Not sure who defines trolls. I figure you can always serve as a bad example if nothing else--troll or otherwise. ;o)

I was so glad to have the opportunity to read this thread! I live in an urban setting, close to downtown OKC. I have opossums in my yard. In fact, I had a close encounter with a young one earlier this year, but it didn't do anything, just froze. Of course, I didn't freeze and was totally shocked to encounter it as I watered. A step closer and I would have stepped on it. But, I have to admit they're cute!

My sister in Kansas hates them. She has her husband kill every one she sees. I'm just the opposite. I treasure every wildlife critter I see. My neighbor, however, traps and relocates them. After seeing that this is more harmful to them, and the fact that they are beneficial in the garden, I am going to speak to him about discontinuing that practice.

A lot of us are just "ignorant" about possums. I, for one, am so happy to be enlightened about their presence in the garden. They do scare my daughter when she comes home late at night, and there's a possum staring into her headlights from the front porch of the house. I'm assuming that once she turns off the headlights of her car, the possum is probably going to skip the other way?

We are the cause of so many urban possums these days - loss of habitat has driven more and more wild animals to the city for shelter and sustenance. I wish I had more. I do have a resident toad; I feed the feral cats; I put out rotting fruit for the butterflies that do not nectar, but only obtain food from rotting fruit. Sometimes, the possum gets a bit of it, too, I'm sure, when an entire rotten banana is gone the next morning. But, hey, that's okay with me. The butterflies are not going to eat an entire banana anyway.

I encourage moths, especially the sphinx moth caterpillars to eat my tomatoes, daturas, trumpet creeper (never gonna run out of that), and Virginia Creeper. I raise them to adult moths.

I miss my little garden snake; haven't seen it all summer. There are always going to be people with a "kill" nature. A bit on the sociopathic side. I, for one, even love my squirrels. They are just too hilarious to watch. I grow plants that atract the birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and moths. I don't have too many mice, since I have 4 cats indoors, so if they get inside, it's "bye bye". I watched my mom smash baby mice with a hammer when I was a youngster, and I cried the entire time.

However, we did raise a baby jack rabbit until it got bigger and began jumping all over the house. Man, those things can jump!

So, I'm a wildlife lover. As such, I cannot use chemical warfare on any of my plants, grass, or critters in the yard. A wildlife friendly garden is one is which nature takes its course, not me.

Susan

Susan, Bravo, you and your neighbors (human and critter) will be the healthier for it.

Yes, I say bravo to Susan and the warm & fuzzy possum lovers gang. I'm glad Susan is a wildlife lover - she loves wildlife more than her sister, brother in -law, mother, and neighbor. I wonder if all these folks think the same of her? May she have the good fortune of having these critters inhabit her attic this winter. Her neighbors (human and critter) will be the healthier for it. PS: No more possums in my yard -they finally got the message that they aren't welcome. Anyone want to buy a used live (death) trap?

Now I know this is a garden page but this is the only place I'm able to find any information on my subject...

I live in northern Minnesota and a couple of weeks ago I was visiting some relatives in central Minn. They were telling me that they have been killing opossums that come into their yards and I was appalled. 1. I didnt know that opossums lived that far north (could the climate change be bringing them up?) someone told me that they were coming north in bails of hay (that doesnt sounds like the right answer). 2. They were also justifying their mindless killing by saying that the opossum urine (which they say is toxic) in horse hay kills the horses. I asked them where theyd heard such things and what kind of proof they had found to substantiate it. Now, Ive just spent over an hour searching the Internet trying to find information pointing me one way or another is there anyone with some sort of background in opossums that could tell me one way or another or point me in the right direction. I would really like to be able to tell my relies that what they are doing is being done for no reason.

Larryboy - did you kill small mammals when you were just a slip of a boy?

Well, for one thing there is not way for them to achieve ingress into my house. But, should that ever happen, I will call the wildlife refuge employees to come remove them and then fix my house so they can no longer get in.

I don't tote guns. traps, or attitude towards the animals that grace this earth. If you want to kill something then you'll have to answer to a greater power than me one day.

