Possums are one of the most fascinating animals because of the way they pretend to be dead when they sense danger. Since many predators won’t eat already-dead food, playing dead even when they are touched or bitten by other animals is an effective survival strategy.
However, the Didelphimorphia family of hairy mammals also has many other unique traits. For instance, the fact that they are omnivores, which means they consume both plant and animal materials, makes their diet very intriguing.
What Do Possums Eat?
Dead animals or carrion and skeletal remains
Possums require a lot of protein and calcium in their diets. They eat carrion meat to satisfy these urges. They are content to eat any other dead animal they can locate, even ones that have decomposed. Any animal, including goats, pigs, lambs, rodents, and many others, will be eaten by opossums.
They nibble on the bones and skeletal remnants of smaller animals like rats to satisfy their calcium demand.
Insects
These adaptable animals will consume any insects they come upon for food. They will consume harmful or deadly insects as well as ants, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers, worms, ticks, moths, spiders, and centipedes. Being able to consume these things makes them a very valuable animal since they lessen the amount of bug pestilence, which helps to sustain the ecology.
Small animals
Possums are very swift for animals that enjoy acting dead, and they have keen fangs. They have the ability to hunt a wide variety of small animals, including rats, mice, frogs, birds, hamsters, moles, and many others. Even poisonous snakes can be caught and eaten by these animals.
Eggs
The passion of possums for eggs. To get to bird nests so they can eat the eggs, they will scale vast heights. Possums thrive on eggs because they are a great source of protein and calcium since the eggshell is so rich in calcium.
Fruits and certain plants
These hairy animals will consume specific fruits as well. All kinds of fruits, including kiwifruit, pear, pawpaw, tomatoes, watermelon, honeydew, grapes, carambola, rockmelon, apples, oranges, berries, bananas, and many others, are available for them to eat throughout the day.
Families of possums can do significant damage to gardens since they devour a variety of plants. They enjoy the fresh sprouts and tops of plants. They enjoy eating flowers, magnolias, roses, soot, fruit tree crops, and a variety of other plants.
Grains, seeds, and nuts
Additionally, these animals consume a variety of cereals, seeds, and nuts. They enjoy eating a wide variety of nuts, seeds, and grains, including oats, barley, spelt, rice, corn, sorghum, and other varieties of cereals. They also enjoy eating the tender leaves and sprouts that grow on the plants that produce these items.
Cat, dog and human food
Possums enjoy eating cat and dog food as well. Both pellets and soft foods like canned meats will be consumed by them. They won’t likely attack your pets to collect these meals; instead, they’ll wait till it’s convenient to go feeding.
Possums are drawn to human meals because they consume a variety of fruits, cereals, and nuts. Possums can consume a variety of human foods, including fruit, crackers, bread, cookies, and many other items. Possums shouldn’t be given human food because it frequently contains components like salt and sugar that are unhealthy for these animals.
Diet Variations
These animals don’t have many dietary differences because they consume such a wide variety of foods. Due to their propensity to consume a variety of human waste meals, they are infamous for being a nuisance near trashcans and around areas where pets are fed. The most peculiar aspect of a possum’s diet is its extreme requirement for calcium, which compels it to consume the bones of other small creatures.
How to Feed Possums
What to Possums Eat In the Wild?
Possums in the wild are continually searching for any and all food sources they can discover in their natural environment. They are content to forage for insects or small animals. They eat corpses, soft green plants, fruits, and berries. In times of need, they may even hunt poisonous snakes.
What Do Possums eat in Captivity?
Possums are fed a variety of meals in zoos and animal reserves, including cat food, dog food, small animals, fruits, and eggs. To make sure they receive all the nutrients they need to maintain good health, they are typically given a varied diet.
What do Baby Possums Eat?
Joeys are the name for young possums. Up to 20 joeys can be born at once by a female possum, but not all of them will likely survive because they must grasp onto their mothers while she moves in order to do so. Joeys require milk since possums are mammals.
Young orphaned joeys must be given access to fresh water and can be raised on a wombaroo milk substitute. Depending on the species, they are weaned between 70 and 125 days, and solid foods are typically offered when the animals are just a few weeks old.
All kinds of soft foodstuffs, including fruits, young leaves, and cat or dog chow, are edible to joeys.
How Often Do Possums Eat?
If they can, these little creatures will feed all day. They spend a large portion of the day searching for fruits in their natural surroundings since they are continuously looking for sustenance. To maintain a high level of energy throughout the day, they eat frequently.
Do Possums Eat Chickens?
Possums do consume chickens, but they prefer chicks rather than adult chickens because the latter can occasionally be too large for them to handle. They will consume dead chickens and frequently eat carrion flesh. Although they have no trouble killing adult chickens, they struggle to move these meals away and must eat right immediately.
Are Possums Dangerous?
Possums are potentially harmful due to their sharp teeth. Although they like to play dead and are not particularly prone to bite, if provoked, they can and will bite. These creatures are regarded as harmful because they can spread a variety of diseases to people through bites or fleas that may jump from them to human hosts.
When you discover these animals in or beneath your home, it is better to stay away from them. Additionally, it is better to leave a possum alone while it is acting dead because they are highly unpredictable and may suddenly lash out and bite.
FAQ
Are possums aggressive?
Opossums are not violent; their protective hissing with an open mouth is just a bluff to appear vicious. When they are very terrified, they pretend dead if that doesn’t work. Don’t be alarmed if an opossum is in the backyard. They pose no threat, and it is highly likely that they will leave soon.
Are opossums good to have around?
Opossums are omnivores that are helpful to humans because they do little harm and eat pests like snails, slugs, and unwanted insects. Opossums have a variety of advantageous traits, including: preventing undesirable pests like cockroaches, rats, and mice from entering neighborhoods.
Are possums aggressive to dogs?
Question: Will an opossum harm my animals? Solution: Opossums are typically calm, non-aggressive animals that won’t harm your pets. They like to stay away from conflict. The threatened opossum may “play ‘possum,” flash its teeth, or bite in self-defense, like any animal would, if running away is not an option.
Do possums harm you?
Opossums are timid, gentle creatures about the size of a housecat, according to Lynsey White, The Humane Society of the United States’ director of humane wildlife conflict resolution. They are not a threat to people or animals, and they prefer to stay away from us. Dec 2, 2022
Should possums be killed?
Regardless of whether an opossum is in your yard or house, you shouldn’t kill it. This is not only cruel, but it is also prohibited in many states. These creatures are frequently protected by wildlife legislation because of the function they play in the environment. Instead, rely on non-harmful, humane techniques to get rid of opossums.