O'possums

[Duppydo]

Thanks for your reply amazondoc...I've seen how fast a rat can move, on several occasions. On the other had, i've also released opossums from live traps in the past, and they really don't move out that fast, especially compared to a rat..I don't like to kill anything, unless i'm going to eat it or its a threat to my hens.I asked this question about rats and opossums because of what i read in that thread "Whats Killing My Hens" and what oblio13 posted...
I guess i was hoping that opossums are good at catching and killing mature rats, but i think your right, grown rats move fast, opossums don't
move so fast...Unless someone can convince me otherwise, i think i should keep putting down opossums that i catch within 4-5 ft of my hen house, like i do raccoons..
i know some disagree with my predator control, but i feel an obligation to do all i can to protect my hens, or why bother raising chickens...? They can't protect themselves very well from those big hungry teeth, now can they...? Kevin

 

[PurpleChicken]

We seem to have a possum explosion here. The other night one was
on my back porch while the dogs went nuts.

Tonight I heard my chickens going nuts. I looked out the window and
saw a possum "casing" the run. I went out with my paintball rife. A
22 would be too loud at 11PM in a neighborhood. So, I snuck around
the barn, spotted the possum, sighted in my paintball gun on it's head,
and refrained from firing. It was more interested in the chicken crumbs
than the chickens. I hope I don't regret this decision.

 

[LV426]

Ok since I happened to rehab opossums when I can and recently released 5 this year I feel that I really need to speak up.

In general they present a far lower health risk to humans than do dogs and cats! They seem to have a naturally high level of immunity to most diseases.Opossums are very rarely disease vectors except when it comes to carrying a parasite that does affect horses. Yes they carry fleas and ticks but then again all wild animals and most domestics do as well. A person has a greater chance of getting any type of infection that an animal might carry from a household pet than from an opossum.

Opossums rarely carry rabies unlike the north american raccoon. Their body temperature is lower than most mammals and the virus is unable to survive.

Opossums eat rodents. Yes that means rats, mice, voles, shrews, and even rabbits. They can and will and do hunt rodents when they can. Of course they will also sniff out nests and burrows and eat the babies. They are very good at rodent control.

Opossums are opportunistic feeders and scavengers. They will clean up any dead animals, left over food, scattered feed, or tasty garbage that they can find. This is most useful because by eating dead animals they help reduce the spread of disease in wildlife. They help to maintain a clean and healthy environment. They eat all types of insects, including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, and grubs. They catch and eat rats, roof rats, and mice. They like over-ripe fruit, berries, and grapes. They also love slugs and snails.

Yes Opossums will eat poultry and yes they will eat eggs and most definitely will eat chicks. However the best method of controlling opossums is prevention. Lock up your birds at night in a predator proof coop. People who leave their flocks untended at night really are just acting like a 24 hour McDonalds for wildlife.

When you kill an opossum you induce a loss to the environment such as the loss of a harmless animal which eats all manner of pests and carrion.

You also leaving a vacant ecological niche which will be filled by adjacent opossums or by other mammals, such as rats, skunks, raccoons, etc. Opossums do not dig into the soil, nor do they destroy property; the risk of exposure to disease is lowest with them and higher with all other mammals; and they don't have a strong scent.


Learn to live with the animals around you not against them.

 

[bluey]

Lock up your birds at night in a predator proof coop. People who leave their flocks untended at night really are just acting like a 24 hour McDonalds for wildlife.

I don't think that there are more than a very random odd lot of folks that leave their chickens unsecured at night.

You make it sound like somehow, by shooting the random possum showing up at a chicken coop, that the species will disappear. There's not a fat chance of that happening.

There is a big difference between wildlife rescue and wildlife management. Proper wildlife management demands population management for the benefit and overall health of the species. There are species with habitat issues needing wildlife rescue. Possum should not be on this list.

In pest species, like raccoon and possum, there's a reason why your local game commision, DNR etc... doesn't "manage" these species. They are plentiful beyond belief.

When you kill an opossum you induce a loss to the environment such as the loss of a harmless animal which eats all manner of pests and carrion.

This quote is the reason I will always have some issue with some wildlife rescue folks. Again, god love them, I respect the thankless job they do. I support them financially with donations. I've used my local rescue facility for many species (the most recent, a great horned owl on our property).

But, the line gets crossed when you mix wildlife rescue with "animal lovers". It's great to be an animal lover but sometimes proper species mangement involves population control. Animal lovers do not make the best rescue individuals because of objectivity issues.

I'd hate to see my support go to "rehabilitating" pest species in which the best course of action would be to destroy the animal, no matter how cute or cuddly they can be, if you took them in as a housepet.

You also leaving a vacant ecological niche

I can guarantee that it would be quite impossible to ever achieve this for possum unless they started growing "ivory tusks" or something of that nature (possum fur coat, anyone?).

Possum are way too plentiful and I would argue that they are, if anything, overpopulated due to the losses of ample bird of prey habitat. That is where wildlife rescue resources should go to.

Domestic barn cats serve a more active role in rodent control anyway.

