The only marsupial opossums native to America are the opossum, and their diet is as distinctive as they are. Possums are a marsupial animal that inhabits Australia and New Zealand.
Although their names are frequently used interchangeably, they are essentially the same species of mammal. The diet of possums and opossums comprises almost anything, including insects and dead and rotting plants; they eat fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts.
However, they don’t stop there; they eat home waste, roadkill, and insects like ticks, flies, and snails. Even if dog owners use poop bags to clean up dog poo, dogs produce a lot, and it is easy to miss a pile.
Because dog feces contain undigested food that is simple to digest, possums eat them. Possums have an unusual diet, and you won’t find possums dangerous to dogs, but if your dog approaches, they may play dead.
They typically prey on mice and rats, and other small animals. They are not aggressive but carry diseases they can transmit to your dogs. In our guide, you can learn more about why do possums eat poop and is possum poop toxic to dogs? By the end, you’ll have more information about why pet owners don’t like possums in their yard but also like them in equal measure. (Read Can Guinea Pigs Eat Limes)
What Are Opossums?
Possums are nocturnal and hunt for food. They have opposable thumbs and prehensile trails to climb trees, hunt insects, and assault birds and small animals.
Possums have 50 teeth, including 10 incisors. Sharp claws dig up food, and long, flexible nostrils track trash. They eat almost anything and have slow metabolisms that can make them overweight.
Opossums inhabit North American woods and nest in abandoned animal burrows in remote regions. These scavengers are drawn to roadkill and can feed on mice, insects, and snakes.
Possums can also be found in gardens, where they eat leftover dog food and can also raid compost bins and trash cans. Humans force wild animals to adapt to a new environment; when hungry, possums can live in cities. Most possums avoid homes with dogs, although they can eat dog food-filled trash cans and compost bins.
Most dogs often finish meals and leave no leftovers, although pet owners should remove traces of pet food to avoid possums. In addition, possums eat dog poop, so if there are any dog feces in your yard, you could find these animals eating them.
When threatened or cornered, they typically play dead. But if you find a possum in your dog’s yard, don’t worry. Possums aren’t dangerous to humans.
The biggest concern is possum pee and feces can contain harmful bacteria, and this bacterial disease can be passed on to dogs, such as leptospirosis or Lyme disease, and others, such as Chagas disease, which can be potentially fatal.
A pest control company may be required, although any possums living in urban areas are not too much of a threat. If you want to get rid of possums, you can scatter mothballs, as they hate the mothball smell.
Opossums are beloved by some gardeners in urban areas where opossums live. They consume weeds, dead or rotting plants, and the slugs and snails that cause damage. Opossums are also great at getting rid of fallen fruit before flies become an issue. (Read Can Rabbits Eat Alfalfa)
Should I Feed Wild Opossums?
It would be hard to feed an opossum something that would make them ill. However, experts advise against feeding wild animals food that will tempt them to live in areas where they aren’t wanted.
However, if you believe a wild opossum to be starving, you can feed them a small amount of your cats food or dog food, or any other food from the kitchen.
While they eat almost everything, it’s best to let them leave to natural feeding patterns. It can be why you see them eating poop that dogs produce. Opossums in the wild may be encouraged to stay close to your house if you feed them, as all wild animals love a regular food source.
Luckily, if you take some precautions, it’s handy to have opossums sticking around. Opossums feast on any other pests so that you can say goodbye to rats and mice issues, and they’re being your pest control as they eat insects, snakes, and snails.
Does Feeding Opossums Cause Issues?
Having a few more opossums hanging out in your backyard is the biggest drawback of feeding wild opossums.
However, they will keep to themselves and won’t seriously harm anything.
The opossums are not likely to be to blame if you see overturned garbage cans, although they could make a mess. In addition, leaving food for the opossums may draw unwanted pests, yet as they can control these, it could be worth having these new friends around.
Do Possums Eat Dogs Poop?
Opossums eat poop, besides everything else we’ve discussed. While many other animals eat poop, including their own, dogs, for example, can eat cow poop and cat poop. Likewise, opossums can consume both their own and dog waste or that of other animals.
They do this because it is a practical approach for them to supplement the calories or nutrients they require each day.
Fortunately, opossums will only your pets eat poop if they are in a dire situation; this is not regular behavior. However, if you notice an opossum eating poop, it can signify that it’s starving and could use some help. (Read Can Pigs Eat Pineapple)
Why do Opossums Eat Pets Poo and Droppings Off Grass?
