The thing is, that’s a myth.
According to the CDC, opossums, while rare, do have the ability to carry some diseases.
Opossums can carry the rabies virus, but this is extremely rare. Yes, opossums are considered to be dangerous because of the large variety of diseases that they carry and can transmit. While there are a few reports each year where opossums do carry rabies, cases in wildlife such as bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes are more prevalent.Do Opossums Carry Diseases?Though it’s unlikely for them to transmit rabies, opossums can sometimes carry harmful germs and pathogens that cause diseases such as leptospirosis. Answer: Any mammal can get rabies. After 10 days you can let it out if it is aggressive and foaming at the mouth and won't eat take it to the vet to get it put down. Opossum Diseases - One of the important concerns that many people will have if they come into contact with a wild animal is whether or not they could catch a disease, and how the disease can be transmitted. However, it's actually very rare for possums to carry the disease. Such lifestyle habits may point to opossums being prime hosts for rabies; however, opossums are rarely known to contract rabies and are even less likely to pass it on to other organisms they come into contact with. You’ve probably heard time and time again that possums have rabies. This is party because opossums have a slightly below average body temperature, and the rabies virus can't thrive at this lower temp. According to the Opossum Society website, this is thought to be due to the opossum’s low body temperature, an inhospitable environment for rabies. Like all mammals, opossums can carry rabies, but scientists have found that opossums have a lower-than-average risk of carrying this disease. However, it's actually very rare for possums to carry the disease. Many people are under the assumption that opossums carry rabies or have a natural immunity to rabies. Question: Do opossums carry rabies? Rabies People often mistake the open-mouth hissing and drooling behavior of opossums as a sign of rabies. This means that they don't carry a whole lot of the standard zoonotic diseases that other animals might carry.
Let’s find out. In all cases involving rodents, the state or local health department should be consulted before a decision is made to initiate postexposure prophylaxis. They eat all types of insects, including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, etcetera. Although an opossum might get rabies, it's very unlikely. But, people frequently misinterpret their open-mouth hissing and drooling behavior as a sign of rabies. Any mammal can contract rabies, but opossums have an advantage. But the truth is that possums are actually unlikely to have rabies.
Click here for a nationwide list of 100's of professional opossum trappers serving all 50 states. Opossum feces, however, sometimes carry the eggs of a parasite that may cause illness in horses if the feces contaminate food and water. While there are a couple of reports each year where opossums do carry rabies, it’s unlikely for them to send rabies, that trigger diseases such as leptospirosis.
Your first instinct is probably to run, and we don’t blame you. You should put your dog in a finced in space alone for 10 days with no contact with it other than feeding it. What are the signs of an opossum infestation? Any mammal can contract rabies, but opossums have an advantage. In fact, rabies is extremely rare in opossums, perhaps because they have a much lower body temperature compared to other warm-blooded animals. Opossums are usually not aggressive, so you might be able to help them on their way by gently pushing them with a broom. Opossums can carry the rabies virus, but this is extremely rare. This means that they do not become visibly ill as a result of contracting the disease. The thing is, that’s a myth. So, do opossums carry rabies like other rodents? From 1990 through 1996, in areas of the country where raccoon rabies was enzootic, woodchucks (groundhogs) accounted for 93% of the 371 cases of rabies among rodents reported to CDC. However, this is just a bluffing behavior that opossums use as a defense mechanism. This may have something to do with the opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum’s body. Opossums are more resistant to rabies than any other mammal; cattle, goats, dogs, cats, sheep, and the ice cream man are far more susceptible to rabies! Many wild armadillos have been known to be infected with the bacterium that causes leprosy (Hansen's disease). read more People do believe that opossums and rabies go hand in hand possibly due to its natural defense mechanism. However, in a rare case, opossum’s may carry rabies.
Playing Possum.