Do possums actually make good pets?

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The idea of owning an exotic pet is often one that can seem quite attractive, and opossums are actually quite cute animals that appear as though they might be a nice animal to have around the house, while their desire to root through garbage suggests their diet would be quite flexible too. Like any decision to bring a pet into the family, it is very important to take all of the relevant factors into account, especially the fact that keeping an opossum as a pet will bring a lot of serious challenges for the owner.



Why People Like Opossums

Much like puppies, young opossums are very cute with the light colored fur and the cute pink nose, but while a puppy will grow up to be an attractive dog, opossums are not always quite on the same level when they grow into adulthood. Opossums are also animals that are attracted by food, and some people may even have fed opossums, despite it being something that is well avoided.

Learn how to identify opossum tracks.

Destructive Nature

One of the biggest drawbacks and factors to consider with opossums is that their natural instincts will make them quite destructive in a domestic setting, and they will often chew, gnaw and shred materials for their nest. This is also something that will not necessarily be able to be trained out of the animal, and some opossums will do this throughout their lives even if they do live around people throughout their juvenile and adult lives.

Find out more about Where Do Opossums Live?

Diet And Requirements Of The Household

In the wild the diet of the opossum is very diverse, eating a mix of smaller mammals, insects and worms, along with fruits, seeds and almost any other edible food sources, so it is important to give them a diverse diet when they are kept as pets too. You should also be aware of the habits and the natural instincts of the opossum, and adapt the home to suit the animal.

The Commitment Of Owning An Opossum

Taking on a pet is not something that should be done lightly in any event, and when it comes to adopting an exotic animal like an opossum it really should only be done by someone who has experience of caring for and rehabilitating other opossums. You should think long and hard before deciding that owning an opossum is for you, and because of the specialists needs of the animal, you should also be aware that you might find significant difficulty in rehoming the animal if you find out the task is too much. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does opossum removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of opossums - my main opossum removal info guide.
Example opossum trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Opossum job blog - learn from great examples of opossum jobs I've done.