Opossums may growl, drool, and show their 50 teeth when frightened, but in reality are placid and prefer to avoid any confrontation. Very few survive to adulthood and those that do live for only one to two years. The opossum is nocturnal and transient, however, he may return to your place after some weeks away depending on your hospitality.īesides their natural predators, opossums have to deal with humans, cars, and cats. Main course? Mice and rats or carrion, And dessert? Overripe fruit, or food discarded by man. He then goes on to cockroaches, crickets, and beetles to name a few other insects he finds a delicacy. You know those garden pests - slugs and snails? The opossum has them for appetizers. They are non-aggressive and will not attack humans. They are very clean and constantly groom themselves. With tolerance and understanding humans can co-exist with opossums, which are a benefit to any home they visit, Unlike other wild animals, opossums are resistant to many diseases, including rabies. They are referred to as "Nature's Sanitation Engineers." What am I writing about? Opossums. They've been around for 70 million years, They don't have a "permanent" home, instead they hang around for two or three days, eat what you have to offer, and go on their merry way. If you find a nest and can wait two to three weeks before disturbing it, the babies should fledge and then you can remove the nest from your way. The parents should come back to take care of their young. Put the nest with the baby birds in it into a strawberry/fruit basket and attach it close to where it was, but out of your way. If you have disturbed a nest of baby birds, and you do not want the nest where it is you have some alternatives. Should you find a baby bird without feathers, try to locate the nest and put the bird back in. Chilling will cause further damage to an already compromised bird. Transport to the rehabilitator using care not to have the air conditioning in the car on too high, if at all. Keep it warm, but out of direct sunlight and drafts. Keep the fledgling in a covered box on soft cloths. Birds can aspirate liquids into their lungs very easily so extreme care must be exercised. Do not give anything by mouth until you are told to do so. If you have found that the fledgling has injuries, call a wildlife rehabilitator. Keep checking, and should it truly be abandoned, then call a licensed rehabilitator. If it's getting to be nightfall, you may want to put the fledgling in a box to keep it safe from predators overnight. If you don't see other birds approaching right away, keep watching and make sure that you can't be seen. They should find the bird and will almost certainly feed it. You should move away and see if the parents come back. Place the fledgling in bushes as high as possible or in the nest if you can locate it. If, after your exam, the bird appears uninjured, it should be returned, or left in the area where it was found. A bird generally breathes fast, but it should not appear labored. Look for blood around its beak, closed or unfocused eyes, rips or tears to its skin, or obvious broken bones. Birds don't have a keen sense of smell so it's safe to touch the fledgling. If you find a fledgling, fully feathered, with other adult birds making a lot of noise around him, give him a cursory check to see if he has any visible injuries. The importance of returning a healthy baby bird to its parents to be raised can't be over-emphasized. Too often, well meaning folks will find these fledglings and pick them up, bringing them to a wildlife rehabilitator to raise. A fledgling is a young bird that has all its feathers, is almost ready to leave the nest, and has crash-landed during its first flight or has been pushed out by its siblings. During the spring and early summer, many baby birds called "fledglings" are discovered.
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