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Are Opossums Dangerous to Pets?

There are a wide variety of wild Jacksonville animals that could up in your yard if you live anywhere near their natural habitat. Curious animal might be looking for food, shelter, or a safe space to raise their young. One animal commonly found in people’s yards is the opossum.



Possums may look threatening and they look like giant rats. If they are threatened, they can stand their ground and bare their teeth. They’ve got 50 sharp teeth, they look intimidating, and you may worry that they are threat to pets and people. Normally, opossums are docile and this tooth baring is used only as a display. You can still poke the opossum in this state and you can put your hands near the mouth and it is not going to attack you. However, this is not something that you should try. The Jacksonville opossums are known not to attack but to play dead.

The opossum may attack on rare occasions, and this is when it is necessary to defend itself. When a dog tries to mess with the possum, the possum may not play dead but instead will bite back. This is why the opossum can be dangerous to a dog, cat or any pet you may have at home. The possum will not attack if it is not provoked, and most of the time only in extreme cases. Before you interact with any wild animal, it is best to be aware of what you are dealing with, especially if the animal is terrifying like an opossum. The animal is the size of a cat and it has sharp teeth with claws which may rip open even animals that have tough skins. Whenever you encounter a Florida opossum, keep in mind that it is a frightened animal which wants to survive.

Playing dead is one way that the opossum will avoid the confrontation. Even if people believe that it is just a myth, the truth is they really do play dead. This is something which the Jacksonville opossum cannot control since it is triggered by its brain and it paralyzes itself for a few minutes. The opossum may threaten any pet you have at home, including cats and dogs. They will end up attacking whenever they feel as if they are being threatened by the pets. When you find the opossum paralyzed, it is easy to take it and relocate it. However, you have to be aware of other behavior that the opossum exhibits since it may change the behavior and it can become troublesome.

As a wild animal, you have to ensure that the opossum does not meet with your pets since they may carry wild diseases. You should also not keep the opossum like a pet since you will need permits to do so. When an opossum is an orphan, then you have to seek assistance immediately. When you find the Florida opossum in the yard, there is nothing to worry about and no need to try to chase it away. It can be beneficial since it can eat snakes, mice, rats, cockroaches, spiders, slugs and snails.

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