New Possum....on my Patio...

[Scrambled Egg]

I can't believe my possum nightmare is coming true, right here in neighborhood city!!! We have a little bowl of cat food on the front porch for our outside cat and my daughter said the cat must really be hungry because she could hear him crunching his food, I thought that was odd and told her to check and see if it was a dog, she opened the door to look and yelled about a possum! Of course when I looked there wasnt one so I wasnt sure if maybe she saw a big cat so I walked around the whole house and wehn I came back around front there was a really fat possum with a stubby tail heading back to the porch for the rest of the cat food, talk about being shocked!!! It scurried off next door somewhere in the dark and I couldn't find it, I was going to clonk it on the head with the broom until we could figure out what to do with it but I couldnt find it again. Now I am worried to death it will get after my chickens!! How much of a real fear is that? Do you all think it will try to get in my chicken pen and kill my chickens? I am so upset over this and who would think in a crowded city in a full neighborhood a possum would be on your front porch!! Unbelievable!!!!! I will have a trap set out tomorrow for that fat possum, geez I can't believe this!!

 

[WriterofWords]

They don't taste half bad ya know,, a little greasy,,,, but.... heheehhehehehe

 

[Ang]

As long as you have free and easy cat food on your porch, chances are it won't go for your chickens. However, relocating it would be best. They don't really have a territory so moving it shouldn't be an issue at all. Good luck catching it.

 

[tremayne]

We live in a suburban housing tract with a little country all around. On three occasions we've heard possums snacking on the cat's food on our front steps.

It's been a real surprise each time. I always worry about my cats since possums have some serious teeth. So far, so good ~ everyone has steered clear of the "visitors".

 

[Scrambled Egg]

WriterofWords
Today 10:45 pm They don't taste half bad ya know,, a little greasy,,,, but.... heheehhehehehe

ewwwwww, lol!!! It was sure fat enough for supper, but no thanks! I looked again all around and didn't see it. We have a wooden fence around the backyard except for facing the street on the sides of the house and that is a white picket. I am hoping that possum was too fat ti fit through the pcikets, course I guess they climb, geez, I'll take your advice Ang and I'll just add more cat food to the bowl and see if he will get full tonight and not think about my chickens. We have no woods around here, zero, none, urabania and I can't even imagine how it got across the roads in one piece, lol!!!​

 

[johnnyjack]

isnt red rooster the possum man .

i wouldnt worry about it they move to slow for a chicken. or i would think.they are more of a scavenger. not so much a killer.

 

[akcskye]

I agree, relocating would be the best.

My mom doesn't have chickens, and that's a good thing for her.

Every night, around 10 p.m., she gets visits from Zero the Possum, Bandit and Rascal the coons, and Pepe the skunk.

This is in addition to the 8 strays she feeds. LOL

And, she's in the city...but her property borders a creek bed...so I guess that's why and how they come in.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I heard the crunching myself about 45 minutes after we saw it last night, got my husband and opend the door withhim stnading there. There was the possum, chomping on the cat foot! He just stood there loking at us and i=he really is cute in an odd sort of way! I think we all stared at each other for aminute and I really dont think he would have run if my dachshund hadn't started barking and chased him off. Ithought about the trap thing and I know where one is I can borrow but there are so many outside cats around here that I would probably only end up with them and not the possum. Guess I'll feed him and see if he will stay out of my backyard...yeah Johnny I though about Rooster-Red when I saw this guy the second time! My daughter says, "Moma, he probably has a family too!"...well that isn't so comforting, lol! Next time I hear the crunching I will get a camera ready though, he didn't hiss or show teeth so maybe he's young and fat, like a waddling footbal, lol!

 

[beekybuzzard]

Most possum will not stay very long as they do not make homes anywhere. They usually live in holes that other animals have left or died in. If it stays more than 4 or 5 days then "he" is probably a mom and getting all the free food she can but even then she won't stay more than a few weeks. They are pretty slow for the most part but if you have a sick or hurt chicken it could get them. They mostly eat small things though like mice, moles, slugs, ants, and any snake they can find. The venom doesnt hurt them and they love the snake. Also if it's very fat it could have its young ones in the pouch.

 

[palabeco]

I don't think it would go after a chicken but it might go after the eggs. We have oppossums eat the left over cat food all the time(very rural here) the cats will stay back and watch.
You could try to set the trap after dark just before i'ts usual visit.

Just don't try to shoot it. I lived next door to a guy who went out to shoot a oppussum on his screened in porch, and at the last minute decides it would make too much of a mess, so he turned the shotgun around and hit it with the butt of the gun....Bang!! the man died instantly And there was an even bigger mess. That is a true story..