Shakuntaladevi
112530
2850
49
“Grandpa” opossum is enjoying his retirement with me. Free board, free food, free house cleaning, free medications, free comfy bed. Iam smitten over this guy.
May 2, 2021 5:18 PM
Shakuntaladevi
112530
2850
49
“Grandpa” opossum is enjoying his retirement with me. Free board, free food, free house cleaning, free medications, free comfy bed. Iam smitten over this guy.
ManThatzaDrag
Alf
ipopipo
theinternetkeepsmealive
That's a lovely kind thing to do.
exponentiallymusical
he's gotten old, and chunky, living in a climate controlled cushioned environment. Most possums can't even imagine that kind of comfort.
sloomoo
Dang, but he looks a lot like Alf
DingusMajoris
Grandpossum
nancyin60510
Blessings to you both ♥️
crotchbugs
Look at his little hands and little fingers
TheDogEnd
His tail looks like a dried corn on the cob
Bakerysnake
I've never seen one get that old wow.
Rayxzerox
In all my rescuing, I can't say I've ever actually seen a geriatric opossum before. They're lovely animals though, rest easy Grandpa.
eigeress
In captivity, it's hard to keep them healthy and active. Their calcium need and activity levels suffer, and they can atrophy. But old ones/
eigeress
Deserve to power down, so yay for people being compassionate to the pouch critters.
500HPS
https://www.instagram.com/p/COOhkXTFvO8/?igshid=crlcr75m91rl
BigWillisStyle
I didn’t realize they had goddamn human baby fingers and toes.
YouWereSupposedToBeBulletPoints
This sweet creature visited me a lot at the beginning of lockdown. I haven't seen him in months... ?://i.imgur.com/40fVc3r.jpeg
ParaBellumOutfitters
@op I follow on FB. Glad this elderly gentleman is getting the love deserves
janegael
The can't get rabies as their body temp is too low and they eat a LOT of ticks. We need all the possums we can get. :-)
Volsball33
I thought that was ALF’s baby pictures
mormacil
He aged like milk but he's a sweet old fart
SeriouslyWhosDownvotingThis
I thought it was ALF
BlackTrashTiger
Live fast, Scream at own ass.
clamdriver
First pic looks like Alf.
[deleted]
[deleted]
gfuld018888
Well... he couldn’t have been that old
ThatDudeRich
endersjeesh
I wish I could favorite comments lol
GoatanamoBay
Live fast, diarrhea
SpanWolf
So, live fast, crap faster?
tegfdd77
TheYoungerLance
Thank you...finally, into my fourth decade of life, I've found my motto.
nognomwifey
Without contact this seems cruel, but with context is one of the sweetest things you could have said.
Durahl
What the fuck... That animal looks so OLD, if it would tell you a story about the great tick war it would most likely do so in the Marlon ¹
Durahl
Brando - The Godfather voice ?
theScreaminCat
That's their average life span in NATURE. They can live 15 yrs in captivity
AFelineMassofEyes
Proof or GTFO. All other experts say four years in captivity.
ParaBellumOutfitters
4 years is extremely old for them. I've seen two people claim they had them live to 5. 15 years is based on one uncited non-academic source.
sloomoo
Look at those fat toe-fingers!
jwillustrat
2.5 years? That doesn’t seem fair
Agrotere
His tail looks like an ear of corn ???
Blue4Five
Please tell us more about him, and about caring for a possum pet.
iseepointycenterofareola
eigeress
Let them be free to breed. It's the only thing that has kept them ancient wonders, and they don't have much time to do it.
HyenasAreFelines
Captivity can't replace freedom
Shakuntaladevi
I rescue him because I want him to have comfortable life before he died. I don't want he died outside and suffer. So i give him good home
eigeress
I understand, he looks quite ancient, and I feed a few that come on my patio. I think it's a nice thing you're giving him safety and rest.
FuckYourWainscottingCarol
I could tell you lots about them but I will never tell you they are pets.
thisiscatman
He's of mixed Irish and Moroccan descent, he's a Libra, he likes long walks on the beach and the songs of Gladys Knight.
eigeress
He took the midnight scurry to the garage.? ?
AnubisPriest
"Those that burn the brightest burn out faster..." Surviving the world, eating Lime Disease spreading ticks, giving the finger to rabies...
xyxyxyxy31
AnubisPriest
"Possums are nearly impervious to rabies: body temp is too low to host the rabies virus." https://www.wildlifehc.org/in-defense-of-opossums/
mrshinethediamond
Just watched a video about rabies. Without the vaccine, it's very deadly and a bad way to die.
