Should Walnut Creek family let an opossum live under a shrub in their yard?

"It's not a good idea to do things that actively attract wildlife to your yard. By actively, I mean putting out food or trying to "tame" them. But that's not what you're doing. For whatever reasons, the opossum has found a home in your yard and you are merely letting it be. Opossums usually don't stay in one place for long, so it might eventually move on without any encouragement from your husband."

"There are benefits to having an opossum as a close neighbor. Of all the critters that could move in, the opossum is probably the easiest to co-exist with. They rarely do significant damage to yards and gardens, although they can snack on fruits and vegetables. More often, they eat the sorts of things that we don't want in our yards - insects, slugs, snails, ticks, cockroaches and even some rodents."

"They also don't carry some of the diseases other animals carry, such as rabies. Their low body temperature seems to counter rabies, although they can carry leptospirosis, which is a serious bacterial disease. If the opossum sticks around, you should talk to your vet about immunizing your dog against it. Don't attempt to feed it, keep your garbage bins tightly shut, and don't allow your dog out unsupervised. Opossums aren't known to attack humans or dogs, but it's always a good idea to be cautious."

An opossum has taken shelter at the base of a shrub and is likely to move on eventually since opossums often do not stay long in one place. Opossums rarely cause significant damage to yards or gardens, though they may eat fruits and vegetables. Opossums provide pest control by eating insects, slugs, snails, ticks, cockroaches and some rodents. Opossums have low rabies risk but can carry leptospirosis; pet owners should consult a veterinarian about immunizing dogs. Homeowners should avoid feeding wildlife, secure garbage bins, and not allow dogs out unsupervised.

Read at The Mercury News