@holon42 It's amazing how opossums as pets can be so cute, but ones in the wild look like giant prehistoric hissing rats.
@poemblaze @holon42 There's different wild possums, too - some more "traditionally beautiful" than others!
possums have a tough life in the wild, so they have to be tough to survive. and it shows 😢
yes, that's my only reason too. we need to grow up as a species and learn to get along.
@AskTheDevil @holon42 A possum scared me to death when I walked into a shed when I was a kid. I've been a bit biased ever since.
@poemblaze @holon42 I think one of their defense mechanisms might be to look scarier than they are, so really, no jury will convict you.
The only living creatures I really don't like in general are parasites.
Though let's face it, some are less huggable than others. I'm looking at you, centipedes.
centipedes are iffy. i let them be because they eat other insects too, and the ones around here are not dangerous.
it's hard to get past some childhood fears. but you can.
my mom freaked about spiders in the house, and i caught it at one point, but i got over it and now i just make sure they're not the poisonous variety and then let them do their thing ✌🏽
@holon42 I am no longer completely afraid of them, but I never heard anything good about them until I met online people like you.
@poemblaze @holon42 Well, I hope now that we've raised your estimation of them a little, and that they don't do something gross and make a bad impression on you in the future.
: )
old prejudice takes time to evolve.
@holon42 @AskTheDevil This is true. The think I most likely about possums is they will sometimes eat ticks.
@poemblaze @holon42 They eat a lot of ticks! They're one of the few critters that will do that unpleasant job. I think they ought to get some gratitude!
I'd prefer to eliminate all ticks and give our possum friends kitty food instead.
yes, eating ticks makes them more than welcome in my garden. i do put out kitty food for raccoons or whomever, so perhaps they get some too.
i also put out trapped mouse 🐁 corpses and they disappear overnight.
@holon42 @poemblaze When I think about the reasons why I want life on Earth to survive, it's not just for humanity. There are a lot of beings to love on this planet.
Like possums!
(I like possums. I also like earwigs. Snakes. All sorts of critters with undeservedly bad reps. I feel a kinship.)