Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I hope you are finding some “happy” amid all of the worry that’s weighing on everyone’s minds recently. Spring is coming, with greener days ahead. Take a break from the heavy, and visit with me a spell!

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February brings thoughts of love, so this post gives some adoration to an often misunderstood creature. Come meet my recent “visitor”!

Recently, we had a breach in “Foul Knox”, our chicken run. It was a not-too-cold evening, and we were taking our dogs out before heading to bed. Odin, our large brindle hound, started “pointing” at the hen house. Something was inside the run! We put the dogs inside and grabbed a flashlight, fearing a raccoon or fox had infiltrated the coop. However, inside the run was the cutest, fluffiest, round fuzzy opossum! 

I wasn’t too concerned for my chickens; I’d locked up the henhouse earlier. The visitor was small and young. It wasn’t fearful of us, but more interested, or curious. 

It peeked out from behind the waterer, then scaled the back fence, a very agile climber. It looked a bit confused, like it wasn’t sure how to get back out or why we were there.

I keep a small radio playing inside the run, the idea that the sound of voices keep predators away. I’ve often wondered how the channel changes overnight when I return in the morning to open the henhouse. Mystery solved – the opossum decided to lounge across the radio awhile, changing the channel from the “lite” station when it climbed on top. Maybe I should switch to heavy metal! 

Apparently, my visitor is a Debbie Gibson fan.

We left the big gate open, checking often to see if the opossum had left. When we returned, it walked over, climbing the inside of the front fence. It never showed its teeth or hissed. (We were always on the other side of the fence, at a safe distance).

OH! That face…so cute.

It was so fuzzy, with thick soft-looking grey fur, an adorable face with a pink button nose, and cute little ears and paws with opposable thumbs. I was smitten. 

“It’s so FLUFFY!!!”

The next morning, our furry friend had departed. I was shocked by how many people don’t like opossums, suggesting it should be trapped or killed, that it’d kill my chickens, carried rabies, or was an overgrown rodent. I decided to find out the true facts.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

Stephanie Safarik, a well-known wildlife rehabilitator, is an angel for opossums. She had always worked with animals, and wanted to be a vet, but her life changed course. Seven years ago, she says her health “failed miserably, with a perfect storm of disaster”. With a cancer diagnosis and facing several surgeries, life was going to be at a slower pace for awhile. She’d always wanted to be a wildlife rehabber, so she decided to see what was needed to follow that dream, thinking, “Maybe while I’m in recovery, a couple animals can be rehabilitated, too”. Through the Connecticut DEEP, she took the course, received veterinarian backing, mentored with an experienced rehabilitator, completed the needed state application to work with wildlife, and created a haven for sheltering animals to recover. She didn’t expect to become the “opossum person”, but is thrilled to give a voice to these docile, often misunderstood creatures. Stephanie says nowadays her health’s not completely ideal, but is much better, crediting the opossums she saved with her improvement. They pushed her- when she wanted to stop she couldn’t because she had little lives depending on her. First working with three baby opossums whose mom was hit by a car, Stephanie has now saved a few hundred opossums. 

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Safarik

While there are 100 opossum species worldwide, in the USA, we have the Virginia Opossum. Opossums are not rodents, but the only marsupials found in North America, carrying their babies in a fur-lined pouch. Calling these critters “possum” is also a misnomer; a “possum” is an animal of a different species found in Australia. 

Stephanie says opossums will try to avoid people at all costs. Opossums are often mistakenly blamed for the havoc that clever raccoons wreak. Our visitor probably came before, as opossums tend to keep to a “routine”.

“Why, what a big mouth you have…”
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

While they have large mouths with fifty sharp teeth, they rarely kill prey like chickens, unless they’re starving. They prefer “easy” meals, such as eggs and dropped, rotting fruit from trees. They don’t kill for sport. When wildlife comes into our yards, we shouldn’t be upset; it’s our responsibility to protect our domestic animals. I’m actually grateful having learned that my chicken run had a weak spot.

Opossums are the “waste management” of nature, keeping “rot” down by eating dropped fruit or carnage. They’re also the only truly “natural” defense against ticks. My whole family, including one of our dogs, has been affected by tick-borne illness. Opossums are cat-like in that they groom themselves often (why our visitor was so fluffy)! Because they’re low, with their little tummies touching the ground when they walk, they’re “tick magnets”. They then ingest hundreds of ticks (part of their nutrition) when grooming, thus keeping Lyme disease down. They also eat mice, rats and insects such as beetles. 

An opossum prefers to flee than to fight. They’ll defend themselves if cornered, hissing, showing the fifty teeth in their big mouths, and releasing an odor (like a dog’s anal gland odor). Finally, they’ll “play dead”, actually an involuntary action. The frightened opossum will fall over in a comatose state, like in shock; its heart rate goes down, and it mimics the scent of a dead animal. This can last for an hour. 

