This is Opie, approximately 1 to 3 year old opossum.
Published by Shassy 20 Feb 23
Opossums are gentle creatures. They try to look nasty and slobber when scared, and will play “possum” when they feel like there’s no way out. This one in particular has been around a few times and is now trusting me and being brave as to interact and not play dead, or run off. (Yes, they can run off… I’ve seen it. They don’t always play dead.)
They really are an amazing animal, marsupials to be exact, and are beneficial to a healthy ecosystem. I say healthy because when humans get involved, we upset the ecosystem. If we eliminate one part, then it upsets the balance, and then it’s a downward spiral.
This particular opossum in my above ⬆️⬆️⬆️ video is a regular. I can tell by nicks in his little ears, and the end of his tail has a previous injury.
Last summer I took in a blind old opossum to sanctuary. He was starving and trying to live in one of our cats houses. When I realized something was wrong, I called my wildlife person, and took him into be transported to a safe place where he could get what he needed.
I didn’t know that when they get old they can get cataracts and become blind. I picked him up and put him gently into the carrier, and offered food and water, and he ate and drank like a champ. (This is a ranch and we have random bowls that are stored, without being used, so that’s why this bowl is so old looking, and covered in hard water stains. Sometimes the raccoons steal them and I find them in the yard, or further out in the pasture. Please don’t judge my old steel bowl). See below video. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Then, that same day, immediately after I had returned from the location for drop off for transport to sanctuary, as I walked into the barn, my cats were going after something. As I looked around I found the cutest baby Opie. I don’t care what you say, he/she was adorable.
(I don’t have my “hrsygrl” TikTok anymore, fyi). This video doesn’t show his cuteness as well as what I saw before I picked up my camera. I do have gloves on because although they rarely bite, they still can. I put him in a blanket and snuggled him up to me… and thought…. “I should raise him and keep him”… but I didn’t… he needed to be able to grow and be away from cats, so he went to sanctuary as well.
But I sure wanted to. It was hard to put aside what I wanted, and do what was right for him. Oh my heart 💜. Such a cutie.
So anyway, my point being is that I love animals and creatures of all kinds. I try to leave them be, but as you can see, since they learn where the food is… we will have interaction.
I also ran into Ricky Raccoon last night, but he wasn’t as amiable to discussion. 🤣
Please take care of this planet and all of the inhabitants. Once it’s gone, we don’t get a do-over.
✌️
Shassy
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