Reply #90: Seems a minor risk to me. I'm trying to remember the last time

[MineralMan]

I heard of a rabid woodchuck. I believe that would be never. Any mammal can carry rabies, even humans. Lots of things are possible, but vanishingly rare. I think I'll ignore the risk of rabies with my backyard woodchuck. I just have to be sure not to surprise it with that head skritching. It takes a calm, slow approach.

Now, some animals don't take to such intimacies. The pack of raccoons I used to feed at my backdoor in California weren't all that apt to accept head-skritchings. But, there was one who was pragmatic enough to understand that letting me do that resulted in additional peanuts. Oddly, it was the fattest of the group.

My favorite head-skritching animal, though, was an opossum who visited my back door. He also enjoyed taking peanuts from my hand. I skritched its head with complete impunity. About five seconds after I did it, though, it would startle, even though my hand was nowhere near it at the time. They appear to have very slow reactions. I found it fascinating. And yet, it still knew that I was the source of those peanuts.

I have not yet had the pleasure of skritching the head of a woodchuck. I imagine, though, that I'll be doing it within the week. Rodents are pretty easy. They tend to accept human touch without a lot of concern, as long as food is involved. Very pragmatic of them, I think.