Do opossums have natural predators?

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Yes, a few. Adult possums are preyed upon by large owls, fox, coyotes, wolves, and bobcats. More commonly than that, the young are preyed upon by a great many animals.

Baby opossums drop off the mother (they spend the first part of life in a pouch, then they cling to momma's back) when they are still small, maybe the size of a rat. The mother usually starts with 13 babies, and most of them don't survive, of course. The young are preyed upon by stray cats, various birds, etc.



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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.

Opossums, although small creatures, (around the same size as the average house cat) actually have very few predators, and they also have a couple of very interesting ways to deal with them when they do come around. For example, you would expect your cat or dog to be a natural predator for this creature, especially if it happens to wander onto their territory – the yard. However, with a set of razor sharp teeth, strong sharp claws, and a brain that is considered to be much smarter than that of a dog, it would seem as if the animal itself is actually well equipped to deal with anything bigger than itself.

This is not to say that the opossum doesn’t have predators, of course, and in fact, even smaller animals can outsmart this opossum. Owls, for example, are one of the natural predators of the opossum, and that is before you even begin to think about coyotes, foxes, large dogs, bobcats and even house pets.

The thing about the opossum is that it has become very smart in its many years in the wild, and is more than likely going to end up as road kill to a passing car, or die from disease as it is to a predator, and with its uncanny ability to “play dead” when it has been cornered or threatened, it actually makes the animal believe that it has in fact won, when really it is just sleeping!

Of course, one of the most dangerous predators to the opossum is us – humans! With horrific poisoning methods, houses that trap them, and traps that we don’t know how to use properly, against us, the opossum really doesn’t stand a chance. However, it still manages to outsmart most of us from time to time, much to our annoyance!

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About urban possums – things you need to know about this crazy animal!

Wild animals are very fast getting used to human ways which is both a good and a bad thing when you look at it. For example, the possum is an animal that was once very nocturnal and hated human interaction, but these days you are just as likely to see the creature during the day as well as the night and on top of that, they are also getting more and more used to humans, to the point where they are actually moving in alongside s in our homes!

You will find that living alongside these wild animals will not be as fun as you first may have thought. For example, the possum is an animal that just loves to make plenty of noise. It will scuffle in and out of the house when you are trying to sleep at night, it is also going to knock over your garbage can in the dead of night to scare the living daylights out of you. That is before you even begin to think about it having a fight with your cat or dog, fighting a territory war with other possums and even mother possums calling to her new babies. As you can imagine, living alongside the possum is going to be challenging.

Of course, there are other problems as well as the noise that you will have to get used to very quickly. This animal will leave a lot of mess behind and you will have the usual concerns with wild animal poop and urine, as well as others. The poop can carry many nasty disease that you are not going to enjoy thinking about. The urine as well, can stain any materials it will come into contact with, contaminate various areas of the home, and will smell to the point where other possums are attracted to it. Often, the easiest way to not have to deal with living alongside possums is just to call the local wildlife removal experts to give you a little helping hand!