A possum was caught rockin’ around the Christmas tree.
That’s right, 29-year-old Brett Ingram from Texas took to her social media page to share the moment she made a funny discovery: a wild possum hanging out in her festive shrub.
In the video, which has been viewed 4.8 million times, Brett zoomed in on her Christmas tree, revealing the curious little creature sitting in between the artificial, snow-covered branches.
In the clip, Brett could be heard saying: “I’m literally freaking out right now. I have no idea how this possum got in my house and up into my tree.”
Brett Ingram from Texas shared the moment she made an odd discovery: a wild possum hanging out in her Christmas Tree
Image credits: brettbratt359
She further expressed how she had been trying to get him out, but the jolly little guy was having none of it. “Somebody help,” the desperate Texan said.
Naturally, this sparked a flock of holiday-themed comments as a TikTok user wrote: “And a possum in a pear tree!”
Another person commented: “On the first day of Christmas a possum came to me.”
In a follow-up video shared last week, Brett recounted the event in more detail, explaining that she was sitting on her couch at home alone when a “sneeze” caught her attention.
Image credits: brettbratt359
The woman said she owns a few pets, so she didn’t give the noise much thought at first, until when she heard another loud sneeze, she got up to inspect her house.
This is the moment Brett made the unlikely discovery of a “long-looking rat tail” coming out of her Christmas tree. She looked up in total disbelief and realized what the tail was connected to: a wild possum.
Brett reportedly said one of the first things she did when she discovered the creature was to call a local wildlife expert, but the expert wasn’t available for a night call. However, upon shaking the initial scare off, the woman reportedly said she wasn’t afraid to get close and personal with the possum.
Brett recounted the event in more detail, explaining that she was sitting on her couch at home alone when a “sneeze” caught her attention
Image credits: brettbratt359
You can take a look at her video below
@brettbratt359I don’t understand how this thing is in my house right now.♬ original sound – BrettShe told Business Insider: “I had so much background knowledge on possums and how they’re so misunderstood.” Brett further acknowledged that people wrongly assume that possums always carry rabies, which isn’t the case.
According to the National Park Service, possums are “not totally immune to rabies”, but “they rarely carry it” due to their lower body temperature than most other mammals, so their bodies don’t provide a suitable environment for the virus.
Following a conversation with a wildlife expert, Brett was able to equip herself with a hoodie and gloves and reportedly proceeded to spend approximately 30 minutes physically wrangling the possum out of her house.
Image credits: brettbratt359
She told the publication: “He wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t hissing, he wasn’t showing signs that he was going to attack me, so I just went for it and handled it myself.
“His face looks small, but he was big — he was about as big as my cat, and my cat is very big.”
Brett admitted that it took a few tries before successfully getting the possum out of the tree, as he appeared to be quite comfortable there.
She recalled: “So he was holding on very, very tight like a toddler on a monkey bar. He didn’t want to go back outside, but for his safety, he needed to.”
Brett reportedly said one of the first things she did when she discovered the creature was call a local wildlife expert
Image credits: brettbratt359
@brettbratt359 Up close and personal with the christmas possum 🎄 #possum #christmas #opossum ♬ original sound – BrettThe TikToker further stated: “The tree was decorated about 10 days prior to me finding him in it, so it had nothing to do with him hiding in the tree or the box. The possum had to have been in here for a couple of days at minimum.”
The Humane Society have explained that possums, or opossums, as they are formally called, are not aggressive. Their open-mouthed, defensive hissing is merely a bluff to look vicious. And if that doesn’t work, they play dead when really scared.
“Far from being a nuisance, opossums can be beneficial for your garden by eating snails, slugs, insects and sometimes even small rodents. They’ll even clean up spilled garbage and fruit that has fallen off trees,” the animal rights organization stated.
Many people found the situation amusing
Moreover, the organization explained that if there is an opossum in your backyard, you don’t need to worry as they aren’t a threat and more than likely will be moving on in a short while.
The best way to keep them from visiting is to have tight-fitting lids on garbage cans and not to leave any pet food outside overnight.
Jokes about the incident flooded the comment section
English (US) ·