I figured it played dead because I just had my dogs out to use the bathroom. I have to have them on leashes or they would be gone.
The next day, (the opossum) was still lying there and I figured it was dead, so I was going to dispose of it, but then my daughter and I both could see it was still taking slow, faint breaths.
So my question is, is it playing dead or could it be dying? I do not see any blood, it does not smell, but I will not touch it. How do I find out? Who do I call about this?
Helen, Bay Area
DEAR HELEN: Opossums don’t play dead for long — a few minutes up to four hours. Playing dead is not a voluntary action. When faced with a sudden threat, they tend to faint, go stiff and release a foul odor that further convinces a predator that the opossum is dead. If the one you saw has been in the same spot without moving for a day, then I’d say something is wrong.
I don’t know if the opossum is dying, but I’d say it’s not in good shape. It might have been poisoned or suffered an injury that is not apparent. It could recover on its own, but that’s not something we can predict.
Call a wildlife rehabilitation center near you. They will ask that you bring it to them, as most don’t have retrieval systems in place. You also can call Animal Services in your city or county.
