Possums are common nocturnal marsupials found across diverse landscapes, from woodlands to suburban areas. These adaptable creatures often spark curiosity. This article explores the varied foods possums consume, providing insight into their foraging habits.
Natural Diet of Possums
Possums are classified as omnivores, meaning their diet includes both plant and animal matter. In their native habitats, they consume a wide array of vegetation, such as fruits, berries, leaves, grasses, nuts, seeds, and flowers. Their plant-based consumption often shifts with the seasons, depending on what is most abundant.
Beyond plant life, possums regularly forage for insects and other invertebrates. Beetles, crickets, slugs, snails, and worms are common components of their diet. They also prey on small vertebrates, including rodents, birds, their eggs, nestlings, snakes, lizards, and frogs.
A significant aspect of their natural diet involves carrion, highlighting their role as opportunistic scavengers in ecosystems. This allows them to obtain necessary nutrients, including calcium from skeletal remains.
Possums in Human Environments
As possums frequently inhabit areas near human populations, their diets often adapt to incorporate new food sources. They scavenge for items made accessible by human activity, allowing them to thrive in urban and suburban settings.
Common items they find and consume include pet food, such as dog and cat kibble, often left outdoors. They also frequently rummage through garbage cans and compost bins for discarded food scraps. Gardens can become a food source, with possums eating produce like tomatoes, corn, or fallen fruits.
Birdseed spilled from feeders is another readily available item that attracts them. However, this reliance can sometimes lead to conflicts with homeowners.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Possums
Providing human food to possums can be detrimental to their health and natural behaviors. Even seemingly harmless items can cause nutritional deficiencies or severe illness. It is generally advised to avoid direct feeding to protect these wild animals.
Processed foods, including bread, crackers, and sweets, are particularly harmful due to their high sugar, salt, and unhealthy fat content. These items lack the essential nutrients possums need and can lead to digestive issues and obesity. Dairy products, such as milk or cheese, should also be avoided as most possums are lactose intolerant, which causes digestive upset and diarrhea.
Certain foods are toxic to possums. These include chocolate and caffeine, which can cause heart and neurological problems. Avocado contains a substance called Persin that is harmful, while onions and garlic contain compounds that can damage red blood cells, leading to anemia. Cooked bones are dangerous because they can splinter, causing internal injuries or blockages in their digestive system.
Feeding possums can also lead to habituation, causing them to lose their natural fear of humans and increasing their vulnerability to vehicles, predators, or intentional harm. It can also concentrate animals in one area, raising the risk of disease transmission among wildlife. Securing garbage bins and keeping pet food indoors are effective ways to prevent unintended feeding.