The North American Opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is a common nocturnal visitor to many backyards. As these marsupials forage through suburban areas, they often encounter cultivated gardens. Understanding the possum’s natural feeding habits provides the clearest answer to whether they consume vegetables like lettuce and offers guidance on managing their presence near your produce.
Possums and Lettuce: The Simple Answer
Possums are opportunistic omnivores, readily consuming a wide variety of accessible food sources. The simple answer is yes; a possum will eat lettuce if it is available in a garden or left out as a food scrap. This behavior is driven by their flexible and non-selective dietary nature, not a preference for leafy greens.
Their natural diet is highly varied, including insects, small rodents, eggs, fruit, berries, carrion, and various types of plant matter. Lettuce, particularly the tender leaves found in a home garden, represents an easy, low-effort meal. Possums are simply taking advantage of a readily available food source in their environment.
Nutritional Value and Feeding Considerations
While possums will eat lettuce, it offers very little meaningful nutrition. Lettuce is composed primarily of water and lacks the calories, protein, and balanced minerals possums require to thrive. Feeding them large quantities of low-nutrient food can lead to significant health problems.
A diet heavy in low-value foods, such as lettuce, can create a nutritional imbalance, particularly a poor calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. This deficiency can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), especially in younger possums. MBD causes skeletal deformities and mobility issues. Wildlife experts advise against intentionally feeding possums lettuce or any other low-value food scraps.
Keeping Possums Away From Your Produce
Protecting a garden from possums requires implementing specific, humane deterrence methods focused on making the area inaccessible. Physical barriers are often the most effective strategy for safeguarding vulnerable plants. Installing a fence at least 1.8 meters high, or using wildlife-safe netting with a mesh size of 5 millimeters or less, can prevent them from reaching crops.
Removing common attractants is an effective step in discouraging possum visits. This involves securing pet food left outside overnight and ensuring garbage cans and compost bins have tightly secured lids. Promptly picking up fallen fruit or overripe vegetables eliminates easy food sources that draw them into the garden.
Motion-activated deterrents can also be used to startle and repel possums without causing harm. Devices that spray a jet of water or activate a bright light when movement is detected can be placed near garden beds. Combining these strategies creates a layered defense, making your produce a difficult and undesirable target for the nocturnal forager.