For this phenomenon, there are two explanations. When an animal experiences neglect or famine, for example, it may exhibit this stress-related behavior. It could also be a normal way to get more nutrients from predigested food waste.
Because of their diet’s high fiber content, rabbits, for example, frequently eat their own feces. This is because they cannot metabolize it properly. Although, if you ask, do raccoons eat dog poop, the answer is no.
Do Possums Eat Dog Poop?
You scoop your dog’s poop, put it in a bag, and put it in the nearby trash can like good dog owners should. However, you might notice some dog poop lying about and wonder what caused it. Possums eat dog poop, right?
Even though eating dog poop is not high on the possum’s menu or wish list, they will probably do so if there is no pet food to dive into. They can still play with poop bags and make a mess even if they don’t eat the poop.
Will Dogs Eat Opossum Poop?
Possums are renowned for having foul-smelling poop, and this is the possum’s most potent form of defense. Primarily because of their small size, possums are defenseless against larger predators and carnivores. Therefore, nature turned their foul poop into a weapon to keep them safe.
Possums lie on the ground and pretend to be dead when there is an immediate threat. They do, however, also expel poop that stinks like decaying flesh. Even stranger is that the poop can continue to emit the same rotting-flesh smell for up to 45 minutes. So, naturally, no animal likes the smell. Thus the predator is scared away, keeping the possum safe.
To return to the original query: Do dogs eat possum poop? Again, no is the most likely response. But for taste preferences, dogs can be odd. As a result, even though most dogs find possum poop disgusting, certain dogs may be ready to consume it despite its foul smell.
Are Possums Dangerous To My Dogs?
The danger of possums to dogs is not thought to be dangerous. This is because possums are timid and would initially play dead if threatened by dogs, and something they can do for hours.
Although a possum may fight back if a dog is bothersome by growling, hissing, flashing its fangs, or in extreme circumstances, the possum ends up biting the dog. These situations frequently develop, and you might need to intervene to stop adverse effects.
An incensed possum might also urinate on your dog as a unique form of retaliation. Since possum poop may contain Leptospira and cause leptospirosis in dogs, this situation may be even more dangerous.
Even if the possum’s acidic, bright green urine is clear of these bacteria, the stain and smell will be challenging to remove from your dog. (Read Do Deer Eat Tomatoes)
How To Stop Dog and Possum Meeting?
You can’t manage every element of your dog’s existence, and you certainly can’t tell a possum where to go at night because it’s a night ranger. However, there are two things you can do to lessen the likelihood that your dog will come into contact with a possum:
Place laddered stockings filled with mothballs in the garden to dissuade possums from coming near them. This can work to your benefit. You only need a few mothballs, which you will scatter about the garden, and some worn-out laddered stockings.
Given that possums are nocturnal animals that spend the day sleeping and hiding, never leave your dog alone outside at night. Only at night encounters are possible. So, by preventing your dog from going outside alone after dusk, you can keep it safe.
FAQs
Do possums carry rabies?
Possums are highly rabies-resistant and infrequently harbor the disease. Possums have the lowest incidence of rabies when compared to other pests and dogs.
Because possums are typically linked with raccoons, rodents, and other nocturnal pests, there is a misperception that they are rabid. However, if your dog comes into contact with one, check with your veterinarian to be sure.
Do possums transmit diseases to dogs?
Dogs are not exposed to any contagious disease or bacteria from possums. However, they frequently carry fleas, and we all know that fleas may transmit a wide range of diseases, including some that can be passed to dogs.
Maintaining your dog’s flea preventative medicine provides defense against the possum’s fleas.
Do possums attack dogs?
Possums are typically no danger to animals, and because of their nocturnal habits, a possum will rarely endanger dogs.
As these marsupials defend themselves by hissing and flashing their sharp teeth, some dogs may find the possum encounter frightening.
Conclusion: Possums Eating Dog Poop?
Possums can indeed eat dog poop, albeit infrequently and unenjoyable.
Possums are omnivores at their core and are well known for enjoying burrowing through garbage if they can’t find fruits, rodents, or rats to eat.
A possum will come across dog poop while on these garbage hunts and occasionally decide to eat it.
You can use a double bag to mask the aroma of your dog’s poop and keep possums and other trash-scavenging animals away because possums make messes when digging through the trash.
