They also have a hairless, prehensile tail that takes up more than a third of its total length and allows it to grasp onto objects like an extra arm or leg. This makes them especially good climbers, which is one of their main defenses against predators.

Like some pets, it is best to keep only one opossum as they have a tendency to fight their own, especially if kept in cages. Male and female opossums make equally good pets as they both have gentle and inquisitive personalities. In terms of diet, opossums are omnivorous, meaning they will eat meat as well as plant matter, and a hanging water bottle should always be available to give them a clean and fresh source of water.

However, there are some downsides to opossums as pets. For starters, they are nocturnal creatures, so they are more likely to be active whilst their owners are asleep. They also startle easily, which can trigger their unique “playing possum” defense mechanism where they go completely rigid and appear to be dead. Additionally, some states require a wildlife permit to have wild opossums as pets, and opossums can carry pathogens that can be harmful to humans, so there can be a health risk to having an opossum as a pet.