What Kind Of Fruit Do Possums Eat? A Comprehensive Guide

Possums are omnivorous marsupials that can be found in many backyards and urban areas. If you have possums near your home, you may be wondering what kinds of fruit they like to eat.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: possums enjoy eating soft, sweet fruits like berries, stone fruits, and tropical fruits. Their favorites include figs, apples, grapes, papaya, and bananas.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the fruit-eating habits of possums. We’ll discuss the different types of fruits possums eat, which fruits they seem to like best, how to identify if a possum has been eating your fruit, and tips for preventing possums from getting into your fruit trees and gardens.

An Overview of Possums’ Fruit-Eating Habits

Possums Are Opportunistic Omnivores

As opportunistic omnivores, possums enjoy a varied diet consisting of both plant and animal matter. They forage for food wherever they can find it, including in backyard gardens and trash cans.

While possums eat all kinds of foods, over 50% of their diet consists of plant matter (Opossum Society). This includes fruits, grains, nuts, flowers, buds, and more. They especially enjoy finding easily accessible, high-calorie foods like fruits and garden veggies.

Fruits Provide Much-Needed Nutrition

Fruits offer possums essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and natural sugars, which provide energy. Since possums have a super fast metabolism (National Possum Day), they must eat frequently to fuel their high energy needs.

Fruits also contain lots of moisture, helping possums stay hydrated. This is important because possums don’t have fat stores to rely on if resources are scarce.

Possums Prefer Soft, Sweet Fruit

In one study on possums’ food preferences (Zoosystematics and Evolution), researchers offered wild possums various fruits and analyzed which ones they chose to eat.

The possums strongly preferred soft, pulpy, sweet fruits over tougher, tangy fruits. Their top picks were bananas, grapes, apples, and tomatoes. They were less interested in oranges, mandarins, and lemons.

It’s likely their attraction to sweetness helped possums locate ripened, energy-dense fruits in the wild. They use their sensitive nose and excellent night vision to sniff out fruits. Their opposable thumbs and toes help them grip branches to reach food sources.

Types of Fruit Possums Enjoy

Berries

Possums are big fans of berries! They enjoy eating all types of berries, especially strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. These fruits are soft and sweet, making them quite tasty to possums. Possums will scavenge berry bushes both in rural and urban areas.

Backyard gardens often attract possums looking to snack on ripe berry plants. According to a 2021 survey, over 85% of possum sightings near suburban neighborhoods involved possums raiding berry patches and fruit gardens.

Stone Fruits

In addition to berries, possums also like stone fruits such as peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, and mangoes when available. The soft, sweet flesh and pitted seeds and stones seem to delight a possum’s diverse palate.

Like berries, stone fruits often grow near human habitation, luring hungry possums out of the wild. Backyard stone fruit trees are a hugely popular possum snack, especially as the fruits begin to overripen and fall to the ground.

Tropical Fruits

The possum appetite for fruit extends to tropical varieties as well including pineapples, bananas, papayas, guava, lychee, and passionfruit. Although most wild possums don’t have access to tropical fruits, possums living near human settlement can and do treat themselves to these fruits.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over half of possum homeowners in Brisbane and north Queensland report possums raiding rubbish bins for discarded tropical fruit peels and insides.

Pome Fruits

While not as sweetly fleshy as stone fruits, pome fruits still tickle a possum’s fruity fancy now and then. Possums will enjoy apples, pears, Asian pears, quinces, and medlars. According to a 2022 observational study, pome fruits made up 12% of feral possum diets in New Zealand.

Like berries, possums favour overly ripe, fermenting fallen pome fruits the most.

Melons

As a sweet summer treat, possums also relish fresh melons including watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and muskmelons. Melons have soft juicy flesh and easily edible rinds, making it no work and all play for a possum to get at the sweet centre.

Although harder-rinded winter melons are less favoured, any melon is a tempting snack for an opportunistic possum passing by.

Citrus Fruits

Considered too sour by itself, possums eat citrus fruits like oranges, mandarins, lemons and limes more out of curiosity and opportunity than choice. They may lick the flesh and nibble rinds looking for some sweetness when citrus fruits fall in their path.

But most possums soon abandon citrus snacks for tastier options elsewhere. One exception is possums eating discarded citrus peels and rinds from residential compost heaps which have higher sugar content.

Fruit Favorites for Possums

Figs

Figs are a highly favored treat by possums due to their sweet taste and soft texture. The common brushtail possum has been observed feeding on figs in numerous studies across Eastern Australia. One research paper found that figs made up nearly 15% of the brushtail possum’s diet.

Possums like both ripe and unripe figs, and they will sometimes raid neighborhood fig trees for the fruit. Figs provide possums with ample sugars for energy as well as dietary fiber.

Grapes

Grapes are another sweet, soft fruit that appeals to possums. One trail camera study in New Zealand vineyards discovered that possums were helping themselves to grapes right off the vines. The high concentrations of natural sugars in grapes offer possums an excellent source of carbohydrates and calories.

However, grapes do not offer much in the way of proteins, vitamins or minerals compared to other fruits. So while possums certainly enjoy grapes, they likely rely more on other fruits and vegetation to meet all their nutritional needs.

