View Full Version : What's the best way to get rid of opossums?
Want Them All
01-20-2010, 03:23 PM
I've seen one scurrying in my backyard several times at night. I don't have any guns more "lethal" than a .22 BB gun.:ha: Is trapping a good solution? Or poison?
Thanks,
lorax
01-20-2010, 03:27 PM
Trapping is a reasonably good way to get rid of them without killing them. Look for Havahart type traps, then toss them in your trunk and let them out in your nearest national park.
I wouldn't poison possums, though - they form an important part of the diet of your area's larger carnivores (domestic dogs and cats included) and I hate to think of somebody's pet, or even a wild coyote, dying because it ate a toxic possum.
Want Them All
01-20-2010, 03:42 PM
Are they dangerous to humans? Can I get close to it, slowly, then grab it (with gloves of course), bag it, and let it loose somewhere else?
Patty in Wisc
01-20-2010, 03:48 PM
NO!! They have rabies! Don't touch them -- they will bite! Shoot it w/ pellet gun or trap it & take it at least 20 miles away. Problem is, if you have one, you have more.
I saw one in my yard & used a 'have-a-heart' trap & ended up trapping total of 13 possum.
Want Them All
01-20-2010, 03:56 PM
NO!! They have rabies! Don't touch them -- they will bite! Shoot it w/ pellet gun or trap it & take it at least 20 miles away. Problem is, if you have one, you have more.
I saw one in my yard & used a 'have-a-heart' trap & ended up trapping total of 13 possum.
Thanks for the advice. Gotta go find some traps asap, they leave their droppings all over my yard.
Richard
01-20-2010, 06:26 PM
I've seen one scurrying in my backyard several times at night. I don't have any guns more "lethal" than a .22 BB gun.:ha: Is trapping a good solution? Or poison?
Thanks,
No need to get rid of them. They are territorial with respect to rats and kill them. This time of year they are probably hunting rats and grubs in your yard. Just make sure they (and the raccoons) can't get in your trash -- or your house via a pet door.
fishoifc
01-20-2010, 06:31 PM
Watch out!!!!! I saw somebody try to scare one off there porch with a bucket of water,and it scared the poo out of him,it was very bad.
mbfirey
01-20-2010, 08:00 PM
NO!! They have rabies! Don't touch them -- they will bite! Shoot it w/ pellet gun or trap it & take it at least 20 miles away. Problem is, if you have one, you have more.
I saw one in my yard & used a 'have-a-heart' trap & ended up trapping total of 13 possum.
Possums generally don't carry rabies- something about the genetics of a marsupial and the low body temp.
Though I still wouldn't want to be bitten- those teeth looks sharp and nasty!
LilRaverBoi
01-20-2010, 08:15 PM
Yeah, definitely do NOT attempt grabbing it! They have very sharp teeth. Honestly, they really aren't going to do you any harm if you leave them alone...I don't understand why you are trying to get rid of them. I could understand if it was killing your animals or destroying your plants, but beyond that....if it's not harming anything, what's the sense of trapping/removing/killing it? Seems like a lot of hassle for nothing.
Just my two copper Lincolns.
Abnshrek
01-20-2010, 10:06 PM
Trapping it and shipping it to someone else's trashcan... Make sure you keep a lid on yours.. They eat pet food if you have that out too just like raccons.. Like someone else said.. "they have sharp teeth.. " I don't care how thick gloves are... they aren't thick enough...! lol
Want Them All
01-20-2010, 10:07 PM
Yeah, definitely do NOT attempt grabbing it! They have very sharp teeth. Honestly, they really aren't going to do you any harm if you leave them alone...I don't understand why you are trying to get rid of them. I could understand if it was killing your animals or destroying your plants, but beyond that....if it's not harming anything, what's the sense of trapping/removing/killing it? Seems like a lot of hassle for nothing.
Just my two copper Lincolns.
Don't they eat all the fruits on your trees? That's my main reason. Last year, I had a bunch of grapes along with longan fruits, birds, ground squirrels, and who know what else took most of 'em. I had to build an enslosure to protect what was left. This year I'm expecting more longans, figs, Fuji apples, grapes, and nectarines. My bananas are still too green, that's why they're still hanging, if they had ripened, I'm sure those would be gone too before I could get to them.