Susan

Maureen, from this site http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/horsehealth/hhview.asp?recno=62780&subsec=

At least 50% of all horses in the United States have been exposed to Sarcocystis neurona, the causative agent for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The opossum is the definitive host of S. neurona. After ingesting the protozoa, the opossum sheds sporocysts, which are the infective stage for horses, in its urine and feces. The horse can consume the sporocysts as it eats grass, hay, or grains that have come in contact with opossum feces. Once ingested, the sporocysts migrate to the central nervous system where they cause damage.

Possums are in the same class as rats and other vermin to me. They will kill chickens , and I have had one chew the foot off a baby lamb that I was keeping under a heat lamp and nursing back to life. They are one of the nastiest critters I know. "No Mercy", Larryboy. Maybe its just my kansas attitude.

They are marsupials, not rodents.
They eat rats, mice, bugs, slugs AND cat food!

I am aware of the scientific classification of possums,(Didelphis marsupialis). I still consider them vermin, as are rats , etc. A possum will eat nearly anything. It is considered omnivorous. It will eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, eggs, insects, and carrion. They will also put up a fight and can bite very well.

I believe they only bite in self defense. We have one in our backyard & he is not aggressive at all. That does not mean that I am going to put my hand out for him to bite it though. The possum & the cats seem to have a mutual respect for each other & I have not seen any fighting.
I guess each possum like each person has its own personality.

I'm still trying to figure out how a possum got to a baby lamb that I was nursing back to health under a heat lamp??? Is it just me or does anyone else notice something very odd about that statement?

I'm not sure what you consider odd. The lamb was in a corner of the lambing barn with a panel in front of him to keep his mother from steping on him. He was recovering from being chilled in a snowbank, still too weak to get up. The possum gnawed off one foot and part of a second. Not sure why the feet. He was still alive when I came back to feed him again, but had to be destroyed. Needless to say, the possum went with him.

If it weren't for possums we'd all be dead.

Thank god for Kansas farmers and people like Larryboy, keeping us safe.

Here is some real information about this innocuous animal.

There is a kind of sickness here, really, going to a Nature Forum, and getting your jollies off talking about killing animals. I know it's a free country and all that, but aren't there appropriate forums for people who like to kill things? It's a bit perverse.

I couldn't agree more with you elly, they both must be seriously bored.

ksfarmer, If I was trying to nurse a lamb back to health, it would be inside of my home. Just like grandpa always did with his. And my in-laws do with pigs. To make sure that nothing comes into the barn to possibly do them harm. But hey, I guess they're all just silly caring people.....

Could just be Kansas and that's why I moved away to Oklahoma! Each to his own, but as a wildlife lover, I find it hard to kill anything unless it is to put it out of its misery due to irreparable injury or terminal disease.

I find it hard to believe that there are people who have no conscience in regard to wildlife, and are selective in what they choose to be a "bad" animal or a "good" animal. I used to hate wasps and bees. In gardening, I gradually became used to them being around and have gotten over my biggest fear. Anger and dislike is usually rooted in fear, which is the real emotion, if they would own it.

And to then wish someone would get possums in their attic? That's just downright mean to the core, and thoughts like that usually come back to bite the owner of them.

Susan

I need to know how to trap a possum. They are cute, but they are killing my chickens and eating my fresh eggs! I put the chickens up every night, but the possums figure a way in, like tearing the chicken wire up and performing acrobatics from the roof! I would like to know a humane way to trap them so I could then relocate them and save my chickens and guineas. Any suggestions?

How about reading the beginning of this thread, and the links included? Possums are nomads. They do not have territories. If you trap one, another will come through. The only way to get rid of the problem is to fix the hen house so nothing can get in.

I had ducks years ago, and I figure the bandit could have been a raccoon or a fox or anything. I always assumed it was my responsibility to protect my domestic animals and not to relocate the wild ones that were just doing what came natural to them. Relocating the predator is like trying to reroute a stream, eventually, another possum/raccoon/fox will find your chickens.

I think you are looking at the problem from the wrong angle. The problem is that your chickens aren't protected. My grandfather used to say that the solution is often right in the problem. It isn't the predator's fault that the chicken pen isn't secure. Relocating is not only unfair to the animal, it is only a band aid solution. I agree with Elly, if you have a problem, it is up to you to outsmart the predator.

