Virginia opossums will eat an astonishing variety of foods.
They are opportunistic omnivores, which means they eat both plant and animal matter and change their diet according to what is available. Wild opossums may eat insects, worms, fruit, seeds, eggs, frogs, snakes, small mammals and carrion.
In towns and suburbs, they may also investigate garbage, bird feeders and pet-food bowls.
One thing they probably do not eat in huge numbers, despite a popular internet claim, is ticks. Recent research found little evidence that ticks are an important part of the natural opossum diet.
Quick Answer: What Do Opossums Eat?
Virginia opossums eat a broad mixture of animal and plant foods, including:
insects;
earthworms;
snails and slugs;
fruits and berries;
nuts and seeds;
small mammals;
frogs and other amphibians;
snakes and other reptiles;
bird eggs;
carrion;
and occasionally human food waste.
They do not rely on one favorite food. Instead, they take advantage of whatever nutritious food is easiest to find.
Are Opossums Omnivores?
Yes. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is an omnivore and scavenger.
Smithsonian describes the species as an opportunistic feeder whose diet changes with season and habitat. Its foods can include small mammals, birds, insects, worms, plant material, fruits, seeds, reptiles and amphibians.
This flexible diet is one reason opossums can survive in forests, farmland, wetlands, suburbs and cities.
What Do Opossums Eat in the Wild?
Natural opossum diets contain both animal and plant foods.
Animal Diversity Web summarizes studies showing that their diet may include mammal tissue, insects, earthworms, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other invertebrates.
Plant foods include:
berries;
fruits;
seeds;
grains;
nuts;
leaves;
and other vegetation.
The exact mixture varies from place to place and from season to season.
What Fruits Do Opossums Eat?
Fruit can be an important part of the diet, especially when it is abundant.
Alabama Cooperative Extension lists fruits such as:
persimmons;
apples;
plums;
blackberries;
hackberries;
and wild grapes.
Opossums are capable climbers, so they may find fruit both on the ground and in shrubs or trees.
Do Opossums Eat Insects?
Yes. Insects are an important food source.
Opossums may eat beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and other invertebrates they encounter while searching through vegetation, fallen logs and leaf litter.
They also consume:
earthworms;
snails;
slugs;
and other small invertebrates.
Do Opossums Eat Ticks?
Opossums can potentially swallow a tick while grooming or feeding, but the popular claim that wild opossums routinely consume thousands of ticks is not well supported.
A 2021 study examined the stomach contents of 32 Virginia opossums from Illinois and found no ticks or tick body parts.
The researchers also reviewed 23 previous studies of Virginia opossum diets. None reported ticks among the identified food items.
The authors concluded that ticks do not appear to be a preferred food of wild Virginia opossums.
So it is safer to say:
Opossums may occasionally consume ticks, but there is no strong evidence that ticks make up a major portion of their natural diet or that each opossum eats thousands of them.
Where Did the “5,000 Ticks” Claim Come From?
The claim traces back to laboratory work in which captive opossums groomed off many experimentally attached ticks.
Those results were later widely converted into claims that wild opossums routinely remove thousands of ticks from the environment.
Natural diet studies have not confirmed that assumption.
This is a useful example of why behavior observed under laboratory conditions does not always tell us exactly what an animal eats in the wild.
Do Opossums Eat Snakes?
Yes, opossums can eat snakes.
Wildlife sources include reptiles among the animal foods consumed by Virginia opossums.
Opossums also have physiological resistance to the venom of some pit vipers, which allows them to prey on certain venomous snakes.
That does not mean snakes are the main part of their diet. They are simply one of many possible prey items.
Do Opossums Eat Mice and Rats?
Yes.
Small mammals can form part of the Virginia opossum's diet, including rodents such as mice.
Opossums are opportunistic rather than specialized rodent hunters, so they do not depend on mice and rats the way some predators do.
They will take small vertebrates when the opportunity arises.
