Possum

[heyeddah]

Ok So the other night I am in the garage splitting wood and cleaning up. I see garbage all over the floor, so I tip the trash can up to throw out the stuff on the floor and my hand is whipped by an Opossum tail. SCREEEEEEEAM as loud as I could. My Dh came running and all I could do was point and scream.
We put the lid on the can and left it there overnight. The next day we relocated our garbage sucking, chicken threatening overgrown rat.
What was he doing in there in the middle of the day? I think he was half frozen to death too, because he did not move at all. This is the same possum my son and I chased through the back yard with a rake.

 

[sred98]

LOL! He didn't move because he was "Playing Possum"

You probably scared him half to death! LOL! But, he knows where the food is, so I doubt he will stay away. You may have to be a little harsher with him next time, you know?

Sorry he scared you so bad. They can be pretty vicious when cornered. Be careful.

Shelly

 

[jforsness]

My pups were freaking one night and there was a possum in the backyard. Scared to crap outta me, turns out they're fairly harmless. More snarl than bite, but soooooo creepy!

 

[ginbart]

Did you know Possums have 50 teeth?

 

[sandspoultry]

We had been having trouble with 'possums on and off all winter. There is a drainage ditch that runs thru our property and seems to be a varmit super highway. There was an old den not to far from one of our chicken pens so I set a trap and baited it. in the course of the next 4 or 5 weeks I trapped 12 'possums in it. At first it was one every other day then less and less, now it's been there over a week and nothing. Maybe that is how many live in a given area.

Steve in NC

 

[ssteiner]

I live in the suburbs, so most of these predators I read about on this forum aren't a problem for my girls, but we have a family of possums living in the fruit trees of a neighbor. Every night, particularly during the summer, just like clockwork, I see them running along the top of a 7 foot cinderblock wall at the rear of my property line. They've never given us trouble, but I worry about my girls nonetheless. Our setup has an fully enclosed run attached to a small coop. Every night I go out and close up the door that leads from the run to the coop, because I worry a possum will somehow get into the run and then climb into the coop and kill my girls. But how aggressive are possums as predators. Do they actively seek out prey vis a vis a raccoon or fox or hawk, or are they more opportunistic, killing that which presents itself to be killed. I'm wondering how worried I should be. Thanks for any tips.

Scott

 

[Cetawin]

He/she was probably cold and hungry and found your garbage...but the play possum...i.e. dead. They are too funny when they do that.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
They are very opportunistic, will eat the easiest meal they can find, and bluff when threatened.

They are not well suited for aggressive hunting like coons and other predators.

If you have a predator proof coop you have very little to worry about from possums.

Possums will forage in the day time if they have young to feed, they don't get rabies.

It is true that they have 50 teeth.

 

[only one lay]

Live on a dead end rd that is the last st on our no sign/light town. When we first moved in we let the dogs go in the back yard to bring stuff in.worked into the night. next thing we know my 12 lb terrier comes dragging one in the back door all balled up. as he claimed his new yard with proper authority we have not had one near the house again.

 

[scooter147]

Scott you are doing the correct thing by locking them up at night, if you have possums you probably have raccoons.
A possum is more of opportunist than a "hunter" but presented with a coop full of sleeping chickens he will do damage.
Last summer I stepped out for a minute and heard my chickens raising cane, I looked over at the run and saw a possum actively going after the chickens. Fortunately possums are quite slow and the chickens were able to avoid those nasty teeth until I was able to come to the rescue. Since it was hot the windows to the house were closed so I had no idea how long she had been attempting to catch one of my hens. I suspect like another poster said that she had young to feed so she was searching for food during the day.
I love animals but possums and english starlings disgust me for some reason