Oh, MaryAnn, the images your post has me seeing has me laughing! Sorry I can't help you. I hope Marilyn checks in. I know she says that the possums love yougart so maybe you can try to trap it with that? Poor little guy.

We once had a muskrat in the house. He was very mean and that story did not have a real good ending.

Good luck!

~Betsy

Marilyn will no doubt weigh in with a better idea, but a tasty treat in one of those have a heart traps might be just the ticket. You may be able to borrow one from a local Humane Dept. Just make sure that you set the trap only when you are home, so that you could find him immediately.
First I would find the entry point though, so you can make sure he stays outside once you put him there.
Good luck!

Oh, my gosh! Just reading this scares me!!!

I wouldn't try to catch him with a towel or anything like that.

He is a wild animal and even the small ones can be vicious.

Have a Heart trap is the best idea I think.

Sue

I second the Have A Heart trap, with some yogurt for bait. I think he's getting in somewhere, and leaving the same way, if you don't see any poopies around. Maybe it's looking for water?
Leslie

This is so funny, but it's disturbing too. Possums are pretty big to have them just running around the house. Don't try to catch him with a towel. While he might just "play possum," he could also bite and they have sharp teeth. The trap is the best idea. Put it on some newspaper or something in case he "has an accident" when captured.

I found this on the opposum web site. Who knew the little critters had their own site?

Question: There is an opossum in my house or garage. What do I do?

Answer: First contact your local animal shelter to determine if an officer will assist you. Always make sure the opossum will not be trapped and killed!

An opossum can safely be trapped by leaning an empty, tall kitchen trash can at approximately a 30-45º angle against something the opossum can climb onto such as a stack of books. Place cat food or ripe fruit at the bottom of the trash can. The opossum will be able to climb into the trash can but will be unable to climb or jump out. Immediately take the trash can outside. Tip the can on its side and the opossum will leave when it feels it is safe to do so. This is best done at dusk. If it has to be done during the day then tip the opening towards a dense shrub where the opossum can hide until nightfall.

You can also try to leave a trail of pet food leading to an open door. Observe quietly at a distance. Once it leaves, shut the door. Do not try to push the opossum with a broom. The frightened animal will freeze and not move.

I hope you capture your fat little buddy, MaryAnn! He must coming and going if he's not eating your food and not losing weight. Don't you just love a good mystery?!

I'll have to get my camera ready and hopefully he will stop long enough for me to take a quick picture of him. I can tell he's grown the past two weeks, LOL. I know he's not eating anything in my house, so he must be going in and out. Once we catch him I may have to release him out in the country somewhere. I wonder if that would be a good idea for him. I may try taking him over to our fence line and hope that he doesn't come back into the house.

I'll try to find out about the traps. I live in a small town without a humane society. All we have here is a dog catcher (some of the time). I might see if the city has a trap that I can borrow. I will keep you all updated.

I still hope to hear from Marilyn.

I have some experience with that. We had one in our family room (before the first cup of coffee). Harry got a clean trash container and had me stand in the doorway between that room and the kitchen so he'd run right in there. HA! He was behind the couch and DH shooed him out and toward me. That possum saw me and bared its teeth and hissed something awful. Scared me to death. Those teeth look wicked. He ran back behind the couch and DH finally just got him by the tail and put him in the container. We put a smoked mullet in for it to eat until we got home. Then we took him to an orange grove and dropped him off.

That's the thanks we got for saving the little critter a week before when we found him in a big oak tree in our yard with a six-pack ring twisted around his neck and leg. We got him free (did the towel trick) and set him free in the yard.

do you have an open window, or screen door? the time the triplet racoons babies got in it took us a couple of days to realize we still had one in the laundry room...mom had brought them in thru the new cat door...(which now remains open only during daylight hours!) of course they thought they were in 7th heaven with open feeders of dry cat food, and water to wash it with...what a mess!

I called city hall today and they have cat traps, so the guy in charge was supposed to call me to let me know if it would work with a baby possum and if I could borrow one. He hasn't called me yet.

A few minutes ago I was sitting at the computer when the little guy walked out from behind the desk and went under my bed. So I have a towel ready just in case he comes out again and I will try to carefully cover him so I can take him outside.

Maryann...I went to the Meeting House this morning to tell Marilyn about your post. I guess she went out of town with her husband today...should have been back by now....but the post is waiting for her...I'm sure she'll come over here when she get's home.

patti

Thanks Patti.
I had to go into the dining room to use my laptop for a short while and the little guy went from the bedroom into the laundry room. I'm pretty sure that's where he is going in and out. We will have to check it this weekend to close up any holes.

It's midnight and just got back from New Orleans.

MaryAnn, if you can just pick him up by his tail and carry him out or put him in a trash can and take him out, he won't bite you. Even if he should whip around and try, if you hold him out from you, he won't. I know you may not believe this, but wild possums will seldom bite unless they are very stressed. They will all open their mouth...that is just a possum's way...but it is a threat.

I pick them up all the time, just by putting my hand around them like I would a kitten. Not on his neck...around his body. If you are afraid, I know you won't want to do that.

Or, catch him in a Havahart and take him somewhere and release him. Preferably with a water source nearby...drainage ditch, pond, creek. A piece of banana is good bait for a possum.

Keep in mind they can bite and it is a nasty bite, but they
usually won't, and they don't carry rabies. (Big consolation.) :) I have 3 little possums loose in my house right now. I call them the Lost Boys. :)) They are using a litter box, so I haven't been too worried about them, but they only come out late at night.

I'm reminded of the bumper sticker:
POSSUM
The OTHER White Meat!

Oooooh Maryanntx ...please don't ever attempt to catch a wild animal like this, they are cute but vicious! Having farm animals and feed out for animals on even a small farm like ours make our barn "home sweet home" for lot's of predators! We have used the Have a Heart trap more times than we'd like to remember for this very predator....the most irresistible bait (and we have tried them all) is miniature marshmallows. This way you can set the trap, then push the marshmallows into the trap behind the trap door without any mess...it won't take very many!

Seriously, my husband just laughed at me when I told him about the marshmallows, now he just wants to know "where do you keep the possum bait"

Despite the fact that I think they are soooooo creepy, I decided this week to quit running them off from our place. We had several coming into the yard every night, and I finally figured out they are going under the yard light and eating June bugs. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hate June bugs, so the possums can stay.

Thanks Marilyn and oldrustybucket. I almost tried to pick him up by the tail last night. I think I could have and I'm not afraid of him. I was just worried that he might try to bite and since I'm on chemo and my immune system is compromised, I thought it best not to try. But if he comes close to me again like he did last night, then I think I will try.

LOL at cynic. Jammer says he ate plenty when he was growing up and it's pretty tasty. I haven't got that hungry yet!!!