If you rehabilitate a possum and relocate it, not only is that illegal in most places, it is irresponsible.​

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Quote:
I don't think that there are more than a very random odd lot of folks that leave their chickens unsecured at night.

You make it sound like somehow, by shooting the random possum showing up at a chicken coop, that the species will disappear. There's not a fat chance of that happening.

There is a big difference between wildlife rescue and wildlife management. Proper wildlife management demands population management for the benefit and overall health of the species. There are species with habitat issues needing wildlife rescue. Possum should not be on this list.

In pest species, like raccoon and possum, there's a reason why your local game commision, DNR etc... doesn't "manage" these species. They are plentiful beyond belief.

When you kill an opossum you induce a loss to the environment such as the loss of a harmless animal which eats all manner of pests and carrion.

This quote is the reason I will always have some issue with some wildlife rescue folks. Again, god love them, I respect the thankless job they do. I support them financially with donations. I've used my local rescue facility for many species (the most recent, a great horned owl on our property).

But, the line gets crossed when you mix wildlife rescue with "animal lovers". It's great to be an animal lover but sometimes proper species mangement involves population control. Animal lovers do not make the best rescue individuals because of objectivity issues.

I'd hate to see my support go to "rehabilitating" pest species in which the best course of action would be to destroy the animal, no matter how cute or cuddly they can be, if you took them in as a housepet.

You also leaving a vacant ecological niche

I can guarantee that it would be quite impossible to ever achieve this for possum unless they started growing "ivory tusks" or something of that nature (possum fur coat, anyone?).

Possum are way too plentiful and I would argue that they are, if anything, overpopulated due to the losses of ample bird of prey habitat. That is where wildlife rescue resources should go to.

Domestic barn cats serve a more active role in rodent control anyway.

If you rehabilitate a possum and relocate it, not only is that illegal in most places, it is irresponsible.​

Well said, I have a bird rescue right next door. Wonderfull you would think. They are only supose to do raptors. But they do racoons, and anything else.

The neighbor guys worked really hard to get rid of the red squirals here. They get in the walls of homes and cause all kinds of problems. One neighbors house burned down do to them chewing the electric wires. You guessed it they took in a family of red squirals and instead of turning them loose on state land like they are suppose (remember they are only to rescue birds) to they let them loose right in their (my) back yard. They even turn the birds loose in the back yard. This area is too small to support that many birds of pray.

This keeps up I will be reporting them till I can get them shut down. And I sure would hate to do that as the raptor rescue is needed here.


Edited to add

PC your preditor your choice, good luck.​

 

[bluey]

Zookeeper

...there are so few animal rescue facilities that I would not recommend you try to get them shut down...just a change in who's running things there.

 

[PurpleChicken]

So if I see a possum near my coop I should shoot it? I honestly
didn't know if they were a threat or not. I don't enjoy killing an
animal but I raise meatbirds, manage my rodent populations, and
have no problem killing a predator. I would also hunt if I had a good
opportunity to do so. Does fishing count?

I will admit the cute factor got me last night too. The poor little
possum didn't even know I was sighted in on him.

 

[bluey]

PC...I thought you had a paintball gun aimed at him?

What were you going to do, give him a punky hair color so the other possums would shun him, causing him much embarrassment in the possum community and forcing him to commit suicide by crawling into traffic?

Funny, that you have no problem slaughtering chickens for food but get weepy over an ugly possum...

You're killin' me PC!!!!

 

[iajewel]

Possums don't actually carry many diseases.

better call your local DNR and ask about that one. I bet you will find what they do carry will not only effect horses, but your dogs, cats and people.
There is a type of round worm that comes to mind that is not curable in humans, 70% of all coons carry it. Ring worm ( a fungus) is also very common in possums and spreads easily to cats, and children, as well as all amimals and is not easy to get rid of.
Pets are cared for, wormed and healthy. Wild animals go from your farm, to your neighbors farm to the next farm down the road. They may not get sick, but the mudd, and "stuff" of thier feet will drag in all sorts of things. They are also carriers for illnesses they don't get. Not to mention fleas and lice..

(by the way I do keep coons as pets.. love them.. but I also know the risks.. and wild varmets are not safe)​

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Ummm....objectivity?? So far, the "wildlife management" advocate in this thread is the only one who has been caught making false claims (that claim about lepto).

You also leaving a vacant ecological niche

I can guarantee that it would be quite impossible to ever achieve this for possum unless they started growing "ivory tusks" or something of that nature (possum fur coat, anyone?).

As that poster clearly explained, he/she was referring to immigration of other possums into the empty niche created by killing the resident. And as I have explained before, increased movement of animals increases the spread of disease.

Domestic barn cats serve a more active role in rodent control anyway.

Hey, where did that wildlife management go?? Outdoor cats are important predators on native species such as songbirds.

If you rehabilitate a possum and relocate it, not only is that illegal in most places, it is irresponsible.

It is illegal in SOME places. I doubt "most" is an accurate characterization -- but if you have data to back up that claim, I'd love to see it.