False Post: No, Possums Won’t Eradicate Lyme Disease

The vet says opossums won’t help us fight Lyme disease, even if they eat ticks.

A false post that went viral on Facebook in the name of Chambly Hospital falsely claimed that possums were “tick specialists” and thus became “allies”[s] the size of our pets.

“It does eat ticks because it doesn’t tolerate ticks on its skin, but it won’t actually help us fight Lyme disease, it’s not resistant either, it’s just “it doesn’t promote it because it gets rid of ticks quickly.” , said veterinarian Claudia Gilbert in an interview at the show. Balance.

This small marsupial has been found in Quebec for several years. It comes mostly from southern Quebec and the United States, but with climate change we are seeing it return to the province and is now found mainly on the south shore of Montreal and the Montérégie.

“This is a marsupial, we can compare it with a koala or a kangaroo, it is a marsupial, it does not hibernate and it still needs a certain climate suitable for it, which is why gradually, with climate change, we are seeing more and more of them “, the veterinarian explained.

Even if this small animal is harmless, it is still a wild animal and it is important to stay away from it, M warned.^{to me} Gilbert.

“This animal, however, is shy and harmless, on the other hand, it is a wild animal, we do not want to catch it and try to tame it in order to keep it in our house. Social media does this a lot and it is very harmful to wildlife,” she continued.

The possum still has 50 teeth, eight more than a dog, and could bite if attacked, she warned.

Although this animal is not considered a pest, it is opportunistic and can rummage through our trash. Because he is scared, he often plays dead, sometimes for six hours.

He is also quite vulnerable. “He’s clumsy and could get hit by a car, so you have to be careful,” M warned.^{to me} Gilbert.