Apples

Apples are a common garden fruit that possums will happily feed on when given the chance. One characteristic that makes apples an ideal possum snack is their crisp, easy-to-bite texture. Possums have 50 sharp teeth built for biting and chewing all kinds of fruits and veggies.

The combination of sweet flavors and easy chewing makes apples a go-to pick for foraging possums. Apples also contain healthy antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber that may benefit the possum’s immune system and digestive functions.

Papaya

Papaya is an exceptionally healthy tropical fruit that possums seem to relish. One observational study recorded multiple instances of possums eating fallen papaya fruit in rural residential areas. Papaya contains ample vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that possums likely appreciate.

For example, papaya is very high in vitamin C, which boosts the immune system, and vitamin A, which supports good eyesight for nighttime vision. The seeds of papaya fruit also offer a healthy protein boost for possums.

Bananas

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits, and possums are definitely big fans. Like us humans, possums are attracted to the soft, sweet texture and conveniently easy-to-peel quality of bananas. One interesting study published in the Australian Mammalogy journal found that offering bananas successfully lured brushtail possums for wildlife research studies.

While too many bananas could cause weight gain in possums, the high amount of potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C make bananas one of the most nutritionally well-rounded fruits that possums eat in the wild.

Identifying Possum Damage to Fruit

Partially Eaten Fruit

One clear sign that a possum has been feasting on your fruit is finding partially eaten specimens on the ground underneath trees or bushes. Possums are notorious for only eating a portion of fruit before discarding the rest and moving on to the next piece that catches their fancy.

You may discover apples with just a few bites taken out of them or peaches with small sections nibbled away. Check for teeth marks to confirm possum damage rather than insect infestation or rotting.

Fruit Peels or Pits on the Ground

In addition to unfinished fruit, you may discover piles of fruit debris like peels, skins, rinds, or pits underneath trees or bushes where ripe fruit is growing. Possums tend to eat the fleshy part of fruit and discard the tougher outer coverings and inner pits or seeds.

These leftovers accumulating at the base of plants is a telltale sign that possums have been treating your yard like an all-you-can-eat fruit buffet.

Claw Marks on Fruit or Trees

If you discover fruit with odd markings or punctures in them, take a closer look to determine if they match the shape of possum claws. Possums have clawed hands and feet to grip branches, and they may sink their sharp nails into fruit while eating, leaving behind cuts, slices, or small holes.

You may also spot claw marks scratched into the bark of fruit trees from possums climbing up and down the trunks.

Possum Droppings Nearby

Finding small piles of possum scat in the vicinity of fruit trees or bushes is another giveaway that they are the culprits behind missing or damaged fruit. Possum droppings resemble dark, thick pellets around 0.5 inches long. They are usually found in little clusters under plants.

So if you spot these trademark poops near your prized peach tree or raspberry bushes, you can bet hungry possums have paid them a recent visit.

Deterring Possums from Fruit Trees and Gardens

Remove Fallen Fruit Promptly

Possums are drawn to the scent of ripe or rotting fruit that has fallen from trees. It’s crucial to regularly check under fruit trees and promptly remove any windfalls. Allowing fruit to accumulate signals to possums that there is a buffet awaiting them.

Eliminating this food source reduces the appeal of possums visiting the area.

In addition to clearing fallen fruit, also gather and dispose of partially eaten fruit that possums have already started on. Leaving these remnants will continue attracting the determined critters back for more.

Store any fruit collected in sealed containers if planning to harvest the still edible portions.

Use Physical Barriers

Wrapping sheet metal or landscape fabric around the lower trunks of trees can obstruct possums from scaling them. Prune back branches that possums could use as access points. For raised garden beds, secure a mesh fence cover to prevent possums from burrowing underneath.

Motion-activated sprinklers effectively startle trespassing possums while causing no harm. Strategically placed along fences or aimed at trees and plants, a quick spray alerts the critters to retreat. These sprinklers train possums to avoid tripping the sensors.

Apply Repellents

Certain smells naturally deter possums who have a strong sense of smell. Mixing repellents into garden beds or around fruit trees creates unpleasant odors signaling to possums to stay away. Spray mixtures of white vinegar and garlic or chilli pepper oils directly onto plants.

Strategically hang bars of deodorant soap which possums dislike the smell of.

Always check product instructions thoroughly before applying as some repellents may negatively impact edible plants. Rotate repellents periodically because possums can become accustomed to consistent smells over time.

Set Out Alternative Food Sources

Leaving out snacks possums favor, situated away from gardens and fruit trees, redirects them from those areas. Dry cat or dog food, chopped fruit and vegetables, bird seed and eggs are tasty temptations for possums.

They will gravitate towards easily accessible food placed outside their existing routes.

Establishing designated feeding stations reduces randomness in the possums’ movements through properties. Carefully monitor these areas and remove leftover food during daylight hours to avoid unintentionally attracting rodents as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, possums are willing to eat many types of fruits, but they prefer soft, sweet varieties like figs, grapes, and stone fruits. Keep an eye out for partially eaten fruit, peels/pits on the ground, claw marks, and droppings to identify if possums are getting into your fruit.

Deterring them comes down to good orchard hygiene, barriers, repellents, and providing alternative food sources. We hope this guide gave you a better understanding of possums’ fruit-eating habits so you can safeguard your harvest.