AnubisPriest
Thankfully public education, animal testing and fast response has driven down full blown rabies to minute levels. It's horrible.
sloomoo
only about 59,000 cases worldwide per year. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/world/index.html - Per WHO about 29 million per yr 1/2
sloomoo
worldwide receive a post-bite vaccination. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies
superquick76
I believe that they eat ticks though.
sloomoo
Dude, they eat just about anything. They come through my dog door and get in the tall bin of dog crunchies.
thor0486
eating the 'lime disease spreading ticks'...not spreading them.
ligmabolz
That's what they said , yes
AngryGroundhog
Soooo many possums end up dead because they go in for rabies testing even though they most certainly do not have rabies. It’s tragic.
thatwoodguy
"The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."
JusSumDood
"The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long"
AnubisPriest
Yes... but trying to say everything in one line wouldn't let me type it that way.
BurnieCinders
"I've known adventures, seen places you people will never see, I've been Offworld and back… frontiers!"
ligmabolz
I don't know about that logic . That means I'd live to be at least 200 years old
FoamingToad
Oh fuck, there's something in my eyes...
Cluny
Nothing the God of Biomechanics wouldn't let you in Heaven for.
FoamingToad
...there's only two now...
squishybaker
Is that due to roadkill? predators? dickheads with rifles?
eigeress
They just age quickly. Maybe their temperature, or the strangeness of marsupials.
sozensloth
Even in captivity and being well taken care of, they rarely live to 3yo
sloomoo
Possums have short life span. Usually 1 or 2 yrs, just long enough to reproduce in the wild
Boksha
Predators, but with no need for longevity in the wild, they also grow old much faster than other mammals; 5 years probably the max lifespan.
imthegoodone
How old is this one?
HyenasAreFelines
I've seen ones in captivity live up to 6 years, they're usually still spry at 3-4. That head/neck swelling isn't normal aging
Boksha
The wildlife rescue's Insta these pictures and descriptions were taken from didn't list his age either, so don't hold out for an answer.
thedirtarmy
right? how tf did op leave this out? Is it 5 or 10....we will never know
Shakuntaladevi
This old guy is only have 3 months left..
Charcharm
OP is a master of cliffhangers
Shakuntaladevi
He has 3 months left on his life..
Charcharm
Thank you for giving him the best life he could have.
Mohareb
I'm too old to have pets that live for that short a time. 2½ year is like a blink of the eye
Link01
Even 15-20 years for a kitty is far too short
Lampmonster
Same. I can't handle losing many more dogs, but I also can't not have one.
deadandbloated
Parrots or turtles
Kbantar
Horrible but I can't not imagine the opposite; dying leaving a pet who never knows why I never returned.
florpglorp
If my tumor comes back i think i want to get a pet that will live as long as me
rubberducky44
Blink of an eye for you, but a lifetime of happiness for them.
CyanideBreathMint
Ok Kronos?
whyWontKeiraKnightleyReturnMyPhoneCalls
Seriously.
HyruleCucco
This is why I can't have rats anymore. Three years is way too short.
ZebraCockSandwich
I had a girl who passed too soon. but I still want more someday. it hurts, but the time is well spent.
drw16
i always wanted rats (so mischevious! so snuggly!) and this is why ill never get some.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Same. Too smart and sweet to be gone so soon.
xizar
I just bought new plumplings to keep the old ones company when death thins the older batch. Not looking forward to it.
JaseSunshine
I had fancy mice. Broke my heart to put them down. None of them even made it to 1.5 years.
canijustbeacat
My girls only made it to a year and a half ish. I was not ready to say goodbye and will never get pet rats again.
Pokegeologist
Same way with rabbits for me. The ones raised locally seem to have all kinds of overbreeding defects and they last 3-5 years.
Pokegeologist
Lost two to cancer and decided no more. Things were covered in horrible tumors. All we could do was put them down.
TaintToucher
Rats can live much longer, but their genetics is a shit lottery
leaderofthedamned
I had 1 live 5 years I found in a bush and 2 I bought from breeders barely make it past a year. Genetics is messy.
Shamorza
Our rat didn't last long. I think it was due to his genes but who knows, it might very well be because of the rat trap.
thetonestarr
theANALyzer
I thought they only live 1... This is why I haven't had one... Three years I might be able to deal with .....
xizar
You can squeeze two years out of them if you're lucky; cancer's a bitch.
theANALyzer
Fuck it.... I'm getting one
TheOtherBoleynGirl
Word of warning- euthanizing a rat is not as simple as a cat or dog. Mine had a tumor and they explained they can't use an injection, >
xizar
Get at least two. Rats *need* same-species friends. (A pair of boys will be easiest, in my opinion.
canijustbeacat
Well you'll have to at least get to then, never one. They like having a buddy
thetonestarr
I started keeping tarantulas this year. 1st 5 I got were all slow grow/long life, for that reason. They grow too slow though so I got more..
thetonestarr
Tuesday my last few come in & I'll have 12 then. Just had my first sling molt for the first time today, so that was super exciting!
HillOfBeans
Neat!
shadowbane1120
Raaaad
thetonestarr
I guess I'll expand on this since it's gained some interest. My first was a ~2.5mo G. pulchripes (.75in long). They live up to 30yrs & grow>
thetonestarr
thetonestarr