Do Opossums Eat Dead Animals?
Yes. Carrion—already dead animals—is a regular part of the opossum diet.
Scavenging allows an opossum to obtain calories without having to catch live prey.
This also explains why opossums are sometimes seen near roads, where road-killed animals provide an easy but dangerous food source.
Do Opossums Eat Chickens?
They can, but chickens are not their main food.
Opossums may occasionally enter poultry areas and eat:
eggs;
young chicks;
or an accessible bird.
University of Florida Extension describes farm chickens as an occasional diet item rather than a primary food.
When poultry is being lost, tracks, camera footage and other evidence are useful because raccoons, foxes, coyotes and other predators may also be responsible.
Do Opossums Eat Cat Food or Dog Food?
Yes. Outdoor pet food is highly attractive to opossums.
They may also visit:
open garbage cans;
compost;
bird feeders;
fallen fruit;
and food left outside overnight.
UC Integrated Pest Management recommends removing accessible food sources if opossums are repeatedly visiting a property.
Bring pet food indoors at night and use secure garbage containers rather than deliberately feeding wild opossums.
What Do Baby Opossums Eat?
Very young opossums begin life dependent on their mother's milk.
Virginia opossums are marsupials. Their extremely undeveloped newborns crawl into the mother's pouch, attach to a teat and continue developing there.
As juveniles grow and become independent, they transition to the varied omnivorous diet eaten by adults.
A wild baby opossum should not be given cow's milk or improvised food. If an apparently orphaned or injured juvenile needs help, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
What Do Opossums Eat in Winter?
The diet changes according to availability.
Animal Diversity Web reports that small vertebrates can make up a larger part of the diet during colder seasons, while warmer months may provide more insects, fruits, seeds and plant material.
Opossums do not truly hibernate, so they must continue finding food during winter.
Should You Feed Wild Opossums?
Generally, there is no need.
Opossums are highly capable of finding their own food.
Leaving food out can also attract other wildlife and encourage animals to spend more time around houses, roads and pets.
A better approach is to allow native habitat to provide natural food while keeping garbage and pet food secured.
FAQ
What is an opossum's favorite food?
Opossums do not have one universal favorite food. They are opportunistic omnivores and eat whatever suitable foods are locally and seasonally available.
Do opossums eat ticks?
They may occasionally ingest ticks, but natural diet studies do not support the popular claim that ticks are a major food source or that wild opossums routinely eat thousands of them.
Do opossums eat fruit?
Yes. They eat fruits and berries including persimmons, apples, plums, blackberries and wild grapes.
Do opossums eat snakes?
Yes. Reptiles, including snakes, can be part of their diet.
Do opossums eat mice?
Yes. Small mammals such as mice may be eaten when available.
Do opossums eat chickens?
They occasionally take eggs, chicks or poultry, but chickens are not their primary natural food.
Do opossums eat garbage?
Yes. Urban opossums readily exploit human food waste, garbage, compost, bird seed and pet food.
Are opossums carnivores?
No. They are omnivores because their diet includes both animal and plant foods.
Final Answer
Virginia opossums eat almost anything nutritious they can find.
Their natural diet includes insects, worms, snails, fruit, seeds, small mammals, eggs, amphibians, reptiles and carrion. In urban areas, they also take advantage of garbage, bird seed and pet food.
Their flexible diet is one of the reasons they can live successfully alongside people.
But one famous diet claim needs correction: although opossums may occasionally consume ticks, current evidence does not show that wild opossums routinely eat thousands of ticks or depend on ticks as an important food source.
Sources Used for Fact Checking
Smithsonian's National Zoo — Virginia Opossum
U.S. National Park Service — Virginia Opossum
University of Florida IFAS Extension — Virginia Opossum
Alabama Cooperative Extension — Virginia Opossum
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan — Didelphis virginiana
Hennessy & Hild (2021), Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases — Opossum Tick Diet Study
