kellystewart Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Picked up my new baby Virgina Opossum today...she is gorgeous but scared. Gotta try handle her as much as possible to get her hand tame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how cute!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 ohhh, wow i have never seen 1 of then before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSNS Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 what an awsome looking creature looks like cross between a hedghog an well pinky from pinky an dteh brain lol what does it eat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokis_mom Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 AWWwwww animal babies are sooo cute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroush Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 an Opossum? Do they make good pets? They've got those big 'ol teeth and are disease prone, I imagine they'd smell... but then again.. maybe domesticated ones are different? Do you have vets that will Vac an opossum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra & Honey Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 So cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey.Zarly Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 CUTEEEEEEEEEEEE check those ears out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellystewart Posted June 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Couple of common misconceptions there - Yeah they can make good pets (check you tube out, so sweet lol) - Teeth are a defence mechanism and they gape their mouths open to scare predators, but generally it's all show - Nope very clean and no smell at all...i'd liken them to cats. i.e litter trained etc - They are very non-disease prone and' as such do not need vaccines. They cannot get rabies and are even immune to snake venom. For you guys state side I imagine they are a very strange pet but a lot of states allow them as pets and are common in some areas. @ Keath - They eat pretty much anything and everything....pinkies, fuzzies(mice of varying sizes), rat pups, chicks, lots of veg and fruit...calcium supplement as they need plenty of it so they don't get metabolic bone disease. When she is older i'll give chicken wings as well. an Opossum? Do they make good pets? They've got those big 'ol teeth and are disease prone, I imagine they'd smell... but then again.. maybe domesticated ones are different? Do you have vets that will Vac an opossum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 oh my god!!!!!!!!!!! thats prob the cutest thing ever!!!! x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqwidge Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 awww cute!!! i want one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaves to kaya Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Oh no....wish I hadn't seen it,........ coz I want one!!! Its soooo cute, I am definately not showing the kids or I will have to buy a farm to house us all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 aw, wow how cute is she?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Couple of common misconceptions there - Yeah they can make good pets (check you tube out, so sweet lol) - Teeth are a defence mechanism and they gape their mouths open to scare predators, but generally it's all show - Nope very clean and no smell at all...i'd liken them to cats. i.e litter trained etc - They are very non-disease prone and' as such do not need vaccines. They cannot get rabies and are even immune to snake venom. For you guys state side I imagine they are a very strange pet but a lot of states allow them as pets and are common in some areas. @ Keath - They eat pretty much anything and everything....pinkies, fuzzies(mice of varying sizes), rat pups, chicks, lots of veg and fruit...calcium supplement as they need plenty of it so they don't get metabolic bone disease. When she is older i'll give chicken wings as well. Wow thats really educational! And She is sooooo cute! I held a baby racoon the other day and that was the most adorable thing ever aparently they can make very good pets too... Just hope people do their research, like you have, before getting these unusual species as pets!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Miss Bump Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 wow that is the cutest thing i've seen since big d and little 'un!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 omg shes gorgeous i want 1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellystewart Posted June 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Ah well funny you should mention that....a raccoon is possibly next on my list. I am waiting to hear about a litter. There aren't many left now as they are seasonal so may have to wait till next spring/summer now. They CAN make good pets yes BUT they are notorious for "turning wild" at about 2/3 years old. Ideally, you would have a large pen for them to play in but you must interact with them loads and teach boundaries as much as possible. They really can't be trained like dogs so it's mutual respect both ways. I'd hope anyone getting an exotic would spend even half the amount of time I did/do research before I get one.... Wow thats really educational! And She is sooooo cute! I held a baby racoon the other day and that was the most adorable thing ever aparently they can make very good pets too... Just hope people do their research, like you have, before getting these unusual species as pets!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Ah well funny you should mention that....a raccoon is possibly next on my list. I am waiting to hear about a litter. There aren't many left now as they are seasonal so may have to wait till next spring/summer now. They CAN make good pets yes BUT they are notorious for "turning wild" at about 2/3 years old. Ideally, you would have a large pen for them to play in but you must interact with them loads and teach boundaries as much as possible. They really can't be trained like dogs so it's mutual respect both ways. I'd hope anyone getting an exotic would spend even half the amount of time I did/do research before I get one.... The ones I met had been hand reared from days old, which aparently is risk for the survival of the baby but if it does survive it makes them much tamer.. The boy I met was about 2 and although he was a little nippy he was very friendly and so dextrous! and the baby was just the cutest thing!! Very expensive tho, easily as much as a sibe pup. And yeah they said about a large enclosure... they are private keepers so the animals they have basically have taken over their house with their enclosures! LOL Yeah Id hope they'd research but theres always some stupid impulse people arnt their, just hope the price tags prohibitive enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroush Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Opossums are carriers of diseases such as: Chagas Disease, Coccidiosis, Herpes virus, Murine Typhus, Rabies, Salmonella, Spotted fever, Toxoplasmosis, Trichomoniasis, Tuberculosis, Tularemia and Yellow fever. They are reservoirs for Leptospirosis, also known as hemorrhagic jaundice in wildlife and humans. Leptospirosis can be transmitted through the urine and feces of infected animals. Humans may contract the disease by eating unwashed produce or fallen fruit, or by putting unwashed hands to their mouth. Opossums may be heavily infested with fleas and ticks which are also known transmitters of disease. Murine Typhus and Toxoplasmosis are the prevalent diseases seen in opossums in the Los Angeles area. We are fortunate that opossums are very resistant to rabies. Source: http://www.laanimals...fe_opossums.htm "Opossums have a spectacular immune system, and a lower than average body temperature. This means that they don't carry a whole lot of the standard zoonotic diseases that other animals might carry. Although an opossum might get rabies, it's very unlikely. However, opossums do often carry fleas and other parasites, and the potential diseases that go along with those. They also defecate, a lot, and when they get in your attic the droppings can contaminate the area and pose the usual excrement health risks, such as leptospirosis or Salmonella." "Opossums can also carry various parasites and diseases." Source: http://www.247wildli...ssumcontrol.htm Maybe the Opossum species native to North America is different from the ones you have in Europe, or from the species that are sold as pets.I'd also imagine ones being sold as pets were through some kind of breeder and would be free of those diseases, but they're still prone to it, just as any animal is I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katie mc Posted July 2, 2010 Report Share Posted July 2, 2010 aww its soooo cute!! I do believe though that they shouldnt be pets they should be in the wild where they belong along with any other exotic pets.(just my opinion though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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