Do opossums make good pets?

There are a few reasons why you probably wouldn’t want an opossum as a pet, the first of which is a list of disease threats that you’re obviously going to want to avoid. Coccidiosis, for example, is a disease that affects the digestive system, usually passed on by mammals and birds. Then there’s salmonella - we all know how truly awful that can be, even if it is only for a few short days. Tularemia is a disease that is usually passed notvia rabbits but opossums can still carry it, and humans can be infected by contaminated water or materials from the urine and feces of the disease animal, skin contact and even flea or tick bites. Toxoplasmosis is another disease often carried in opossums, and leptospirosis is another you may want to check out. With these disease threats, some of which comes from the waste matter of the animal and not even the animal itself, why would you even want an opossum as a pet? It might look cute but this is a wild animal - as well as the disease threat, there are the teeth and claws to worry about. Wild animals hate to be cornered, especially by a human, so you’ll more than likely find the animal will try to lash out at you if you even try to tame it, capture it, or transfer it to a cage. In short, it would be highly advisable to avoid coming into contact with an opossum, let alone capture it and keep it as a pet.