# sick opossum hanging around



## outwest (May 1, 2011)

We have raccoons, opossums, wild parrots (yes, a whole flock of Mexican redheads and yellow heads) and coyotes regularly in my neighborhood. The raccoons make a mess, the parrots are super noisy, the coyotes eat the neighborhood cats, but the opossums don't do too much besdies get in my garden and eat my avocados and such. Sometimes the raccoons get on the roof and we think a burglar in crawling around. Sometimes opossums get in the garage and I have to turn the hose on to get them out. Every once in a while a bear or mountain lion will wander down from the mountains, but usually the deer stay out of the neighborhoods. I don't mind any of that, but today the cats were freaking out hissing, so I knew something was up. 

I went out to see and there was an opossum sitting under the camellian. I backed up and suddenly he darted out, but something was obviously wrong with him. He ran, flopped on his side, got up and staggered and flopped on his side. He managed to get himself underneath a bush in the front yard and I brought the cats in. 

I kept thinking about him when we went out tonight. Obviously, he was either injured or worse. I keep thinking he has some wicked neurological disease like distemper or rabies and there he is flopping around in my front yard!

We came home tonight and I hoped he had staggered off somewhere else, but, no...I heard him flopping in the bush and then he ran, slammed into the side of the house and flopped under a bush in the atrium again. 

Oh, my. I told my husband that if he was still there tomorrow we had to call the humane society to come and get him. Usually they will not come for any native wildlife in your yard, but this one is sick. I am so worried he is spreading some horrible disease all over my yard where the dogs and cats walk all the time. When I looked closely at him this afternoon he didn't have any injuries that I could see. 

I am sharing with you because I am worried about what is wrong with him and if it is contagious to my pets. I also feel sorry for him. As ugly as they are, they live here, too.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

When I was reading it through I was thinking distemper too before you even got to that.. if it were me I'd shoot it and get rid of it myself =/ that's no good to have nearby. I'm not sure what you can use to disinfect your yard though.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Yes, put it out of its misery and ask a county agent or state veterinarian what to use in your yard.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Cheese and rice, Fluffyspoos, between photos of Vienna's ladybits and talk of shooting varmints, I have to say that you clearly are not the prissy sort I am. If I had an injured critter "flopping" all over my yard (out here we have skunks and free-roaming territorial Chihuahua and pits) I would likely splash it with a bucket of ice water then dance on tip toes while wringing my hands and squealing into the animal control's answering machine. Unless it was one of the chihuahuas... they have chased my 3 year old and poodle, teeth bared, while out on a walk on numerous occasions. Those things could be shot without me shedding a tear.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Sometimes, to protect life and limb, you have to take matters into your own hands.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I thought about hitting it with a shovel and putting it out of it's misery, but I couldn't kill anything if I tried. Besides, it is very big. We have skunks, too, but usually I just smell them. 

It looks like it has distemper. Please...have it gone when we get up. I don't know if I should let the cats out in the morning like I usually do. I think I will make them stay in the house tomorrow. The dogs are vaccinated against distemper, but not the cats.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Oh man, yeah don't let the kitties out. Maybe spray the yard with a 10% bleach solution when it's out of there?

And no.. I'm not prissy at all lol I grew up fishing and hunting, catching snakes and mice, trying to catch pheasant by hand, and so on.

However, put a bee in my car while I'm driving and you'll hear a very girly scream.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Keep calling agencies (zoo?) and neighbors for help until someone responds!


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## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

What happened in the end - the suspense is killing me.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Oh, gosh! I have been working. The sick opposum disappeared. My husband hunted all around in the bushes looking for him. Yay! Gone! But, I have kept the cats inside for two days straight (they are very unhappy campers). I plan to keep them in for a couple more days just to ensure they don't get any nasty disease from the grass. Plus, we watered the lawn yesterday and today to try and wash any Nastiness down. 

I plan to do one more thorough sweep of our yard tomorrow to make sure there is no dead opposum under a bush.


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## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

Phew! Glad it disappeared. Have a lovely Christmas.


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