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Northwestern Gardening

Possum Devoured Slugs!

15 years ago

Finally, a Merciful Higher Power has ended the Slug Bane in my swamp arboretum by sending a possum which has gobbled up the literally MILLIONS of slugs. Yippee!

I was thinking of renting ducks but didn't want everything else eaten by ducks.

The possum is big, long grey and cream hair on body, pure cream face, long hairless tail, big eyes, strange prehistoric looking fellow. Very thirsty, knocked over a very large full birdbath trying to get more water.

So I put out a big water basin for him/her/them. I am so overjoyed about the slugs disappearing! There were so many slugs here a person could not walk without constant squish squish squish squirt, inches thick masses of slugs on the ground, sliming up the trees, oozing goo up in the trees, totally disgusting.

That possum is fat! :-)

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Comments (8)

knotz
15 years ago
I didn't know they are slugs...I'm SO glad it helped you out!!..I HATE slugs!!

knotz
jeffb_fairwood
15 years ago
Awesome... a win-win situation for all parties, except the slugs!
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My guess is bunnies too. I have done some mass plantings of quintuple planted wave petunias in the landscape. One of them was devoured clean to the ground two nights ago. No bug is going to do that. I have also frightened bunnies off from their dinner in my perennial house where I had two flats of wave petunias holding over to plant. Chewed completely to the soil line. Ditto some potted shrubs on a veranda. This time petunias, a jade plant and angelonia. They ate the petunias, devoured the large jade plant to the soil, and chewed off the angelonia and left the stem and flower to lay and die. The rabbit was sitting there and wasn't even very frightened. Rabbits love petunias and you'd be surprised where they can get to to get them.
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elaine8_gw
15 years ago
What good news for you and your garden.
kneewalker
15 years ago
E-e-u-w-w-w! Neither species is very appealing! Mother Nature does a better job of balancing things than my interference does, but some critters are downright unnerving - like neutrea (sp?).
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
I see possum carcasses frquently along the side of the road when I drive in the suburbs but witnessed the first live one I've ever seen in my rather urban neighborhood a couple of nights ago when walking my puppy. He was strolling up my neighbor's driveway, stopped to take a good look at us and then "hurried" along his way. Maybe that explains why slugs have never been much of a problem in my garden? Who knew??
Mystery_Gardener
15 years ago
I will have to put that possum on my 'must have' list ;-)

I know some snakes will eat slugs, I had not heard of possum slug predation before this time.

Cheers,
MG

Here is a link that might be useful: Our website
rita_h
15 years ago
Nutria, the critter that looks like a beaver with skinny tail? I always thought they were kinda cute. Possums look weird to me, though...prehistoric is right. I didn't know they ate slugs, either.
kneewalker
15 years ago
An out-of-state, city-boy friend visited the park at the old Trojan plant and crossed paths with a nutria. He was absolutely convinced he had observed a mutant life-form caused by the nuclear plant! It was so funny ... and so hard not to laugh.

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