Possums from Winter 2016
by Our Readers
(All across Southern Ontario)
Ontario Possum
Dear Readers - it has taken me months to publish the backlog of submissions, and I still have three hundred waiting for me to edit and publish. The reports below are from earlier this year ...
In January, Cyndi from London, Ontario, wrote to tell us about her new neighbour! Late one night I was out on my front porch and spotted a large Possum strolling down the sidewalk of the house next door. Our houses are quite close together. It was about the size of my small dog and very light in colour. The head was large and it was very round and close to the ground. I have never seen one in the 40 years that we have lived here in west London, Ontario. I wish I had my phone on me to take a picture.
On January 19th one of our readers reported ... I was about to let my dog this morning around 7:30 am when something caught the corner of my eye, before I released my dog. At the corner of my house stood a Possum staring at me. Thankfully my dog hadn't spotted it so I managed to get him back inside. He would have wanted to play with it! We back onto a ravine so he must have come out into our yard to check out the goodies on garbage day.
From Orangeville, Ontario, David Montgomery asked ... On my porch eating cat food,would he. Would it injure my little dog if approached?
No, David, it likely wouldn't injure your dog - Possums just want a quiet life and to stay out of trouble!
January 20th – one of our readers reported ... We live just NW of Orangeville, Ontario, and I have been spotting Possums near our home for about 10 years but mostly coming and going from a dense swamp area with many small poplars . But, this year a Possum has appeared under our bird feeders at the front of the house. The area is lit until about 11:00 pm and he/she comes many nights when the porch is still lit and seems to be feeding on the shells of the sunflower seeds left by the birds. She/he is not particularly disturbed by our walking around the house, but will walk slowly under a car in the drive if we start to open the door.
Lucy from Richmond Hill said ... we came head-to-head on my front deck. I meant to take the garbage with me when I left early morning. I returned at 9.00 pm and there he was, nibbling by the front door. He was not agitated or frightened, he just scurried away. Cute, but disturbing to me since we have dogs, cats and many horses.
The only animal that the Possum may be a problem for, is the horse, as they carry EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) which can be deadly for horses.
On January 23rd, Bob from Stouffville wrote to say ... A Possum was seen in our back yard, under a suet bird feeder, about 10 pm. It moved away when the lights went on and I took the dogs out for their bed-time walk. Location near Bloomington and Warden, in the north part of Stouffville, Ontario.
Terri from Nobleton, Ontario, wrote to say ... we have two outdoor cats who have a heated house on our front porch. Recently a Possum has been sharing their dinner and milk. The other day all three were sitting together on the bench. Should we continue to feed our new friend? We wondered if it was cold. Or maybe has babies and not enough food. We are rural in King Township, Ontario.
You could keep feeding your little friend, they are not aggressive, despite having large, scary-looking teeth, they just want to go about their business and keep themselves to themselves.
On January 24th, Betty Stella, Innisfil, Ontario, Our neighbourhood possum is brown with a cute cream coloured face. We have lots of forested areas with wetland and he/she can be seen occasionally on the road and in our garage at night. No damage though. Cute little thing I hope the winter isn't too tough on him/her!
Ron from Hagersville, Ontario, said ... we saw one just now on our deck by the back door. We live in Hagersville and we are about a mile outside of town.
January 25th Diane Wallace told us about her Scarborough Bluffs Possum sighting ... I arrived home around 9:30 pm and was in my car and my friend noticed the Possum coming towards us, then turned right beside the car and headed up my driveway and into the garage. He poked around then came out. We watched him for a bit then he wandered back into the garage. When my husband went into the garage he couldn't find him :-(
Rita Mikelsons sent us her report ... Scarborough (Rouge Valley) Lawson Rd and Meadowvale, January 26th. I have been feeding a feral cat for several years. He will not step inside the house. One night I heard some major noise on my front porch thinking it was him. Lo and behold, it was a very light coloured Possum. He is skittish and clearly unprepared for this climate. He is also the only animal smart enough to have gone into a small foam wind break I had made for my cat and the feral, who will stand in front of it, on it, near it or nowhere near it as they are being pelted by sleet.
January 27 2017 Desi from Hamilton Mountain said ... Saw a creature dead by the side of the road a few yards from our house here on Hamilton mountain, obviously hit by a car. At first I thought it was a cat but as our car passed by I was alarmed to see a long snout and scary looking teeth. I asked around and someone suggested Possum. I looked it up and, yes, it was definitely a Possum! I never saw a creature like that before!
January 27th Bob Jacobs from Skugog, Ontario, wrote to say ... we discovered what I believe to be a Possum in our yard as we drove in following a movie. We sat in the car watching it for about 5 minutes and was surprised it didn't run off. It was grey in colour with a white face. We are located on Chalk Lake, North of Whitby, Ontario.
