They are all playing possum after I release them.

that was one study not about ticks & possums and complete junk science. the only thing that happened a million times was the lie was repeated like gospel.

that is like putting a man in a prison cell with a guitar if given enough time he will pick it up and make some noise , that doesn't make him a natural guitar player it makes him trapped in a cell with a guitar and nothing else.

they enclosed ticks in a plexyglass enclosure with a bunch of animals to get them tick bit.
when they kept finding fewer ticks in the possum box they decided it was eating them.
they were putting X in and if 1/2 X were left in the morning they multiplied by 365 and said they 182.5X ticks even that is a joke ticks will be more or less available and possum spend a portion of the year hibernating.

do they eat ticks , certainly when it is the only food source ,yes.
are they tick seeking machines ? not really there are much more abundant and easy food sources.

Green
I knew that and my word in that reference are meant as sarcasm. When people tell me that opossum thing about eating lost of ticks. I tell them if they want ticks gone get you some chickens or guinea hens. Run them in yard to clean up bugs.
Then see what their opossum tries to eat first.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

glad to hear that and yes they will eat the real tick eaters first.

Same as the worms.

Probably eating the ticks it pulls off themselves, otherwise it's nonsense, though it's constantly being reported,

I rarely dispatch them though I probably should, they don't seem to hurt the turkey population here, we have more than enough. I have a possum that lives under my shed I call Percy, he/she comes out at night and eats food scraps that are missed by the birds and deer.

If there was any horses nearby they'd all get the "treatment", My daughters horse in Texas just had an expensive medicine course to treat the disease they spread .

I may have to rethink my policy....lol

I think opossums eat millions of ticks about like starlings eat millions of mosquitos. They don't. I used to be pretty hard on them and go out of my way for one but not really anymore.

Are opossums bad for horses or something? I didn't know that.

No pass

The possum poop carries the virus or spiroquet that makes horses sick, it gets passed when the horse eats contaminated hay or pasture....
It can be deadly to the horse, and the medicine is expensive and sometimes doesn't work.

they can carry a disease that if they deficate on your hay the horse gets sick.

best way to keep possums out of your hay is to not let them be anywhere near hay storage , but possums seek out hay storage like a coyote set.

https://extension.umn.edu/horse-health/equine-protozoal-myeloencephalitis-epm#:~:text=EPM%20is%20a%20neurologic%20disease,a%20few%20signs%20of%20illness.

Dispatch every last one of them and then some more. The place that I live is actually referred to as "Opossum Island" if that tells you how many are around.

They get the same treatment as coons and coyotes. Just make sure this time of year you check the females. If “all” aren’t killed they survive!

"Kill 'Em All-----Let God Sort 'Em Out" !!!

w

Thump

Walked out the door Monday and there was a biggun on the porch. Thump

Figured one dumb enough to walk up in my yard must've been suicidal.

Unless I need to I'll let them go or take them to some friends houses as they love having the lil critters around. Got a few folks who like them though and I can get $5 for a dressed one and $10 for a live one but honestly I really don't like dealing with them in that capacity ( no i don't need nor want to sell anyone possum, sorry).

That being said tho i will pop most of the males just to help the turkeys out a bit. Females with babies get a free pass

Wish I could get one or two to start hanging out around my house again. Always enjoyed the lil fellas just walking around doing their thing

Give em to Granny Clampett!!!~ They eat those things I sure will not!!!

You’re thinking backwards WD. Females are the most important to make disappear…. Round here, they all get a free ride to the river for a swim/sink. Snapping turtles gotta eat too…

Mine ain't playing.

Mine all take permanent dirt naps.

They dont eat Tics to any extent . Rumor was started by bleeding heart liberals