Opossums rarely get rabies. In Connecticut, they’re not even considered a rabies vector, as a healthy opossum’s normal body temperature is actually too low for rabies to breed. For an opossum to contract rabies, it has to be a “perfect storm”: they must be sick with a fever to raise their body temp, be attacked by a rabid animal, and then survive said attack. 

Opossums, however,  unfortunately do not have long lives; males live an average natural lifespan of two years, and females two to four. A full-grown opossum reaches 7 – 8 pounds.

Though it’s speculated they’ve been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth, these little “underdogs” were not meant for cold conditions, even though they can be found as far North as Canada.

These feet are not meant for winter!
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

Often developing  frostbite on their hairless tails, paws, and paper-thin ears, many opossums die in winter, especially if under five pounds. Others are hit by cars or attacked by larger animals.

A poor frost bitten nose…
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

Ouch! Frostbitten paw.
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

How do you know if you need to call a professional wildlife rehabber like Stephanie? If an opossum is orphaned, sick, injured, or has flies buzzing around it, call a wildlife rehabilitator. If an opossum is circling, it may have head trauma from being clipped by a car. 

Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

An opossum has 13 nipples inside her pouch, and can give birth up to 20 babies at a time, though not all usually survive.

“New” babies, or “pinkies”
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Safarik

Warm and safe in Mama’s Pouch.
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

Found babies, or babies whose mama has passed (they can live up to a day and a half in the pouch after the death of the mom) always need a rehabber. While they’re good mamas, they won’t come back for a baby the way a mama squirrel will. With so many babies riding on her back, Mama Opossum may not even realize she’s dropped one! 

”Motherhood can be exhausting!”
Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

A spotted opossum, like most wildlife, really just wants to be left alone and do you no harm. If you do see one, let it be.  “Cat shelters” can provide a warm place for them to avoid frostbite, and leaving scrap fruit or veggies out, especially in winter, is okay. They need lots of calcium, so hard boiled eggs with the shell on, cut in half are a great snack, too. 

*** Follow Stephanie and her sweet rescues on Facebook at Persevering for Wildlife.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

As for our little visitor, we see an opossum every once in awhile in the driveway, though not since our last encounter. I hope we see “Radio” again soon.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day! Drop by again for the next Suburban Farmgirl Blog, “live” March 17th.

Please remember to leave a comment below so we know you dropped by! Photo courtesy Stephanie Safarik

Until Next Time…Farmgirl Hugs,

Nicole

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Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s January again- a new month, year…DECADE! I’m wishing everyone the best year ever! ! 2020 is going to be a memorable one for our family…

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“It’s better to give than to receive.”  Have you ever found THE perfect, extra-special gift for someone? A gift you were so excited to give to that you could burst from anticipation? Last Christmas, I found such a gift- something special that truly made me feel like Santa Claus! 

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Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. Last October, my family and I visited a place in Connecticut that appeals to all ages, with visitors that come from all over the world. The Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum is a real treat!

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Having forever been an “old soul”, I’ve always loved “old things”. Even as a child, my favorite treasures were vintage – the older the better – like a 1940s Nancy Drew book or an Edwardian-era bracelet, my very first flea market purchase (made in the third grade). As an adult, my adoration for vintage grew stronger. Things were made better, and with charm, to boot! From glassware to dishes, clothes to decor, I’m drawn to items with a past life. My favorite things are beautiful and serve a useful purpose. At home, my favorite part of the house is the kitchen. For as long as I can remember, I’ve longed for an antique Hoosier (kitchen) Cabinet.

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Have you heard the buzz? The Downton Abbey MOVIE is going to be released in theaters in one month, on September 20th! I’m excited, and already planning to see it with a group of girlfriends. In the meantime, one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of Downton Abbey is all things..tea! Dust off that china, Farmgirls, and let’s talk tea!

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“Life moves pretty fast. It you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

~Ferris Bueller

My summer goal? To slow down, relax, and do the things I love to do with the people I love. Summer’s the perfect time to recharge. There’s much to love about New England this time of year. With long, bleak winters, when summer comes, you appreciate it. (I love having four seasons!) The garden is planted, the camper is open, and the beach is calling.

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What crazy weather we’ve seen all over the country! I hope this finds you safe, enjoying clear skies. After buckets of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, it’s finally summer here in New England, and those clear skies meant we could visit a very special place. (It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a “Farmgirl Road Trip”).  Not far from my hometown, there’s a place to visit completely created and run by volunteers. This very special place in New Milford, Connecticut is for all ages and is truly out of this world!

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It’s finally warming up and green, though today as I write, we’re in the middle of a little cool, rainy snap. Like most parents these days, I feel a bit crazed. The end of the school year is winding down and it seems like we’re running full-speed ahead. (I can’t wait for summer weather and some lazy, hazy summer porch-sitting)! Spring has certainly sprung in New England, and we’ve been as busy as bees!

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