We have a possum

[Folly's place]

On the other hand, possums carry a horrible neurological disease to horses; I shoot any that show up near the barn. Don't trap unless you also shoot, as relocation is the worst option. They are marginally acclimated to the north, as Michigan, and this has been a really tough winter. If they are around in daylight near the house, they are starving and in poor condition, and looking for any food. Mary

 

[BillM2]

EPM in horses is nothing to fool with either. If the possum is showing up during the day and not running scared when it sees a human, something's wrong. Call an animal control officer. Keeping animals off your deck could require making certain there's no food or residual food odor - like after a bar b-q. I wouldn't let the dog out, particularly if the possum doesn't scare easily. Make sure your feed bins are tight, garbage cans, etc. Don't leave water out at night too. Hope this is of some help.

 

[FarmingCityGirl]

On the other hand, possums carry a horrible neurological disease to horses; I shoot any that show up near the barn. Don't trap unless you also shoot, as relocation is the worst option. They are marginally acclimated to the north, as Michigan, and this has been a really tough winter. If they are around in daylight near the house, they are starving and in poor condition, and looking for any food. Mary

I was planning on shooting it if I caught it, but I didn't know what to do after I shot it. I think I'd fear it wasn't really dead, just pretending. So the plan was (and this sounds horrible, I know) to shoot it and leave it in the cage for a while...to make sure it was dead, then dig a hole and dump it in. Does this sound as disgustingly horrible to you as it did to me? But now people have pointed out that possums are actually good to have around. There aren't any horses super close by that I know of. So now the plan is to let it be, keep the deck clear of anything yummy, and make sure the girls are locked up tight at night.

 

[FarmingCityGirl]

EPM in horses is nothing to fool with either. If the possum is showing up during the day and not running scared when it sees a human, something's wrong. Call an animal control officer. Keeping animals off your deck could require making certain there's no food or residual food odor - like after a bar b-q. I wouldn't let the dog out, particularly if the possum doesn't scare easily. Make sure your feed bins are tight, garbage cans, etc. Don't leave water out at night too. Hope this is of some help.

We had some spilled chicken food on the deck where the possum was sniffing around. It did run off when the kids and I went to the door to watch it, but it didn't run real quick like a squirrel from a dog lol. When my husband saw it, he said it was scared of him but was kind of cornered. I don't think it's sick. I'm not great at keeping the trash and feed bins closed up, but they're in the garage that gets closed for the night.

After seeing everyone's responses, it sounds like leaving the possum alone, as long as it doesn't do something to piss me off, is the way to go...keeping everything in balance.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I am worried about ticks here. We haven't had an issue yet, but friends & family just an hour south of us had a horrible tick problem last summer. I'll keep my girls locked up at night and stop worrying about the possum...

Chickens are good at eliminating ticks if they have access to the whole property.

... Don't trap unless you also shoot, as relocation is the worst option. ...

X2.

For all vermin.

I was planning on shooting it if I caught it, but I didn't know what to do after I shot it. I think I'd fear it wasn't really dead, just pretending. So the plan was (and this sounds horrible, I know) to shoot it and leave it in the cage for a while...to make sure it was dead, then dig a hole and dump it in. Does this sound as disgustingly horrible to you as it did to me? But now people have pointed out that possums are actually good to have around. There aren't any horses super close by that I know of. So now the plan is to let it be, keep the deck clear of anything yummy, and make sure the girls are locked up tight at night.

The DNR here recommends drowning.

I know, that disturbed me too.

 

[GentFarmer]

Back a bit, you asked what to bait traps with: canned cat food works the best in my experience. Also, cheap.

And yes, make sure you kill it. While the myth of playing possum is a fun one, dead really is dead, and it's easy to tell when you've humanely ushered him along his path. ;-)

And just a note on "relocating," I learned a few years ago (when I was living in an urban area), that most animal control offices simply relocate to the "nearest vacant area." In my case, it was just one lot over. Now that I'm on a farm, it's a silly idea to contact animal control...unless you don't want to buy a trap. In California, at least, you can rent traps for free or at low cost.

 

[gauthierpeeps]

In 8 years of having chickens I have only had a few snakes (which I hate and will hurt myself to get away from them) take a few eggs until about a week and a half ago. I woke up to a chewed up bantam in the bottom of the coop. We didn't see any way that anything had gotten in and 4 days later it happened again. This time it was one of my big girls but that time we saw where whatever it was had dug under the wood and fence and gotten in the coop area and just went in the house and helped himself. Well, after making the girls coop area safe and setting a trap with cat food we got the opossum. He tore that cat food can up, we had secured it to the back wall so he couldn't grab and run with it. I had read that cat food was the best for traps. So for now they are safe again and I hope I don't see one for another 8 years at least! PS: don't relocate them if you are out in the country because they will come back.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

... we got the opossum. ...So for now they are safe again and I hope I don't see one for another 8 years at least! PS: don't relocate them if you are out in the country because they will come back.

You didn't get THE opossum, you got AN opossum.
Trust me, there are more that will be out there, tonight even.

Agreed.
Relocating is sometimes illegal. The reason is that urban vermin pick up diseases from domestic pets and then pass them on to rural wildlife. They also have to compete with resident populations. They'll fight for territory and will either be killed or kill the residents. Unless moved far enough, they'll eventually return. If they don't, you're just giving your problem to someone else.

One isn't doing any favors to anyone, including the animal by relocating.

 

[gauthierpeeps]

Sorry, for my horrible grammar, lol. We will be ready for an army of them.

 

[01steven]

Best bait for the money is a Remington 870 at 10 yards, that way you don't have to be a really good shot