Abnshrek
01-20-2010, 10:11 PM
Don't they eat all the fruits on your trees? That's my main reason. Last year, I had a bunch of grapes along with longan fruits, birds, ground squirrels, and who know what else took most of 'em. I had to build an enslosure to protect what was left. This year I'm expecting more longans, figs, Fuji apples, grapes, and nectarines. My bananas are still too green, that's why they're still hanging, if they had ripened, I'm sure those would be gone too before I could get to them.
Anything that's eating our food is worth a bullet :^) Just my 2 cents
sunfish
01-20-2010, 10:35 PM
Legal Status: The California Fish and Game Code classify opossums as nongame mammals. If you find opossums threatening growing crops or other property of which you are the owner or tenant, you may control them using any legal means. Department of Fish and Game (DFG) regulations prohibit the relocation of wildlife without written permission from the DFG. Always check to make sure that there are no local restrictions pertaining to the removal of opossums prior to taking any action.
Patty in Wisc
01-20-2010, 10:40 PM
I always heard possum & coons carry rabies & that possom carry lots of diseases (I think Tog said that). 2 summers ago I found a bunch of possum poop near my raspberries & grapes. I didn't get one grape or raspberry that year. Those Have-a-heart traps work very well. Peanut butter on a cracker or small piece of bread always works for bait.
sunfish
01-20-2010, 10:51 PM
Answer: A zoonotic disease is a diseased passed between animals and humans. There are diseases you can get from any animal, including pets. As long as you exercise common sense then the chance of getting a disease from an opossum is slim. Do not attempt to pet or get too close to the opossum. As mentioned in the question and answer above, rabies is extremely rare in the opossum.
sunfish
01-20-2010, 10:53 PM
National Opossum Society
Opossums are more resistant to rabies than any other mammal; cattle, goats, dogs, cats, sheep, and the ice cream man are far more susceptible to rabies! ...
National Opossum Society (http://www.opossum.org/) - Cached - Simila
Richard
01-20-2010, 11:05 PM
Don't they eat all the fruits on your trees? That's my main reason. Last year, I had a bunch of grapes along with longan fruits, birds, ground squirrels, and who know what else took most of 'em. I had to build an enslosure to protect what was left. This year I'm expecting more longans, figs, Fuji apples, grapes, and nectarines. My bananas are still too green, that's why they're still hanging, if they had ripened, I'm sure those would be gone too before I could get to them.
Rats, gophers, and ravens are on my hit list.
Hawks, Owls, Mockingbirds, Coyotes, and Opossums are not.
Consider this: there is no fruit on your trees right now, so what are they hunting?
I can tell you my experience with my uncle's Citrus ranch (100's of acres). We did not trap or kill the Opossums and when one of those ugly creatures walked past the house we were thankful. They like mature citrus trees because it is just the place to hide (upside down!) during the day. They might eat an orange or two but the impact on the crop was insignificant. The impact on the rats and mice however was serious.
momoese
01-20-2010, 11:19 PM
I feed them scraps.
Abnshrek
01-21-2010, 12:36 AM
Hawks, Owls, Mockingbirds, Coyotes, and Opossums are not.
Richard I have to ask why are Mockingbirds not on the list? (I have to ask) :^)
Richard
01-21-2010, 12:50 AM
Richard I have to ask why are Mockingbirds not on the list? (I have to ask) :^)
Mockingbirds eat more insects in total weight per day than any other bird in the western hemisphere. That's not percentage of their weight, that's total weight!
mbfirey
01-21-2010, 06:17 AM
At my Dad's house our biggest problem with the Opossums has been that they eat the cat's food and harass the cats.
On a side note, the story here in the south is that Opossums are "good eatin'" but that you have keep them confined and feed them corn until all the nasty stuff they've eaten passes....
Not interested in trying it, but that's what I've heard.
Scuba_Dave
01-21-2010, 11:35 AM
I've only seen one around here...walked up on the deck while I was in the hot tub.
