Rabid possum

[spanky509]

Little dog went out before bed last night as usuall. Barking his brains out ,so I went out to check. A possum was agressivly after him. I got a stick and poked him thinking he would play possum. He turned on me. So I dispatched him. Ever seen an agressive possum? I hadn't.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I have heard that Opossums can't get rabies being marsupials but I know they sure can be mean especially if they have babies.

http://opossumsocietyus.org/faq-opossum/

 

[Merle1948]

Little dog went out before bed last night as usuall. Barking his brains out ,so I went out to check. A possum was agressivly after him. I got a stick and poked him thinking he would play possum. He turned on me. So I dispatched him. Ever seen an agressive possum? I hadn't.

Only once, it started chewing on my boot and wouldn't quit - kept following me down the road. I finally killed it, when "rabies" came to mind.

 

[tinman]

I have had them hiss at me and refuse to vacate the area.......those usually get carried off as future buzzard food. As to the rabies. This from the HSA website:

"Opossums are amazingly resistant to rabies. Hissing, drooling, and swaying are part of the opossum's bluff routine. It is intended to scare away potential predators, yet it looks just like rabies and is the reason people can be convinced they’re seeing “rabid opossums” when they’re not."

Bottom line, even though it may be rare, it ain't impossible. I will continue to err on the side of caution.

 

[stevemb]

When I trapped, 'possums weren't worth the effort to skin. Did skin one, furbuyer wasn't thrilled, so we quit. Of the dozen or so caught, say 80% would do the 'possum thing, and you could easily release them. Some would fight like the nastiest well-toothed varmint ! If you release them with a nice pat on the head, it's likely you'll just get another chance to pet'em. So...

 

[BearBio]

I have had them hiss at me and refuse to vacate the area.......those usually get carried off as future buzzard food. As to the rabies. This from the HSA website:

"Opossums are amazingly resistant to rabies. Hissing, drooling, and swaying are part of the opossum's bluff routine. It is intended to scare away potential predators, yet it looks just like rabies and is the reason people can be convinced they’re seeing “rabid opossums” when they’re not."

Bottom line, even though it may be rare, it ain't impossible. I will continue to err on the side of caution.

That's wise

 

[Mobuck]

My neighbor reached into a bag of dog food one morning and was bitten by a big possum. His DR thought it prudent to get the shots since the possum was gone by the time Fred came back down. He said he got a good look at both sides of the shop roof-one as he went up and the other on his way down.

 

[contender]

I'm a state certified animal damage control agent for NC. I can not relocate any potential animal that can be a rabies vector. I'm allowed to relocate possums.

 

[mikewriter]

I was told by animal control folks around here that possums hardly ever carry rabies. As nasty as they are, I did not believe that, so I did a little (internet) research, and it SEEMS to be true.

 

[mike7mm08]

Read somewhere that the body temp of a possum is too low for them to be a host for rabies. I had one come after me this summer. Live trap and an execution behind closed doors followed a few days later. Sucks living in the city. Would of popped his ass with my 45 I had in my pocket the day he came after me. Neighbors and the soon to arrive police presence would of frowned upon that though. :roll:

 

[tinman]

I was told by animal control folks around here that possums hardly ever carry rabies. As nasty as they are, I did not believe that, so I did a little (internet) research, and it SEEMS to be true.

It's that "hardly" part that will bite ya.......literally. Like I said, if it wants to wander away (as most do) I got not problem with letting them. But................. :roll:

 

[Jeepnik]

I'm a state certified animal damage control agent for NC. I can not relocate any potential animal that can be a rabies vector. I'm allowed to relocate possums.

I typically relocate opossums to another plain. .22 shorts work well.

 

[Mike J]

I've only felt the need to kill a possum twice. Neither was because I felt threatened. Both were acts of mercy. I have considered them a nuisance at times but I have only known of one person that was ever bitten by one. A kid I grew up with caught one that some kids cornered in a hollow tree in a neighbors yard. He took it to the woods to release it. When he picked it up by its tail it bit him. I really don't know why he didn't just dump it out of the bucket he was carrying it in. He didn't catch rabies or any other disease from it.

 

[redhawker]

It is very rare for opossums to have rabies, however, I know of one case, confirmed by the health department. The story was this guy goes out to go to work in his county truck, starts it up and hears funny noise. Shuts it off and opens the hood and there's mom and a bunch of baby opossums inside. He takes them out and, somehow, one of the babies bites him. He was smart enough to isolate the one that bit him and Animal Control took the whole bunch up to the health department for rabies testing since a human was bitten. Turned out none of them had rabies...except...you guessed it, the one that bit him. That's, however, is the only case of rabies I've ever heard of in an opossum.

 

[Jeepnik]

Pretty rare but it does happen. I suspect those that do contract it have a compromised immune system. Can't say I know anyone whose ever been bitten by one. Being nocturnal and pretty reclusive they don't interact with folks all that much.

Raccoons would seem to be a bigger threat. They can be aggressive and are known for carrying rabies more often.

Skunks seem to be notorious for having rabies. But I suspect it may be that those infected are more aggressive and less afraid of people. Most skunks would rather head the other way. Not only can the escape that way, they have the artillery pointed in the right direction if a fire mission is called for.