Elly nj, I actually read every message in this forum before writing. Possums may be nomads but they do stay until depleting the food supply. I also have cats which willingly share their food with the possums. And I am trying to fix my hen area to keep the predators out. Each time I fix a problem, the possums are pretty smart and figure other ways in.

Vonyon, this is the first time I have posted to a forum on this site and I appreciate the way you answered my question. You are informative rather than being rude. I live in what we call a holler which includes a trout stream, so I know there are many predators. I do have a new respect for possums in reading other information about how they eat copperheads, rattlesnakes, and other poisionous snakes and spiders which are abundant here around our house. And I do think I am smart enough to outsmart a possum! I actually fixed the chicken pen last night where it at least for last night was possum proof. I also placed additional cat food out and fed the little critters so they would take the food path of least resistance and hopefully leave my chickens and guineas alone. Have a great New Year and thanks again for the responses.

sassy
I also put out peeled bananas, sliced apples, grapes, tomatoes.
He seems to like things that we would probably not want anymore anyway. Sometimes a cookie or two.
I'm happy to hear you are living with the possums rather than trying to destroy them.
Good luck!

Vonyon,

They put out cat food for the possums & (

My neighbor has kept their garage door open day and night for years with a full bucket of cat food in there. I've carried seven or eight possums to a rural area in that time and given I don't know how many cats to the animal shelter.

To all who think killing any "intruder" on you property
is their right are totally misguided or perhaps they just plain enjoy killing defenseless animals.
I suggest you find another forum to discuss your grisly deeds. Try the "Jeffrey Dalmer" site. I understand he
truly enjoyed torturing and killing animals as a young child.

Hi, I need some help I live in the city we have a possum living under our porch. No big deal but we have a problem for the logest time we thought it was a skunk becouse twice already we had the smell go through our house and we thought we had a skunk living under our porch well just last night my father put a trap out ( to catch a skunk) to our supprise it was a possum so I got on line to resurch about the possum and the smell that we have bin getting. So I need some one to help me out. My father let the possum go back under the porch where it has bin living but does the possum have this skunk smell to it or what could it be from we know for sure that it is coming from that area.If I don't find an answer to where the smell is coming from my father will asume it is the possum and it is going to have to go can some one get back to me about this as soon as possible. thank you

Gosh I feel old.

You probably have a skunk but you caugh a possum. Possums do not smell like skunks. Skunks are rather unmistakable in their scent. And if you trap one, you are really going to find out how strong they smell, so I recommend you do not.

Here is some information from the Humane Society of the United States on resolving conflicts with skunks:

To skunks, "love stinks" is more than a snarky comment about the casualties of courtship. It's a reality.

Amorous skunks do their courting in February and March, the height of mating season for striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), which increases the chances that these docile animals will attract unwanted attention with their signature scent. The stinky problem occurs when a male skunk tries to court a female who may not be "in the mood." Unlike the sweet-smelling gifts of perfume or flowers that often accompany human courtship, the aroma generated when female skunks spray their rejected suitors is downright offensive to people. Luckily, skunk romance only lasts a short time, and the noxious odors soon waft away.

This malodorous spray, which is the skunk's only means of defense, has given this gentle, non-aggressive animal a bad reputation. Skunks actually make for excellent neighborstheir dietary preferences include insects, grubs, mice, and even baby rats. Skunks are also solitary and nomadic, except when raising young or sharing a den during cold periods. They den in natural cavities such as woodchuck burrows, hollow logs, and brush piles, as well as crevices in stone walls and under buildings. Baby skunks are usually born during May and June. Once the babies are mobile, the mother will travel with her young, who will trail behind the elder skunk in a single file.

A Skunk Under the Porch

Because skunks are wanderers, they will move out from under a shed, porch, or outbuilding in due time. However, if home or property owners are determined to evict skunks, try the following:

First, determine whether the skunks are still inhabiting the space by spraying a mixture of eight ounces of dish detergent, eight ounces of castor oil, and one gallon of water around the area. (This mixture should convince any resident skunks that the den has become, well, too smelly to occupy).

After spraying, lightly stuff newspaper into the entry hole. If the den is still in use, the paper will be pushed out within 24 hours.

