Do possums hibernate?

There are many types of animals which hibernate during winters. These animals either collect a large supply of food with them so that they can survive easily for whole winters or eat a large portion of food. Then they can easily sleep or stay for 4-5 months until the arrival of spring season. This is how most of the animals survive during winters. Some common animals which hibernate include bats and bears. This is a good way to protect themselves from extreme winters and this survival technique is followed by many animals (either small or large).

But not every animal hibernate and possums are among those. It does not matter to them that whether it is summer, rainy or winter season, they are always alert and ready to go out. They may sleep a little longer during winters but they are not the true hibernators. They change their living habits but don’t stay for months in their hole. They do look for a shelter before winters so that they can live there and can save them from cold. They don’t dig their own holes because their paws are not that strong. That’s why they look for shelters in hollow trees, wood piles, rock crevices, and burrows by other animals or space in buildings.



They generally sleep in the daytime and usually hunt during the night time because of their poor visibility but they are having a very good sense of smelling and hearing. This is the biggest advantage they are having because with this they can protect themselves from predators. This not only helps in their protection but this quality is also really helpful in finding their prey. They can easily sense any kind of movement around them and thus can hunt small animals for their food. Possums can eat vegetables and fruits as well so they can also easily find them through their smelling sense.

Possums can easily change their habits so that they can survive with the changing seasons. During winters, possums sometimes come out in the daytime to look for food because the temperature is quite low at night during winters. Likewise, they can adapt to the changing environment needs. During winters, they may also break into human homes to look for food or shelter. That’s why they are mostly seen during winters but they are of no harm to humans. Going out during daytime is not that easy and it is full of risk. They are scavengers and they can find their food from different and weirdest places with the help of their smelling power. Frostbite is the common problem that they face during winters. They are not having any fur on their body so it is difficult for them to warm their body in the winters.

Therefore, if you see a possum now near your home in winters, then it is just looking to eat something or hide somewhere as they don’t believe in hibernating and fight with the circumstances/weather conditions by adapting themselves with the environmental conditions.


Visit our Wildlife Trapper New Bern home page to learn more about us.