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[Luigi Zanasi]

Bubba is just up to his usual tricks of spreading half-truths & misinformation about health issues.

If one bothers to read up on the black death or the plague, one quickly finds out that the European Yersinia pestis epidemic probably originated from rat fleas that spread to humans. However, it is not only carried by fleas, but the infection also has pulmonary and blood infection versions. The rapid spread in Europe was not only the flea version, but also the pulmonary version where individuals could get infected from droplets emitted from infected people coughing and spitting.

Luigi

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:04:01 -0500, the infamous Swingman scrawled the following:

cornered one at a park and watched it bite a broom handle IN HALF. Dem funny lookin' critters is downright lethal, ah reckon.

I wonder who threw him out of his home in the daylight like that. They're usually quite nocturnal. Nocturnal creatures who come out in the daylight are usually either dis-homed or rabid. Caution!

[-MIKE-]

Hmmmm, sure about that? Was the broom all rotted or something?

[Robatoy]

Could have been my ex's broom. It had a lot of (air) miles on it.

[Steve Turner]

Is this her:

?

[Robatoy]

I'll be here all week. Try the veal. Don't forget to tip your waitress.

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:34:40 -0500, the infamous -MIKE- scrawled the following:

i don't recall that it was rotted. It was a cheap broom which came with a dustpan which had been left in the park. Those guys have really large and nasty teeth. Do NOT rile them! They could take your finger off in one quick chomp.

[-MIKE-]

Yes, their teeth are comically frightening, but as wild animals go they actually have a relatively weak bite and certainly couldn't bite clean through a broom handle, nor adult finger.

You also eluded to them possibly be rabid if seen during the day, which is also very improbable. An opossum's body temperature is too low to host most viruses, including rabies. They're not aggressive either, hence the saying "playing opossum." That hissing they do with the big open mouth is really all show and no go.

Raccoons, on the other hand.... :-)

[Greg G]

Unless they have young. then all bets are off. DAMHIKT - experiences from childhood.

Are quite intelligent and can be tamed, but the rabies factor...

Greg G.

[basilisk]

I don't know about nosy old women, raccoon is dark and gamey with a very coarse texture, kinda like beaver.

basilisk

[Swingman]

Had a pet coon for about three years. Not something I would want to do again. Though cute while young, they get BIG and STRONG; will climb to the top of everything, including drapes, blinds, your head, etc; can open anything in the house, including the refrigerator; and you don't want to piss one off ... it's like living with a mean, nosy old woman.

[Greg G]

I sure wouldn't keep one in the house. Leave it in the wild, but they'll stop by and beg for (demand?) food if they "know you." They'll also enter any opening in your house for winter shelter, no matter how high or improbable...

Greg G.

[Steve Turner]

How do they taste?

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:43:19 -0600, the infamous -MIKE- scrawled the following:

As I said, it was a smaller diameter than your average broom, prolly

5/8" of the softest SPF known to man. It was also a larger possum (larger than most house cats) and we had taunted it to no end. Believe what you will.

No, I alluded to that. Animal Control people often warn folks about nocturnal animals if they're seen in the daylilght. I also said it was possible that someone ousted it from its resting place. That's called "advice", and you can take or leave it; Your choice.

OK, I'll give you that one. Rabies is improbable in possums.

Go kick/shove one a dozen times with your foot and then stick your finger in their mouth. It'll show you "go", son. Foo!

Are not to be tangled with, either.

[Swingman]

This one would take any shiny object it could find, utensils, rings, jewelery, etc, and anything you fed it, straight to the nearest toilet and wash it off. We fed it the same dry dog food as the dogs, and it would do the same with dog food, perched on the toilet bowl, always looking away while it was washing the dog food, then looking back at its now empty paws with a puzzled look on its face.

Played well with the dog and cat. Actually a very clean pet, never failed to use the cat litter box in the garage and didn't need to be trained to do so, but about the beginning of its third year got too rambunctious to let into the house, so we took it to the farm and let it loose, where we saw it periodically for a few years, then nevermore.

My oldest daughter, who now lives in England, uses stories of "Terri, the coon" when growing up in the wilds of Texas, to entertain both hers and the neighbors children.

[Nonny]

Long, long ago, I was going out the driveway (wooded area) and a tiny possum ran across in front of the pickup. It was small enough that it probably was riding on its Momma hours earlier. It was most likely weaned and off on its own first adventure. I caught it and it went through all the possum antics: First, it was so fierce that it threatened to rip my body to shreds. Then, it was foaming at the mouth and obviously "too sick" for me to pick up. Finally, it "died" right there and obviously I'd not want to eat a dead possum: particularly one that had "died" of being so "sick."

About that time, my daughter's school bus let her off in front of the drive, so I handed her the "dead" baby possum and told her she had a new pet. She took it to the house and gave it a bath, combed and powdered it. That night, I asked her where her little possum was and she said, "Daddy, I put it out in the back yard. It was just too ugly to be a pet."

[charlie]

[-MIKE-]

In another post I was accused of changing the circumstances to fit my story. :-)

Ooo, a typo. I never said anything about that advice being good or bad.

You don't have to give me anything. It's a fact, not an opinion. And since you're so into pointing out typos, we're talking about opossums, not those little guys who live in Australia.

What does that prove? I'm not aggressive either, but if someone kicks and shoves me a dozen times I might show some teeth.

When I think, "aggressive," I think of something looking for a fight, something that comes at you before it runs away from you. Opossums are quite the opposite.

And BTW, I have poked and prodded them with a stick... a broom handle, in fact, in an attempt to get one off the porch. That attempt was almost as stupid as sticking my finger in it's mouth. When I decided to use my brain, I put a cat crate next to him, which he promptly climbed into for easy transport back to the woods.

A buddy of mine used to just shine a light in their eyes and grab 'em by the tail. I'm not that brave. I don't want to lose a finger. :-)

[Greg G]

G.

[Martin H. Eastburn]

They are all around here and are known to kill dogs if cornered.

Beloved and I were mowing and cleaning around the shop last week and found a yearling in a ball. It was in a pallet under a large box I used to paint upon. Both were burnt with the brush.

They are also fast on their feet.

Mart> On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:34:40 -0500, the infamous -MIKE-