Wait a few days before trying the procedure again.

Another option is to affix a "one-way door" to the entry point, which will allow any animals to leave the area but not to return. For more information, download our list of manufacturers and suppliers of products used to resolve wildlife conflicts.

Once you're sure the skunks are gone, you can keep them (and most other wildlife) permanently away by doing the following:

Seal off the entry points in the structure with chicken wire or hardware cloth.

At ground level, bend the wire at a 45-degree angle, and then run at least 24 inches of wire out away from the building in a reverse "L" shape.

Firmly secure the wire to the ground with landscaping staples, making sure there are no gaps. This creates a false bottom and will foil any skunk who tries to dig back in.

Keep your garbage cans upright and do not leave pet food outside. This will also help discourage skunks.

Thank You very much for your help. Now one more question if the possum is living there should I still do this?

Look here for the part about possums.

if the possum is living there should I still do this?

No, they are harmless and will likely move on. Especielly if there is no food (garbage, cat food, etc) left out for them.

I am sure that it is living there my next door nahbor is a cat lover and is leaving cat food out for her cats that live out doors I know for shure that it has bin living there for a few months already. It is just strange that if you go close to the porch and stick your nose to the wood part that covers it you can smell the skunk smell. So could the skunk bin living there befor the possum. or could the skunk gotten under there the possum scared it and the skunk spraid help me out with this this smell is unbarable.

How about cat urine? I think that can smell a little skunky over time. Feral cats are known to spray wood.

No I am sure it is not that I don't now for now the smell is subsiding so I guess gust wate I am hopping the possum moves on. So we can close up under the porch. I did not care to much about the possum but you be amazed what a little education can do to you. When does the possum give birth? I just want to make sure that if we do have to relocate the possum that we don't leave any young behind. That was my excuss for my dad to leave the possum go I told him there might be babys there.

Hi everyone!!!!

I have a possum problem. We added onto to our original deck and now a possum is residing under it at the present time. What is the best way to get rid of it???? I know I can trap it and maybe that is the only answer however I am asking for alternatives!!! I either want to deport it to another area or discourage it from going under there. I really don't want to put a barrier up by the deck becasue I think they will just find another way in. The new addition of the deck is much closer to the ground compared to the original.

Thanks Lary

If you read these posts, you will see that possums do not stay in one place and establish nests. They are transient, moving every night to a different place. So you are safe.

But the only way to prevent creatures from inhabiting your under-deck is by cutting off access.

Help - still feeling guilty - I'm worried that I buried possum babies alive.

A number of years ago one of my dogs, by wildly barking, led me to a bush inside our rail fence and I found six baby possums, about 6" long and in perfect shape, lying in a row like someone had lined them up. I was afraid they were only playing dead so I kept them out of dog reach on a shelf for 24 hours but they didn't move so I buried them. Now I'm thinking maybe they WERE alive but wouldn't move until came back for them? It was warm weather so they weren't frozen.

Somebody please assure me that they were dead. They were so beautiful. Min.

They were dead?

Sheesh, this thread is like the Twilight Zone.

I certainly wasn't trying to spook anyone. I just don't know how LONG possums can play dead, waiting for mom to come back, and I was hoping someone who knows would assure me in a post that they WERE dead -with a period, not a question mark.

Min

Doing a search min, brings up this

Opossums create such a convincing portrayal of death, including a putrid odor, that dogs and other predators will abandon them for livelier prey, as most predators will not eat carrion. Some time later, the survivor regains consciousness and continues slowly on its way. Enemies of the opossum are dogs, coyotes, bobcats, and raptors.

The two enemies from which the deathlike trance will not save the opossum from are man and the automobile.

