# Extermination of possums, what is your opinion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853 "2008-07-09T16:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/1 "2008-07-09T16:24:39Z")
I have a friend who has had some possums making messes and tearing up his yard. He’s set up a cage and has caught two of them so far. His plan has been to trap them and then take them to another part of town to let them go. When I suggested he kill the things, he acted like that was a horrid idea. I really can’t imagine doing such a thing myself, but I also can’t imagine relocating dirty rodents that may or may not have rabies and other diseases. Is killing possums animal cruelty or is it rodent extermination? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/2 "2008-07-09T16:32:39Z")
Personally, I hate their beady-eyed selves, but if they’re in a forest preserve, I’ll take a live and let live attitude. Now…if I found one in my house? Whoever draws first wins. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/3 "2008-07-09T16:38:44Z")
I definitely wouldn’t do it myself(look at these guys - they’re like furry little babies), but I believe people who are at risk of diseases from infected animals can kill them to protect themselves. I hope you find a humane way to kill them if your friend oks it. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/4 "2008-07-09T17:49:30Z")
'Possums rarely carry rabies. Around here it is skunks and bats you have to worry about. I live in the country so I have a live and let live policy with regard to 'possums. They have scared the shit out of me by being on my porch when I go out at night, but since I apparently scare the shit out of them at the same time, I figure we’re even. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/5 "2008-07-09T17:49:51Z")
I feel sorry for them since they are so ugly, and have mercy. You might check with your county extension folks about relocation and rabies. They do have an awful lot of teeth… ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/6 "2008-07-09T18:22:39Z")
Possums have too low of a body temperature to support rabies or give anything to humans. And they’re adorable! They’re also not rodents - they’re marsupials. If you kill them, how are you going to keep other ones from just taking their place? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/7 "2008-07-09T18:37:27Z")
If you strike them down, they will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/8 "2008-07-09T18:41:29Z")
Any possum in my backyard has told the universe that it is ready to leave this planet, as far as I’m concerned. Granted this may involve me screaming like Jamie Curtis in “Halloween” and flailing with broom until I can get in the door, which I will then lock behind me… but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/9 "2008-07-09T18:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Possums have too low of a body temperature to support rabies or give anything to humans. And they’re adorable! [/QUOTE] > [@Link](#): > > Opossums, like most other animals, are susceptible to infection by the rabies virus; however, very few rabid wild opossums have been documented. Are you sure we’re talking about the [same animal](http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW026) ? > [@link](#): > > they are not the cutest critters to ever to visit our backyards…Opossums have a scaly, rat-like, prehensile tail…Opossums also have more teeth (50) than any other North American mammal…Carrion (animals that are already dead) also is a favorite food item. Now this is interesting: > [@Link](#): > > They may be helpful in reducing venomous snakes and removing dead animals from human populated areas. Adult opossums are immune to the venom of copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. If your friend doesn’t want them, he can send them to me. I found a snake in a lotus tub yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/10 "2008-07-09T19:01:26Z")
Hmm. . . Didn’t know Clarence Williams III was such an expert on possums. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/11 "2008-07-09T19:03:06Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Are you sure we’re talking about the [same animal](http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW026) ? [/QUOTE] Yup. I was told when I was working for a wild animal rescue organization, that they can’t give humans any diseases. And they’re CUTE! They look like giant rats! They’re really soft too. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/12 "2008-07-09T19:07:05Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Yup. I was told when I was working for a wild animal rescue organization, that they can’t give humans any diseases. And they’re CUTE! They look like giant rats! They’re really soft too. [/QUOTE] And they go up on their hind legs and hiss and spit like a demon from hell. I also watched one hold its own against an extremely angry Chow dog. Maybe possums are bigger and angrier down here, but cute is not a word I’d use for 'em. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![B\_A\_Bay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@B\_A\_Bay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B_A_Bay)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/13 "2008-07-09T19:11:36Z")
I am a country boy and people often things “trapping and releasing” is good, but often it’s not. Usually the possum or skunk simply winds up in another’s territory and is harassed or even killed by other animals (of the same kind or different kind). Getting a dog or another animal to drive off your possum is the best answer, but merely releasing it somewhere else is like 50% chance it won’t last in the new location. But it makes people feel better, but then again, I wasn’t raised thinking chickens come from the store. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/14 "2008-07-09T19:25:10Z")
They are disgusting but sure, why not release them. The best place to do it is on the median strip between both sides of a busy interstate highway. They will know what to do from there. ---
**Author:** ![RichS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7c8e57/32.png) [@RichS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RichS)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/15 "2008-07-09T19:25:43Z")
Only one thing matters in all of this _their favorite thing to eat is the roach_. And ridding an area of possums/rodents is a full time job. But hey, if your idea of fun is sitting on your porch at 3 in the morning with a pellet rifle, then have at it. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/16 "2008-07-09T20:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] And they go up on their hind legs and hiss and spit like a demon from hell. I also watched one hold its own against an extremely angry Chow dog. Maybe possums are bigger and angrier down here, but cute is not a word I’d use for 'em. 😃 [/QUOTE] I think I just have odd standards. When my cats hiss at me, I think it’s funny. And the possum I knew bit me once (I can’t hold it against him - I had dragged him out of his cage by his tail, as per procedure.) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/17 "2008-07-09T21:12:49Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] And they’re CUTE! They look like giant rats! [/QUOTE] Okay, think about what you just said. Actually, they are so _ugly_ they are cute. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/18 "2008-07-09T21:39:47Z")
Sure, sure. You set out to exterminate them, but they ‘play possum’ and you only _think_ they’re all dead. Then they come back and get you when you least expect it. _Nobody expects the Possum Inquisition!_ ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/19 "2008-07-09T21:41:47Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Okay, think about what you just said. [/SIZE] [/QUOTE] I LIKE rats. I repeat - I have odd standards. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853/20 "2008-07-09T21:55:21Z")
Opposums have a very low incidence of rabies. And as **RichS** said, they will eat roaches, slugs, snails, and other things that you don’t want around your house and garden. They’re shy creatures that make good neighbors. Why chase them away, let alone kill them? From [here]([Opossum FAQ | Opossum Society of the United States (OSUS)](http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/frequently_asked_questions.htm#There) is an opossum in my yard. What do I do?): > [@](#): > > Opossums are beneficial: eating the harmful, unwanted pests around your home such as snails, slugs, spiders, cockroaches, rats, mice and snakes. Think of the opossum as your free gardener. The opossum is known as “Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineer” for a good reason! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extermination-of-possums-what-is-your-opinion/455853.md?page=2)