He took off when I tossed a scrap piece of wood towards him
Many states have laws against moving a wild animal to another area
They leave you no choice but to kill it
momoese
01-21-2010, 12:28 PM
Baby :)
The piece of wood in front of it's nose is a paint stir stick about 1-1/4 inch wide, just give you an idea how little it was. It was having a cucumber for breakfast.
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m161/momoese/Random%20photos/babyO-1.jpg
Richard
01-21-2010, 01:39 PM
At my Dad's house our biggest problem with the Opossums has been that they eat the cat's food and harass the cats.
On a side note, the story here in the south is that Opossums are "good eatin'" but that you have keep them confined and feed them corn until all the nasty stuff they've eaten passes....
Not interested in trying it, but that's what I've heard.
Keeping food outside for pets is a poor practice. A better approach is to have a set feeding time and the bowls are picked up when its over. Animal trainers will tell you this also reduces competition among the pets and keeps one of them from over-eating.
Abnshrek
01-21-2010, 03:06 PM
On a side note, the story here in the south is that Opossums are "good eatin'" but that you have keep them confined and feed them corn until all the nasty stuff they've eaten passes....
Sounds like another form of hog or beef.. :^) I'm not finding out either.. my wife would kill me if I tried cooking any game on or in her new stove.. That's why I have a grill... lol :^)
LilRaverBoi
01-21-2010, 05:39 PM
LOL...that picture reminds me of a funny story. When I was a kid, I went to feed our chickens and when I came in the coop, there was a baby possum about the size of the one in the photo. It looked soft and really cute. I walked toward it (not sure if I intended on petting it or just getting a closer look) and it bared super sharp teeth and let out a surprisingly vicious growl!! I backed off and dropped any intentions of ever touching one LOL.
mbfirey
01-21-2010, 06:01 PM
Keeping food outside for pets is a poor practice. A better approach is to have a set feeding time and the bowls are picked up when its over. Animal trainers will tell you this also reduces competition among the pets and keeps one of them from over-eating.
True, we feed our dogs in a very set routine. My father on the other hand has 10+ outdoor cats on 75 acres of land- with the nearest neighbor at about 1/2 mile. He feeds at a set time but they come and go as they please...
Richard
01-21-2010, 06:04 PM
True, we feed our dogs in a very set routine. My father on the other hand has 10+ outdoor cats on 75 acres of land- with the nearest neighbor at about 1/2 mile. He feeds at a set time but they come and go as they please...
We had the same routine on the ranch in Mentone, except that we put the bowls out at the beginning of our supper and picked them up at the end of our supper.
Patty in Wisc
01-21-2010, 06:34 PM
LOL...that picture reminds me of a funny story. When I was a kid, I went to feed our chickens and when I came in the coop, there was a baby possum about the size of the one in the photo. It looked soft and really cute. I walked toward it (not sure if I intended on petting it or just getting a closer look) and it bared super sharp teeth and let out a surprisingly vicious growl!! I backed off and dropped any intentions of ever touching one LOL.
Oh Yeah...but they sure look cute when they're babies!
I was barefoot in my garden one night about 10 yrs ago, and it looked like a big rock there, so I raised my foot to tap it & it (possum) moved just before my foot touched it. I screamed & ran LOL. Neighbors came out wondering why I screamed & to see if I was OK. I'm sure if I tapped it he woulda chewed my foot real good.
sunfish
01-21-2010, 06:43 PM
Opossum Teeth - Threat Display
09.04.2007 - Opossums have the most teeth of any mammal - 50 pointy teeth. When threatened, this slow critter often gapes its mouth open, exposing that ...
Opossum Teeth - Threat Display (http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/blog/opossumteeth.html) - Cached - Similar
Abnshrek
01-21-2010, 06:46 PM
Opossum Teeth - Threat Display
09.04.2007 - Opossums have the most teeth of any mammal - 50 pointy teeth. When threatened, this slow critter often gapes its mouth open, exposing that .
They have a menacing hiss too or whatever you want to call it..
momoese
01-21-2010, 07:48 PM
YouTube - Beverly Hillbillies Happy Possum Day !!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtSfeKxLyCk&feature=related)
Patty in Wisc
01-21-2010, 09:23 PM
Granny always had a good recipe for possum:)
momoese
01-21-2010, 09:48 PM
She has a cookbook!
