Petting A Wild Possum

[UncleDave]

I was at my computer last night which is next to my backyard patio in Coon Rapids.  Iive in a very residential area within a mile or so of the river.  I was shocked last night to see a possumcome across my patio.  I put my shoes on to see what critter just ran across my patio as my 16 YO pooch was out doing her business, but I was a bit afraid of what animal just crossed my patio.  I chased it out to my neighbors fence and saw it was a possum.  He/she ran up the ironlink fence as I approached and it ran up the fence to ed up chest level.  After happy hour I thought it a good decision to pet a wild possum.  The dang thing just sat there.  I petted it's hinder maybe 30-60 seconds, but it didn't run off.  I was stupid enough to pet the critter until it finally hissed, I backed off as rabies shot might suck.  I am the next "KQRS" story of a drunk idiot who had it coming.  It was still cool...even though minus rum I would have said "know"...nooooooo.  J/K  Why would a wild possum not be afraid of a human let alone allow itself to be touched?  Weird.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Don't they often play dead when cornered?  That is very interesting that it let you touch it.  Would have been cool to get a picture of that.  Thanks for sharing your story.

[Mayfly]

Maybe he was just back from happy hour as well.......?

[Super Star!]

maybe you two had a moment out there on the fence. 

[repoman]

     let us know if it comes back ,

[GRIZ]

He was just playin possum. The dog picks them up and carries around in her mouth thinking she found a dead critter. After getting bored with her prize she sets it down and after a bit the possum will just walk away, when the dog is gone. Once the possum took off b4 the dog was gone and that became one dead possum. I think now the dog is onto the game of playin possum as she makes sure they are dead now before setting them down.

[HUNTER2]

Griz, I thought you ate those critters!

[GRIZ]

I do come on over for some one night. I normally save a bunch just to have on hand to treat people like you. Don't forget the trainin fluid.

[gearguy10]

I had a possum encounter a year or two back.  It was a cold winter evening and I was out shoveling my driveway after the plow went by and filled me in.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark blob in the middle of the street and ignored it, thinking it was a chunk of dirty snow that came off a car.  A moment later the chunk moved.  I realized it was a possum and decided to give chase.  With my oversized plastic shovel in my hands I charged off down the street in pursuit of the fleeing beastie.  Just as I caught up with it the possum froze, wheeled around, and hissed at me.  I slid to a stop a thought, "What the heck am I doing?  This thing could give me rabies or something."  For some odd reason I decided, before I let it go in its way, to give it a bonk on the noggin with the shovel.  It sat there looking at me like "What the heck did you do that for?"  To this day I don't know what made me do it, but at the time I thought it was funny.

[repoman]

       

[mnfisherguy]

Maybe he was just back from happy hour as well.......?

LOL that was my thought to Mayfly...  what a trip not sure if its cause it let you pet it or the fact that you did... But great story..

[Wagz]

I am guessing that it needed a little lovin and you might have looked pretty to him