I just panicked and kicked a possum in the face.

[cuppycake]

When I was about 14 I smacked a raccoon off of our front porch with a broom, boy did that thing fly.

 

[Mikedero]

That being said, we rehome all the animals to a nice place far from our house. We've rehomed 5 skunks and 3 possums so far.

here in CT we are not allowed to rehome Skunks, Raccoon and possums they are to be put down and disposed properly. Due to the really high rate of rabies we have in CT.

To date almost all my backyard pests have been raccoons. but every animal other then the possums that i put down I tan their hides, sell the hides and buy more feed and equipment.

Being a hunter and trapper I do not relate to wildlife like others do, they are not people even if I think most animals are better then most people.

Agreed the best defense is a well build coop and run. I did not start my war against these pests until I got sprayed by a skunk just walking in my yard.

 

[chicknfun]

I had a coral snake crawl out from under a pallet and slither across my foot. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time, and I freaked out! We have king snakes that look very similar, and I couldn't sleep at all that night , all I could do was keep reciting in my head,
"red touches black, friend to Jack-
red touches yellow, kill a fellow."
~shiver~
OMG, makes my heart pound just thinking about it now.
Possums.....

Every dog I know kills every possum they get a hold of. Except my dog, she is friendly to anything, unless it is threatening to one of us.
She thinks baby animals we bring in (chicks....ducks....kittens) are supposed to be taken care of by her.
I also don't tolerate predators.

 

[Bush Chickens]

Good for you for taking care of the problem. Everyone has their own opinions. Personally, possums don't get to live here. We have horses, and they can contract bad diseases from an opossum. I also don't want them getting into my coops. As far as relocating, I am firmly against it, mainly for the disease issue.

PS - We probably would have run over the baby skunk in the road. Why? Skunks are major carriers of rabies where I live. A close friend of mine and her family (they had 3 very young children at the time) had to go through the rabies shot series because a rabid skunk had found a batch of baby kittens and killed several of them. The mama cat fought with the skunk and contracted the disease, and the kids played with the cat. They know it was a rabid skunk because a few days later, the daughter saw a skunk in an shed, just wandering around in circles. They killed it and had it tested. Then they had to have one of their cats tested. It was positive. They had to put down every animal on their farm - the kids' pet cats, dog, everything. Nope, skunks don't get a second chance here.

what kind of disease can a HORSE get from a possum???we have 2 horses and possums live around here.thats a bit extreme isnt it?

 

[jerryse]

what kind of disease can a HORSE get from a possum???we have 2 horses and possums live around here.thats a bit extreme isnt it?

Nothing that I know of.Raccoons do.In dogs it's called coon dog paralisis.Not sure what it's called on horser.

 

[bobbi-j]

what kind of disease can a HORSE get from a possum???we have 2 horses and possums live around here.thats a bit extreme isnt it?

They can get a disease called EMP " EPM is caused by the parasite Sarcocystis neurona. In order to complete its life cycle this parasite needs two hosts, a definitive and an intermediate. In the laboratory, raccoons, cats,armadillos, skunks, and sea otters have been shown to be intermediate hosts. The opossum is the definitive host of the disease. Horses most commonly contract EPM from grazing or watering in areas where a possum has recently defecated. However, horses cannot pass the disease among themselves, that is, one horse cannot contract the disease from another infected horse. The horse is a dead-end, or aberrant, host of the parasite. The neurologic signs that EPM causes are most commonly asymmetric incoordination (ataxia), weakness and spasticity, although they may mimic almost any neurologic disorder. Clinical signs among horses with EPM include a wide array of symptoms that may result from primary or secondary problems. Some of the signs are difficult to distinguish from other problems, such as lameness, which can be attributed to many different causes. Apparent lameness, particularly atypical lameness or slight gait asymmetry of the rear limbs are commonly caused by EPM. Focalmuscle atrophy, or even generalized muscle atrophy or loss of condition may result. Secondary signs also occur with neurologic disease. Airway abnormalities, such as laryngeal hemiplegia(paralyzed flaps), dorsal displacement of the soft palate (snoring), or airway noise of undetermined origin may result from protozoa infecting the nerves which innervate the throat, although this is uncommon. The actual method by which Sarcocystis neurona enters the central nervous system is still unknown, however it is thought to preferentially infect leukocytes (white blood cells) in order to cross the blood brain barrier."

[edit]​

 

[idreamofsilkies]

That's ridiculous that they put their dogs and cats to sleep. Outdoor animals should ALWAYS get rabies shots. My dogs and cats (cats are indoor always) get rabies shots. I would never let any of my animals go unvaccinated!

 

[bobbi-j]

That's ridiculous that they put their dogs and cats to sleep. Outdoor animals should ALWAYS get rabies shots. My dogs and cats (cats are indoor always) get rabies shots. I would never let any of my animals go unvaccinated!

All I'm going to say is, sometimes that's easier said than done.

 

[idreamofsilkies]

Really? I guess I am spoiled. I live in a city where you can get rabies vaccinations for cheap and regular rabies shots are like 30 bucks here. A small price to pay for the pups and cats I love.

I guess every situation is different.

 

[bobbi-j]

Yes it is. Sometimes there are barn cats you can't get even get close to. It was a long time ago, and I don't remember if the dog was vaccinated or not, but they also had sheep and cattle. But the CDC said that all the animals had to go.