Amazon.com: Granny's Beverly Hillbillies Cookbook (0031869002713): Jim Clark, Ken Beck: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Grannys-Beverly-Hillbillies-Cookbook-Clark/dp/1558532714)
Abnshrek
01-21-2010, 10:24 PM
She has a cookbook!
Grannies Viddles to knock your socks off...lol :^)
Richard
01-21-2010, 11:29 PM
When a horned owl manages to carry off one of the youngsters from a litter, the young animal lets out this curdling scream-squeal which fads away as it is carried off into the night.
harveyc
01-22-2010, 01:21 AM
Yeah, leaving pet food out is the biggest problem in getting too many opossum and raccoons around so I reformed my practices years ago.
I don't think killing opossum is a good idea unless really necessary. I found it necessary to kill one once as it had gone into my shop without me realizing it and it got very aggressive after I had walked by it. It was showing off those teeth and hissing and growling and scaring the living daylights out of me. It would not leave and really seemed like it would attack at any moment so I grabbed a nearby pole.....still wish there was some other way, but I sure didn't have time to do much pondering, etc. I never knew they could be so violent and would suggest keeping away from them whenever possible.
If you want lots of excitement, go watch skunks in your back yard like Tony! ;)
alexizhere19
01-22-2010, 02:29 AM
Shoot Um
Richard
01-22-2010, 03:00 AM
Shoot Um
If you've already killed everything above them in the food chain you might as well.
cherokee_greg
01-22-2010, 02:50 PM
The only real way to get rid of a possum without killing it, is to trap and relocate it. They make repellants and such but don't think they work very well.
Patty in Wisc
01-22-2010, 02:58 PM
If you relocate, make sure no one sees you as it is illegal in a lot of places. You're right in saying that repellants don't work.
sunfish
01-22-2010, 02:58 PM
I think a if you sprayed it a few times with water and a little ammonia in a spray bottle it might get the message.
sunfish
01-22-2010, 04:11 PM
Here is one way that may work.
We have a possum that visits our back deck often. I am going to buy a live trap and catch him. We want to catch him and give him a bath and brush his teeth before turning him loose in the woods away from here. We want to shampoo him and blow dry and style his hair! This is so hopefully he will be more attractive to a female possum and less likely to bother people, cats or dogs if he finds a lady possum to hang out with. We are assuming of course that out possum is a male because he looks like a male and comes right up to the door in the light and climbs the house.
Will the possum try to bite us if we give him a bath?
Read more: Can You BATHE a POSSUM? (possums, spray, animal, wood) - Pets - Animals, health, care, dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, fish, frogs... - City-Data Forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/pets/287540-can-you-bathe-possum.html#ixzz0dNU4GwG9)
momoese
01-22-2010, 04:54 PM
Here is one way that may work.
We have a possum that visits our back deck often. I am going to buy a live trap and catch him. We want to catch him and give him a bath and brush his teeth before turning him loose in the woods away from here. We want to shampoo him and blow dry and style his hair! This is so hopefully he will be more attractive to a female possum and less likely to bother people, cats or dogs if he finds a lady possum to hang out with. We are assuming of course that out possum is a male because he looks like a male and comes right up to the door in the light and climbs the house.
Will the possum try to bite us if we give him a bath?
Read more: Can You BATHE a POSSUM? (possums, spray, animal, wood) - Pets - Animals, health, care, dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, fish, frogs... - City-Data Forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/pets/287540-can-you-bathe-possum.html#ixzz0dNU4GwG9)
Awesome Possum :ha:
LilRaverBoi
01-22-2010, 05:49 PM
LMFAO...possum make-over and hook-up! That'll keep him from roaming around! (and boost his self-esteem!)
Abnshrek
01-22-2010, 09:03 PM
Awesome Possum :ha:
Indeed :^) Pimpin' Possum
Scuba_Dave
01-22-2010, 10:36 PM
I sick my cats on 'em
http://images114.fotki.com/v651/photos/9/969466/3881843/warofthecats-vi.gif
http://images.paraorkut.com/img/funnypics/images/s/sniper_cat-12474.jpg
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