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  • Arlington & Alexandria Educational Article of the Month - Are Opossums Dangerous to Cats, Dogs, or Other Pets?

Are Opossums Dangerous to Cats, Dogs, or Other Pets?

Arlington & Alexandria opossums are not known to be one of the most terrifying creatures. But just like cats and dogs, they can sometimes bite and pass on infectious diseases to anyone. If you have a garden, most likely, it will not spare those fruits and flowers you have tended carefully. Aside from these, they can create such a terrible mess within the surroundings because they love to ransack garbage cans for some treats.



What makes them any different?
Unlike other pets, Virginia opossums can’t have rabies. But that doesn’t mean you are safe already. They still can carry rabies and pass it on when they get bad. In other words, your cat or dog won’t be that safe as well. And just like the rest of the animals from the wild, they can attack almost anyone when they feel endangered.

Inherent abilities
Like most people, you probably find Arlington & Alexandria possums to be cute and adorable because they like to play or hang themselves up on trees. Opossums have this peculiar way of getting your attention and that is by pretending helpless or playing dead. In case you found an orphaned wild animal, it is best for you to contact a Virginia wildlife rehabilitation centre than to think about raising the animal as your own pet.

To each his own
Opossums are omnivores and they eat mice, rats, snails and other garden pests apart from fruits and other plants in the backyard. It would be difficult to have possum as a pet especially if you have cats and dogs because it will eat their foods as well. Basically, it would be unhealthy for a possum to eat an unusual diet because they have different nutritional needs as compared to your household pets.

Health issues
It would be helpful to learn about the Arlington & Alexandria animal’s life expectancy before you think about making them as part of your family. Having opossum as pet can be a pitiful experience because of their extremely short lifespan. These creatures normally live around 3-5 years only because they have different needs, which makes them more prone to stress and other illnesses.

• Bacterial diseases
• Parasitic diseases
• Prone to cataracts
• Obesity or malnutrition

Ponder on these
Don’t feel guilty in case a mother has abandoned those tiny possums in the Arlington & Alexandria backyard. The best way to take good care of them is to give the possums back to proper authorities and let them live theirown way of life, just like what nature has designed for them.

To learn more about our services, visit the Arlington & Alexandria wildlife removal home page.

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