Opossum diseases

[bohok]

Last night we had an opossum get into our coop before I came out to close the chickens up and he killed two of our 10 week old chicks. I caught him and stopped him before he did more damage. We did end up killing him because he’s killed some of our chickens before (full grown ones!!), this is just the first time we’ve caught him in the act. There were even eggs in the coop for him to have if he wanted but he went straight for the birds!

My question is…I’ve read that they carry diseases so easy to pick up that if you even touch soil they peed on, it could absorb through your skin. Well not only did he leave saliva in our coop but he pooped while we dispatched him and probably peed too, and there was some blood in the process. He also did not LOOK healthy, he looked sickly with extremely patchy fur (almost none left on his body) and skin. This is right near where my chickens and kids walk daily and now I’m freaked out about how to get any possible diseases out of the soil and coop. We also cleaned up the scat and carcass with a large shovel but did not wear face and mouth protections which I’ve since read you’re supposed to do to make sure you don’t break in any pathogens.

What should I do?? I already doused the ground where we killed it with vinegar.

Please be kind! I just want to make sure my family and pets will be safe

 

[Kiki]

Don't be freaked out.
You didn't eat the dead opossum so you aren't getting sick.
You are overreacting. Everything will be fine.

 

[TexasBlues]

What diseases are you concerned about?

 

[PatriciafromCO]

Not OP's they are high resistant they only animal that I know of that is naturally resistant to Rabies. Maybe they get a bad rap for being (I think cute) but ugly, greasey looking and scarey feriece looking and sounding when they mad.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Last night we had an opossum get into our coop before I came out to close the chickens up and he killed two of our 10 week old chicks. I caught him and stopped him before he did more damage. We did end up killing him because he’s killed some of our chickens before (full grown ones!!), this is just the first time we’ve caught him in the act. There were even eggs in the coop for him to have if he wanted but he went straight for the birds!

My question is…I’ve read that they carry diseases so easy to pick up that if you even touch soil they peed on, it could absorb through your skin. Well not only did he leave saliva in our coop but he pooped while we dispatched him and probably peed too, and there was some blood in the process. He also did not LOOK healthy, he looked sickly with extremely patchy fur (almost none left on his body) and skin. This is right near where my chickens and kids walk daily and now I’m freaked out about how to get any possible diseases out of the soil and coop. We also cleaned up the scat and carcass with a large shovel but did not wear face and mouth protections which I’ve since read you’re supposed to do to make sure you don’t break in any pathogens.

What should I do?? I already doused the ground where we killed it with vinegar.

Please be kind! I just want to make sure my family and pets will be safe

I'm sorry about your chicks, how sad!

To me Stinky Possums always look a bit gross unless they are babies. I'm not a fan of Stinky Possums at all!

That said, I wouldn't worry to much about catching a disease. I'm sure you washed up well after taking care of business.

Just clean up the area where there was saliva and stir in some fresh bedding.

When I trap and dispatch an animal (usually Raccoon), there is usually going to be some blood, bodily fluids, etc. I only trap right next to my coop/runs, so I do shovel up whatever is "loose". I then dilute any blood/bodily fluids with a bleach solution. Just follow the directions for disinfecting on the bleach container. I have a dog, so usually keep him out of that spot for a day or so. The sun will also help bake and sanitize.
What I do may seem like overkill as well but cleaning up and "sanitizing" can go a long way in giving you some peace of mind.

Hope this helps

Just an add on note - it's always a very good idea to have a box of disposable gloves at home. These can help with the "ick" factor for numerous things - from cleaning, to gardening, to cleaning up Stinky Possums. I'm a girl and I like to have gloves for a lot of things.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I've fed possum to my chickens on numerous occasions. You have nothing to worry about if your chickens are healthy

 

[TOR]

Possums, raccoon what I worry about is the feces. Possum have something they can carry and gets into horse hay can hurt horses, I forget.
Raccoon can carry raccoon round worm which can be lethal in humans.
wild animal can carry disease. Like they are finding cows can get bird flu, mink and other animals can get covid.
Just wear some gloves, watch for body fluids, wash up when done.
Sorry about your chicks. usually possum are oppurtunist,I have had couple chickens killed by adult possum usually they steal eggs and eat chicken food.

 

[McChooky]

When I rented out lots for mobile homes we commonly got calls from residents asking us to remove possums .They climbed inside the house thru holes cut in the floor for the drain lines.I'd throw a noose over their neck and pull them outside .Believe it or not most of them walked lol

 

[Susan Skylark]

Opossums are not resistant to rabies, some bats are, but nothing else is. You will not get rabies unless you have blood/saliva contact with blood/saliva. Rabid animals also die within 10 days of getting sick, I doubt this guy carried it.

EPM in horses is thought to be caused by a parasite carried by possums contaminating feed: poultry are not susceptible.

Most species can carry some interesting parasites that can affect people or other species quite dramatically on rare occasions, wear gloves and wash your hands when dealing with feces. Bleach and sunshine are your friend!

Traces of avian influenza have been found in milk from dairy cattle yes, but sick cattle and transmission to other species has been extremely rare, media is playing it up for hype, actual danger in reality is minimal. You’d be surprised at the bugs you carry (at low levels) as a natural part of your body flora, it is only when things get out of balance or conditions are just right that disease occurs.

There isn’t any pathogen I can think of that is so virulent it can invade your system merely by touching it. Certain monkeys carry a highly lethal virus but it needs to splash in your eyes. Possums are just gross not deadly. Wash your hands, scrub and disinfect and let it dry and just relax, you and your birds will be fine.

 

[McChooky]

Possums have a low body temperatures which makes them an unfavorable host for rabies. This 5 yr chart doesn't have 1 case