Opossums are opportunistic omnivores. They will go after any easy food source. While it’s true they may be going after pet food or garbage, if all of these are stored away, your property may be home to some wild critters that opossums like to eat, such as slugs, bugs, mice, and even small snakes. Additionally, if you have any fruit trees, such as apple trees, opossums will pursue fallen, rotten fruit.

Opossums hiss when threatened, but are generally very docile. They do not attack humans or pets, and their incidence of rabies is extremely low - possibly due to a low body temperature, which makes it difficult for the rabies virus to survive. 

Do opossums really eat ticks? 

Yes, opossums will eat ticks. Opossums groom themselves meticulously. If they walk through leaf litter or shrubby grass and collect ticks, they will kill and eat them during the grooming process. They do not seek out ticks as a food source. Therefore, it’s unlikelythat opossums kill enough ticks to reduce populations or decrease incidence of tick-borne illnesses. Opossums also eat bugs and mice but don’t affect overall populations of these species either . Opossums are part of the natures’ food web and the natural ebb and flow of wildlife populations.