So I would say they probably were NOT dead
PERIOD

Terryr My heart sank when I read your post. I'm still hoping that they couldn't have faked it so perfectly for 24 hours, but I feel a little sick. Guess I always will. Min

Min, I don't think anyone could say with certainty that they were dead or they were alive. At 6" long, they would be larger than just being born, or so I've read. So it would seem as if they'd still be with momma, but I don't know it for sure. I'm sure you did what you felt was best for them. After reading thru this post, I would hope that you wouldn't touch them or bother them at all, if or when there's a next time. Sometimes we do things that we think is helping, but in reality we're hurting. I'm sorry I was the bearer of bad news. You asked a question and wanted an answer, so I tried to answer. I'm sorry I made your heart sink, but again, I'm not sure anyone could say with any certainty if they were dead or merely playing dead. Also from what I've read, is that playing dead isn't something that they can control, it's a mechanism that's built into them. So it's automatic. I'm glad you didn't read my post as being rude or anything. Sometimes I'm too blunt and to the point and people don't always read me as such. Thank you for taking it the way I intended ☺

Terryr, why are you saying it? Obviously, you don't know anything about opossums.
I'm sure they were dead. There is no way an opossum will "play dead" for 24 hours. A 6" baby wouldn't even know how to play dead. They don't know who or what to be afraid of.
I have seen many adult opossums playing dead after they had been confronted by my dog. They will come back to life within hour and even in the presence of a human (but not a dog!!!) .

Chilled babies can look dead, but you can bring them back to life if you place them in warm water,with the head up (if it's not to late and they are still alive). After 24 hours the body will become "stiff" and a little hard if it's dead. If it's soft and floppy, it could be alive. Also, a dead animal will be cold to the touch.

Less than a 7" baby should be with it's mother. Without the mother they will die quickly from dehydration and from exposure (even in warm weather - they can't control there body heat at this point.) Mother-opossum's will not return for lost babies, even if she is alive. So leaving 6" babies where they were would not be a good idea.

Please, check the link bellow.

Here is quote from the link above

"It may be "playing possum" as an involuntary response to a threat, in which the opossum becomes comatose in the face of danger and appears dead. This may last from 40 minutes to 4 hours. During this time, the opossum lies on its side, becomes stiff, the eyes glaze over, the opossum drools, the tongue lolls out the side of the mouth, and green anal fluid may be seen.

aleksandra, what difference would it make? In the big picture, what I said didn't hurt mins feelings at all. Please re-read what I said, especially the part where I'm saying I don't know for sure. Obviously I was wrong, even though I said I didn't know for sure or with certainty.

If you know with certainty, then great. Those possums were dead when min found them. Wouldn't of mattered what she did. Burying them was the only humane thing to do. Wouldn't you at least agree with that?

Gosh, Terryr and Alexandras! I abandoned this thread thinking no more would be contributed and got very busy with summer and my family. Today I checked back only to find that there was some continued controversy after all. Mostly I want to say to both of you that I really appreciate your concern.

As for the little possums, I feel now that I did the right thing, waiting and watching them for 24 hours before burial, and I feel more certain that they were dead. I HAD to move them because of my 3 dogs but at least now I know that a frantic mama possum didn't come back looking for them - thanks for that Alexandra!

And Terryr, I LIKE people who say what they mean. (: Min

Update: No more possums since 2006. Once they were all trapped, removed & relocated, I installed hardware cloth (small 1/2" square metal mesh) to cover all areas beneath any decks or other hiding areas. Run the metal mesh from the perimeter deck joists to the ground and bend to cover on top of the ground out to about 2 feet. This will prevent digging under, since they will always attempt to dig at the base of the deck - not 2 feet out from the deck. Also, our dog pound rescue fox terrier is a great deterrent to all vermin and trespassers.

If you leave the wild animals on their property only in areas that have no predators, you end up with a population explosion. A few years ago, my neighbors and I was 13 woodchucks with less than an acre - a mom with two bunk beds, two years running, and there was plenty of food around it did none of leave. We had to hire someone to catch - the only legal method here. This is an older, urbanized area with almost no space left open.

Update - Still no possums needed to be trapped since 2006! But all of my bully PETA friends will applaud my rescue of a black snake today. He was all wrapped up in the bird netting protecting my tomato crop. No, snakes don't eat tomatoes, but nasty old squirrels sure do! I'd like to put them all in a large bag and smoke em...

That very thin fine mesh bird netting is a disaster for wildlife- it killed 2 birds and a snake in my garden before I threw it all away. Strongly suggest everyone use a tougher, larger mesh netting instead.

larryboy, I can't believe you're still around.

Min, sadly, Larry doesn't care about wildlife.

Except snakes apparently. It is very sad. Min