Raccoons vs. Possums: Which is a Worse Pest?

Many of you who have known me for a while know that I have been dealing with an opossum problem at my house for quite some time. I live in an old house with pier and beam, and the nasty little critters have a habit of finding their way under my house with their fleas. The flea eggs then hatch and create an industrial infestation here in the house. This is must plain ugly and tends to get me in a bad mood.

One of the things I have done since I don't work now (!) is get the crawl space of the house sealed up. There are like 20 bricks now blocking the entryway, but it would not shock me if the little varmints figure out how to move them.

I've had raccoons in the yard, too. We had some visitors last fall - a mama and baby - who had a great meal on some cat food. Unlike the possums, they did not stick around. The other night it was poring torrential rain, and my mom had been over for dinner. When I drove her home and dropped her off, who should go running off her port but a huge raccoon! Maybe the one from last fall just went down the road to the other Miller's house...



Anyway, this got me to thinking about which of these varmints is a worse problem to have. I did a little research, and the answer hands down is raccoons. According the the Wildlife Rescue League, raccoons are carnivores and weigh anywhere from 12 to 35 pounds! They can unlock doors and get into trash cans and other mischief.Worse, raccoons are one of the few mammals that can descend tree trunks head first. Everyone knows that raccoons often get rabies which can be passed on to people. And, the little devils can even swim. You can red more about raccoons at http://fohn.net/raccoon-pictures-facts/raccoon-facts.html.

In contrast, the possum has a few useful traits and is generally a more loved animal. As a case in point, there is a National Opossum Society (http://www.opossum.org/), but no such similar organization for raccoons. Why is this the case? One possible reason is that possums are the only marsupial in North America! Who does not love an animal with a pouch? The gestation period for possums is only 11-13 weeks, and when the babies are born, all 20 of the litter can fit in a teaspoon. Then they get on into the mother's pouch where they develop and grow into big possums. Hmm. Possums also eat just about anything including roaches, rats, beetles, slugs and snails, so some people consider them helpful around the house. Most interestingly, they have thumbs on their feet!

I have not been able to get any photos of the possums in my yard, nor have I bothered to treat them for fleas. I'm still not convinced they are cute, but at least the raccoons are gone for now.