They Look Dangerous Opossums can really look dangerous, especially when they feel threatened. Why do they look dangerous? Well, they look dangerous because they resemble giant rats and because they stand the ground when threatened and bare their 50 sharp teeth at their enemy. This all looks very disgusting and intimidating.

However, are opossums generally a threat to us and our pets? Well, we will explore that in this informative article. Keep on reading this article for the sake of your health and the health and well-being of your pets.

The Truth about Opossums
As we said earlier in the text, opossums will usually stand the ground and bare their sharp teeth at their enemy. But, do these rat-like animals do that for show or they are serious about that? Well, you will be shocked when we tell you that opossums perform this defensive mechanism only for show.

We had several cases when an opossums bared its teeth at us and we poked the animal with a stick and our aggressive opossum friend did nothing about that. Opossums actually won’t do anything when feeling threatened besides preparing a little show for you because they are generally docile animals. In fact, opossums are cowardly animals that rarely attack when they feel threatened. These animals usually pass out when they feel threatened and play dead.





They Sometimes Attack
The truth is that opossums will play dead most of the time when they feel threatened. However, on rare occasions these animals will actually attack their enemy. This happens only when an opossum is in huge danger and when its life is in question.

Opossums rarely attack humans because they don’t consider us a big threat. But, they usually attack dogs and cats because they are afraid of them. Opossums sometimes even get involved in bloody fights with pets such as dogs and cats. Knowing this, you probably ask yourself now are opossums dangerous to cats and dogs.

Are They Dangerous to Cats and Dogs
Opossums do attack cats and dogs. However, they don’t attack pets for no reason. Opossums will only attack your pet dog or pet cat if they get provoked by your pet.

Dogs are especially prone to provoking an opossum. Now, opossum generally lose a fight with dogs but they will usually bite your dog a few times during its fight with your dog. This will probably leave your dog infected with various diseases such as tularemia, Coccidiosis, and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.

Read the How to get rid of opossums page for helpful information and to learn more about Are opossums dangerous to cats, dogs, or other pets?

Are opossums dangerous to cats, dogs, or other pets?