GULLIBLE'S BABBLES - 107: The Opossum Motel, Now Open for Business
- Gullible
- Oct 15, 2020
- 3 min read
WELCOME TO THE OPOSSUM MOTEL:
This property is protected by the Opossum Patrol.
I have a new addition to my household. On September 19, 2020, a baby opossum wandered into my family room, got something to eat and drink from the dogs bowls and scampered under the couch.
This turned out to be more than a single visit as the little guy has been living with me ever since. Each evening after dark, he comes out to eat, drink, hang out for the evening and then go outside or back to bed under the couch.
Most people would find this unexceptionable. Intolerable. Disgusting. I’m ecstatic with my new roommate. So much so that I’ve named him “Little Ricky.”
WILD, WILD LIFE:
Let me be clear, I have no intentions to confine and domesticate him. He’s a wild animal and is free to come and go as he pleases. So far, he’s decided to stay. With winter heading this way, I don’t see any reasons that will motivate him to move out. After all, he’s got a pretty sweet gig here is probably safer with me than outdoors fending for himself. But it’s his choice.
Little Ricky has certainly become a humorous topic of conversation within my inner circle. I’ve been asked, “How does he smell” and “Where does he go to the bathroom?” Well ... we’re still getting to know one another so there’s still much to learn and figure out. I was also asked what I’m going to do if he crawls in bed with me. My reply, “I’ve slept with worse!” Ha! That’s actually an honest answer but NOT what you are thinking.
LITTLE MEAN DOGS:
For the past 17 years, I’ve volunteered for a small breed dog rescue group. I started out fostering and ultimately gravitated to in-home hospice care for little senior citizens and dogs with medical or disposition issues — I.e. dogs that bite. That’s what I mean by, “I’ve slept with worse.” I’ve rolled over in bed and ended up bleeding. It got to a point where I was wearing “protective gear” as a precaution come bedtime.
WHAT THE HELL:
The reason this is topic-appropriate for Gullible’s Babbles, other than it’s my blog and I’ll babble about whatever I want to, is of the strange connection this has to Sea-Monkeys®. I kid you not. Somehow it all comes back to Sea-Monkeys® with me.
On that note, I’ll leave this post off here as another sad cliffhanger:
What does a friendly wayward opossum have to do with Sea-Monkeys®?
What’s the matter this guy?
Are there rabies shots in his future?
How long will Little Ricky stick around?
How DOES he smell and where DOES he go to the bathroom?
Inquiring minds (with too much time on their hands) might want to know. And if no one cares, oh well. It’s just my weird little world and now my opossum count is plus one and growing.
Gullibly yours —
"Gullible" (and Little Ricky)
©2020 Gullible’s Babbles - TRM for houseoftheunusual.com
EAR-WORM:
“Oh Ricky you’re so fine,
you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Ricky.
Hey, hey, hey Ricky”
— “Mickey” by Tony Basil
AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT OPOSSUMS:
ON A SERIOUS NOTE:
If you are in a position to add a pet to your home, please do so. And please consider pet adoption. There are so many homeless pets in the world that have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. I also strongly recommend spaying or neutering domestic animals. The list of reasons why and the benefits are extensive. Be kind to animals — and each other.
UPDATE: The weird and "wild" continues on at my place. Besides the ongoing nightly "opossum oparade," a raccoon has joined their nightly visitors at the 24 hour dine and dash that is known as my family room. Unlike opossums, raccoons can carry rabies so this elevates things to a bit of a new level. Like the opossums, the raccoon is very docile and skittish. So far, he's very well behaved and has caused no problems. He just wants something to eat and drink and then he's off on his raccoon adventures. Just keeping it weird and wild here at my house.
Again, I'm not attempting to domesticate these wild animals. (I don't recommend that.) They come and go at their…
UPDATE: The family of opossums started showing up September of 2020. They have been visiting me nightly for more than a year as of December 2021. They are polite house guests as they quietly and politely come and go for a drink of water and a heaping helping of dog food. It's impossible to keep track of how many there are and who is who. They largely look the same with a few exceptions — mostly in their size and personality.
One had a litter of babies earlier in the year so it seems the cycle will continue. They are welcome to come visit as long as they like. — "Gullible"
UPDATE: The opossum count and activity level in my family room only increases with time. Little Ricky has been bringing his siblings by recently to catch a nourishing meal in the evenings. It's hard to tell exactly how many siblings he has in his family — they parade in and out all evening long and into the night. The most I've seen at once is two but I can tell there are more because of their body types, sizes and coloring.
Little Ricky is smaller than the others and he's more comfortable hanging out and with me moving around so he's easily distinguishable. His siblings are still on the skittish side.
I have to say, opossums are very docile, polite…