There are other diseases that the opossum can transmit, and they include coccidiosis, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, and tularemia. By joining Kidadl you agree to Kidadls Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receiving marketing communications from Kidadl. These instincts can lead to property damage, such as overturned trash cans, ransacked birdfeeders, raided chicken coops, torn ductwork or insulation and more. She has almost four years experience in the home improvement space. Though rare, humans can become infected with coccidiosis by drinking or swimming in contaminated water. However, they can carry a variety of other types of disease that can be potentially harmful to your family. 2023 Forbes Media LLC. Marsupials like possums have a lower body temperature than the placental mammals that dominate North Americain other words, their bodies dont provide a suitable environment for the virus. (What Diseases Do They Get? kangaroos, wombats and koalas) opossums carry their offspring in a pouch. The signs are similar to other creatures. Another concern for most pet parents is if a possum bites their dog. They will crawl into the pouch and continue their development there. They evolved to have such an incredible immune system to survive their diet. While just about any wildlife animal has the potential to carry diseases, opossums do not typically harbor rabies, according to the Wildlife Rescue League. Well, it depends. ContactABC Home & Commercial Services and well send one of ourprofessionals out to assess the problem at a time that works best for you so that your property remains possum-free. They are certainly game to stop by and clean up the mess left by other wayward critters, though! much does opossum removal cost? The most vulnerable group include pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. They also like roadkill, and are known to eat ticks that they find in their own fur while grooming their bodies. I agree to receive the Forbes Home newsletter via e-mail. The scientists suspect that male and female possums living in the wild may even build nests together as a way to trigger the females reproductive hormones. Then, secure the lid so it cant happen again. Chagas disease: Caused by the tiny one-celled parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, a possum may bring this parasite into your garden where it then transfers onto your Coccidiosis: Caused by a parasite that lives in the wall of your dog's intestine, it may not cause any symptoms, but it can be fatal for young pups as it causes a severe infection. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. Keep reading for more information on which diseases an opossum can carry, and which ones it can spread to you! Symptoms of the infection include fever, headache, paleness, muscle aches, stomach ache, chest pain, and breathing difficulties. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Muzzle shape is useful for detecting the direction of the scent and sniffing out bugs under the soil. It encouraged people to kill as many possums as possible over three nights. Opossums are beneficial for disposing of carrion, too. "uploadDate": "2021-08-05", Do Opossums Carry Lyme Disease Or Rabies After Eating All Those Gross Things? Do opossums carry diseases? Although opossum attacks on pets are unlikely, they may lash out if cornered or competing for food. Thanks to their whole acting-and-smelling-like-a-corpse routine, opossums arent known as the most sanitary animals in nature. Their teeth structure is different from rats or mice as a response to a highly flexible diet. Toxoplasmosis generally affects warm-blooded animals. If your pet is outside at night, its possible that your cat or dog may get into a fight with a possum on your property. Then when it bites you, it will transmit the bacteria to you, and you will come down with the disease. Tularemia is caused by a bacterial infection that results in fever and skin ulcers. The opossums, the misunderstood North American marsupials, are the heroes of this article. We know it can be confusing: Google Images show you opossums when you search "possum," and it is very common to call the North American animal "possum." These little scavengers also help keep local ecosystems in balance by eating mice, rats, cockroaches, and snakes. You may also notice excessive drooling. Most are transmitted through contact with their urine or feces and include leptospirosis, salmonella, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis which can affect people and domestic animals. Possums largely lack sweat glands, and this behavior is believed to help them cool down. Chagas Disease also goes by American Trypanosomiasis. They help regulate the ecosystem in one way or other. That means the more possums that are in your area, the fewer ticks youll encounter. The opossum (Didelphis virginiana), more commonly known as possum, for short, is the only native North American marsupial and is a common suburban dweller. The initial symptoms include vomiting, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, etc. Possums use their strong sense of smell to locate food, which makes your trash can an easy and appealing source of nutrition, especially since they will eat just about anything. Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the nerves. If you find an opossum on your property, there are a few ways to get rid of them. Sounds simple enough, but when you lift up the lid only to find a possum feasting on your familys leftovers, it can be scary! If you have gotten the vaccine against tuberculosis, you are unlikely to get sick from tuberculosis. All you really need to do is make sure there is an accessible exit route. This piece of advice is particularly vital to people who have not had the rabies vaccine. The performance is very convincing: the lips are pulled up, baring the teeth, their saliva is foaming around the mouth, the eyes are closed or half-closed, and a foul-smelling secrete is discharged from the anal glands. When a baby opossum gets too big for the pouch, it will ride on the back of its mother until it is mature enough to live independently. Hunting Boots | Which Is Better for Cold Weather? When pets come into contact with infected feces or ingest contaminated tissue, they are at risk of contracting coccidiosis. It is so terrible that once an infected person or animal starts showing signs of the disease, there is almost no chance of survival. Their favorite states are those along the West coast, as well as east of the Rocky Mountains. They generally don't contract or transmit rabies as they have a very low body temperature to sustain the virus. However, in the United States and Canada, you normally encounter only one: the Virginia opossum. They can also recall the smell of toxic substances up to a year after trying them. There are plenty of different precautions you should take if you have to deal with a problem animal, and by knowing about the different diseases you can prepare appropriately to deal with the problem. Block any openings underneath your deck to prevent possums from taking permanent residence underneath your house. Possums are omnivores, and for the animal matter part of their diet, they typically feed on insects, rodents, snakes, and other pests. A picture of a possum playing dead doesnt really do it justice. Even if possums arent the cutest creatures in the forest, they should be a welcome addition to your backyard. However, the parasites will remain in your body. Opossums are the unsung heroes in the fight against ticks and the Lyme disease they can transmit. Their hairless tails are prehensile, meaning they can grasp branches or carry small objects. Some people think theyre cute. First, let us answer a misconception that possums and opossums are the same. Its an impressive defensive mechanism, but its effectiveness cant be chalked up to the possums acting skills. The Forbes Home editorial team is independent and objective. Opossums are night roamers, they find and consume all types of insects, bugs, snails, worms, smaller snakes, mice, rotting dead stuff, fallen fruits. They will also emit a foul smelling liquid from their anal glands. Exploration Squared is owned and operated by Exploration Squared, an California limited liability company. Dogs may face many health issues if contracted by a possum attack or feasting on them. Other common behaviors are running, growling, urinating and even playing dead. Also, since opossums have high body temperatures and high immunity, it is rare for an opossum to have the rabies virus. Copyright 2003-2020 by AAAnimal Control. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so its important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. Yes, they could be. Spotted fevers are a group of bacterial diseases. The specific symptoms of tularemia vary, depending on the mode of entry of the bacteria into the body. These omnivores will dine on plant matter just as readily as insects or small animals. The symptoms will stay around for some weeks or months, then disappear. Thankfully, there are treatments for the disease. As a dog owner, you must immediately get your vet's advice if your dog eats a possum or gets bitten by one, or it kills one of them. Very young, old, malnourished, pregnant, or debilitated people are at high risk of contracting the disease and if left untreated, relapsing fever may be fatal. Then there is also the possibility of meningitis and death. The products and services we review may not be right for your individual circumstances. Lexie is a Deputy Editor who is responsible for writing and editing articles over a wide variety of home-related topics. So, if you inhale the dust, you can get pneumonic tularemia although this is pretty rare. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. Yes, possums can carry a number of fatal diseases, these diseases can be passed onto cats. While toxoplasmosis is most common in cats and other animals such as opossums, it can be transmitted to humans and cause serious issues for some. Do not use traps, she adds. The pups grow rapidly, but even after they are ready to leave the pouch, the mother will not leave them behind and will carry them on her back while she scavenges for a meal for about 100 days. In nature, they would live in dens or tree holes. Only once theyve grown big and strong enough do they venture out, transitioning between their mothers back and the warmth of the pouch until they mature into adults. They do not need supplemental food to survive. Toxoplasmosis may last for weeks with patients showing signs of fever, headache, and muscle pain. job blog. Possums can carry a variety of diseases that can be harmful to both humans and animals. The brain of baby opossums also sometimes fail to react this way at the appropriate moment: they often can not "play dead" when threatened. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. Researchers at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil observed some possums in captivity sharing dens even if they werent mates. They generally don't contract or transmit rabies as they have a very low body temperature to sustain the virus. If a rabid possum (or animal) bites you, or if a suspected rabid animal bites you, get to a hospital immediately. Lets start with that nasty hissing and copious saliva. Let us clarify first: while the terms used for possums and opossums are remarkably similar, they are, in fact, different animals. While no wild animal is entirely immune to rabies and a few cases of opossums with it have been documented, finding one with the disease is extremely rare. Most importantly, wear gloves to avoid contracting any germs while touching the wound. It reduces the chances of your dog contracting Lyme disease caused by ticks. While a person with latent tuberculosis may only take 1-2 drugs, someone with active tuberculosis may need up to 4 drugs for a couple of months. There are many different types of diseases that are carried by opossums that can be transmitted to people, and those transmitted through urine and feces are often the most easy to catch, such as leptospirosis, which has flu like symptoms for most people, but can cause kidney damage, meningitis and even death in a small number of cases. Opossums are hosts for cat and dog fleas, especially in urban environments. Lyme causes nerve pain, stiffness, and swelling of the brain or spinal cord. If you check out the rest of this article, you will learn about various diseases possums carry. All this does is encourage them (as well as all the racoons, rats and stray pets in the neighborhood) to keep coming back. In North America, opossum and possum describe the same thing, but in Australia the word possum refers to a completely different animal. However, they do not sleep that way: it is just a myth. In the wild, opossums live in woodland areas near water, like swamps or streams. Possums take advantage of this adaptation by chowing down on snakes on a regular basis. These pathogens cause various diseases when transmitted to humans, and some of them affect pets too. Like other marsupials (e.g. Researchers have been trying to harvest possums antivenom powers for decades. Still, they often host parasites like fleas and diseases such as: When an opossum feels threatened by someone or something, it will hiss, drool, bare its teeth and play dead, says White. Their whole body has any of these colors. Possums have prehensile tails, meaning they are made for grasping and wrapping around things like tree branches. If a tick bites a possum infected with any spotted-fever-causing Rickettsia bacteria, it will pick up the bacteria. Humans also hunt and trap them for food or to get rid of it. They generally don't contract or transmit rabies as they have a very low body temperature to sustain the virus. If you feed your pets outside, clean their food bowls and make sure you move everything inside as soon as they finish their kibbles. But the infection is pretty rare in dogs. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. This is fairly typical for marsupials, but when European colonizers first landed in North America centuries ago, they didnt know what to make of the confusing genitalia. There are many resistant strains of tuberculosis. Both possums and opossums are marsupials with pouches to carry their babies in, just like kangaroos. Nonetheless, they may not be the best companions for your pets. This is why people living with HIV have a higher susceptibility to tuberculosis. Read on for more opossum facts. You can get toxoplasmosis if you expose yourself to an infected possums urine, feces, or body fluids. To get the full experience, you need to be standing over to it to smell the putrid odor it emits when pretending to be a corpse. They even groom out and eat ticks that attach to them (handy!). This, perhaps, is the most dangerous thing about them. Spotted fevers can be mild or life-threatening. However, we recommend that you avoid making friends with these nocturnal animals or inviting them to stay on your property. Do Possums Carry Diseases? . Youve probably heard time and time again that possums have rabies. The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is particularly life-threatening without early treatment. You can get it just by handling an infected possum. Your resident opossum might be just a bump in the night, but it could also be a carrier of leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, salmonella and tuberculosis. They can eat anything, including plants, frogs, rodents, table scraps, insects, fruits, and grains. So, it is better if you and your pet get the rabies vaccine as a precaution. There are little or no chances of transmitting rabies to the dog, but other conditions like coccidiosis and tularemia may get transmitted. Dawn Weinberger is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon who has contributed to numerous publications and websites over the past 20 years, including RD.com, Glamour, Women's Health, Entrepreneur, and many others. Possums are considered pests in New Zealand, killing millions of native birds every year. Yes, they can carry and spread many diseases, including leptospirosis, tuberculosis, tularemia, relapsing fever, spotted fever, Chagas diseases, etc. The animals are immune to the venom of nearly every type of snake found in their native range, the one exception being the coral snake. 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