Possums- Will they EVER leave me ALONE?!?!

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I have trapped over 50 this year in the same exact spot. At first I was catching one everynight now it's down to one every other week so you can thin them out but I doubt you can get rid of them.

Steve in NC

 

[missourichickenmama]

I had an odd dream last night- I dreamed that there was a swarm of possums that I was defending my chickens against. I had nothing but a thick coat, thick snow pants, a flashlight, and a big stick to defend myself with. I was beating the possums to death with the big stick.

Mom wants to know, what do we do with it after we trap it? She says it doesn't seem fair to shoot in while it's trapped in the cage....... So I suggested re-homing, still there is a problem

... In short, the only thing she agrees with is hunting.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

With all due respect…all mammals get rabies. Please be careful of the “facts” that are mentioned. In possums it may be rare but they can still get rabies. It is like playing Russian roulette.

They also have fifty teeth in their tiny little mouths and these are all made for biting and holding on. Do not underestimate their calm demeanor. The saying “playing possum’’ can play havoc with our sense of recognizing danger. When cornered with no escape route this animal will bite. Teeth of this nature equals biting and then there is the bacteria that comes with deep puncture wounds. It can ruin a guy’s whole day….or life.

"That goes for your little dog too...Toto."

 

[gkeesling]

Quote:
I don't have a problem shooting them in the cage since they will take a chicken off the roost if they can. I have heard of people dunking the cage in water and drowning the critter but I just never wanted to go through that much trouble.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

What works best for me is a secure coop/run with the addition of an electric fence. Not one of the little fido boxes from the hardware store. Believe me they won't soon forget. I found it easier to leave the ones already established in the area alone and teach them than to have to deal with the possibility of even more determined newcomers to replace them. If they are very determined though, I let Mr. Remington or Mr. Sig deal with them.

Marty

 

[chickenchaser99]

i went outthe day before thanksgiving i went to take the trash (have lots of cats) i thought i saw a cat but it was white so i thought it was a stray then it turned out to be a possum i screamed

then i ran in told dad theres a possum i thought he would get the 22 he got the 12 gauge he out there its sitting on the deck it goes off at a snales pace the cats hung around then they went away dad shot poor posum died instintly i had to this to the corps

so thats my story bye

 

[cafarmgirl]

Well, we have ton's of possums here along with a whole lot of other fun things. My solution has worked very well for my situation. There is absolutely NO food source here for them. Everything is put away in critter proof containers and the chickens are locked up in a varmint proof coop at night which includes a hot wire. That wasn't the case when we first moved here and we saw them all the time. Now I can't remember the last time one was around. We tried trapping and got tired of it, it never ends. Just easier to shut off the food supply and they loose interest.

 

[twentynine]

In a word! No!

You will never be free of possums, racoons, rats, mice, hawks, mites, owls, cats, crows and the other hundred of species in nature. You get rid of one another will move in. remember no vaccums in nature.

Attacked by a possum? Any time I have ever had any contact with a possum, they were anything but aggressive.

 

[PineappleMama]

We've had possums hanging out on the power lines (yes ON the lines like a flippin' squirrel) in the middle of the night... drives the dogs nuts... Then there was the time that I went to pour dog food into the bowl and plop goes a possum outta the bag (AHHHHH screams the pansy)... Matt just grabbed, snapped and then ignored... Hubby didn't hear a thing until I dang near clocked him... got the shovel and tossed it over the fence (deal with it in the morning) of course not listening to me and smacking the throat himself so of course it was gone in the morning. There's a reason they call it Playing Possum.

Then there was the one, maybe a month ago, that was under the shed at 11pm... dogs would NOT come in... our doxies were under the shed, Matt was patrolling the perimeter... eventually Jane and Lily emerged covered in blood and strutting (swear it took 10 years off my life, but they didn't have a scratch on them it was all possum blood)...

But, I've also seen a big fat possum casually strolling along the top of the fence at NOON too... and down the street... and in people yard/driveways in broad daylight... *shudder* Giant Rats is what they are...