'Possums - should I be concerned?
 

Over the past few months I've noticed we're starting to have a 'possum "problem" - there are several hanging around now eating the outside cats' food. I'm not sure if I should be concerned; the outside cats don't seem to be too terrified of them - they just sit back a ways and watch their dinner get eaten. I have a proper critter trap and I have thought of re-locating them, although I suspect if one moves out another will waddle right in and take his place. I don't know if they're a threat to the cars I have stored outdoors, like mice or rats would be vis-a-vis wiring, insulation, upholstery, etc.

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I've had possums around my place forever. If you're leaving the cat food outside that's probably what's attracting them. Generally speaking they're not a problem like raccoons or skunks. They're basically harmless and usually end up roadkill before they become a problem.

Possums are harmless and beneficial.

Move the cat food but keep the possums around.

Cats are smart enough not to mess with them

You probably wouldn't want to know how they go about eating a dead cow. Just sayin.

I would just change the food location.

We have many Opossums show up nightly to see what we put in our compost bins.

This old guy was “out late” one morning... still rooting around at 7:15am.

The chickens and our 6 month old cat found it interesting entertainment.

He hissed and then turned around and awkwardly left.

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When they get into the outside tool shed and nest it gets messy.

I have found that a leaf blower works well to shoo them out and make it clear they aren’t welcome.

They sometimes will chew on exposed wires. You really don't want them around your house as their feces and parasites can spread disease to pets. I used to hunt and trap them when I was a youngster. I could sell their hides to a fur company and give away or sell the carcass folks would cook and eat (baked usually). I trapped muskrats for fur and sold their meat as well. Some consider the meat quite a delicacy. Fried them up like big squirrels.
3 Possum Recipes to Fool Your Taste Buds

Most folks back home catch them alive and keep them a week or two and control what they eat to "clean" them of anything disgusting they might have eaten. The often caught them near gardens or in apple trees...but they will eat most anything.

How are they beneficial? WE don't get too much of them up here in the hills because of the coyotes. I see them often at my parents. Where the heck do they live during the day right in the middle of the city?

I don't see much benefit to them. They knock things over and get in the trash. I understand they do not carry rabies, so that's not a concern. I would put the cat's food up at night and ignore the 'possums.

Live in town, and not rural at all. Have had rabbits and opossum since we moved here just over 20 years ago. But there have also been one or two great horned owls that roost atop a large cottonwood tree in the back yard. Think the owls keep the other critters numbers in check as we see them with young in the spring, but by fall they are back down to one or two each variety.

Also have a Golden Retriever. Even though she is an indoor dog, she helps the owls keep the back yard rodent, snake, lizard, and bug free.

My last golden actuall brought me a opossum that was playing opossum. Had her drop it a come inside. In a few minutes the opossum got up and ambled away.

They are an excellent source of protein. Can't you just see yourself proudly driving into town with a fat possum strapped to the roof of your Prius? "I ran over it myself!"

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suburban but lots of wild life
possum coon fox all wander in from the bayside nature perseveres
lots of lizards snakes turtles many non-native

My experience with Possums is not great, A family of them moved into my detached garage living in the roof structure above the finished ceiling, and then one died up there, and it stunk and stunk and stunk some more! I had to remove a huge section of the garage roof to locate the dead animal and when I did, I was shocked to see how they had destroyed the surrounding area as they had built a nest. It was full of feces, twigs, dried up plants etc, whatever they could drag up there. It was quite gross.
Needless to say when I rebuilt the garage I did my best to make it rodent and varmint tight.

Mostly their diet.

Makes them very efficient at pest control.

Immune to most snake venom and in fact they will eat poisonous snakes.

They are carrion eaters so will clean up dead stuff skeleton and all.

They help control pest populations, rats, ticks, roaches.

According to a picture on the Internet.

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What he said, as long as they do pest control I leave them alone (same with skunks) we have storm drains and pretty sure the possum and raccoons spend the day sleeping there (have seen raccoons enter/exit openings).

They have been migrating up here , likely catching rides on trucks and trains. The winter is pretty hard on them, you see the odd old fella with no ears.

Used to own a house that backed up to a private lake on an old creek in Dallas. Creek was a wildlife thoroughfare. Possums, raccoons, an ocelot, birds unusual to the area like a kingfisher and a HUGE pelican, hundreds of squirrels etc.

But a large number of possums.

Got a thrill out of live trapping possums then releasing them after dark in the ritzy Highland Park area of Dallas. Must have transplanted a couple hundred over a years time.

My small contribution to ecological diversity.

I'm no biological expert, but when human emotions get involved the sustainable balance of nature usually gets changed for the worse.

The top predator mammals regulate the other mammals and the sustenance chain:
-The mammals regulate the insects.
-The insects regulate the vegetation.
-The change in vegetation can turn an area into a plush oasis spreading bioculture rapidly every direction, or a desert.
-Vegetation controls all.

Raccoons and rats and feral cats are to primary blame for animal diversity loss.
Add in escaped snakes, fish, migrating upstream crustations, poison toads and it gets complicated.