Official Possum thread of perturbation and domination

[linkshero]

So, I have a possum. Not as a pet, but hanging around my house.

pic (not actually him, but you get the idea)



I would just leave the little guy alone, but I hear they can tunnel and burrow and stuff around the ole homestead. That, and it is driving my dog apoplectic. He smells him in the front yard, and every time he finds him, the possum scurries up a tree.

Once he gets up the tree, it’s impossible to get him out. I beat him out of it once with a broom, he hit the ground hard, and ran off. I have tried poking him with a spear. I taped a torch to a makeshift broom handle and tried burning him out. I ran the garden hose on him one night when it was like 32 degrees, and tried to freeze him out. Last night, he was way up, and out on a pretty small limb. I got the limb moving and he was flying back and forth like a crazy thing, but just kept hanging on. I was somewhat concerned he was going to land on my head. So far, his strategy of digging in, and playing Possum is working pretty well.

My neighbors already keep an eye on me from behind their curtains, so I don’t really want to pull out a shotgun, or .22. I went and picked up my old pellet gun from my folks, hoping I can drop him out of the tree, and then finish him off with a shovel. I hear their brain is the size of bird seed, so getting a clean hit with the pellet could be problematic. The little guy is proving to be a bit of a challenge. If I'm being honest, I think the rodent with the tiny brain may be slightly in the lead.

Any other suggestions?

 

[theIowaHawk]

 

[unsubstantiated]

"Golden Malrin" fly bait, 4 or 5 teaspoons, diluted in a half of a can of coke. Little bastards cant resist it and they usually drop dead within about 10-15 feet of the dish.

 

[IACub]

My folks had an opossum living under their deck. They tried everything. Boarded up the hole, put out poison, live traps, etc. It only moved out when the raccoon kicked it out. So... you need a raccoon.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

I love a Possum Kingdom!

Behind the boathouse, I'll show you my dark secret ...

 

[Tenacious E]

So, I have a possum. Not as a pet, but hanging around my house.

pic (not actually him, but you get the idea)



I would just leave the little guy alone, but I hear they can tunnel and burrow and stuff around the ole homestead. That, and it is driving my dog apoplectic. He smells him in the front yard, and every time he finds him, the possum scurries up a tree.

Once he gets up the tree, it’s impossible to get him out. I beat him out of it once with a broom, he hit the ground hard, and ran off. I have tried poking him with a spear. I taped a torch to a makeshift broom handle and tried burning him out. I ran the garden hose on him one night when it was like 32 degrees, and tried to freeze him out. Last night, he was way up, and out on a pretty small limb. I got the limb moving and he was flying back and forth like a crazy thing, but just kept hanging on. I was somewhat concerned he was going to land on my head. So far, his strategy of digging in, and playing Possum is working pretty well.

My neighbors already keep an eye on me from behind their curtains, so I don’t really want to pull out a shotgun, or .22. I went and picked up my old pellet gun from my folks, hoping I can drop him out of the tree, and then finish him off with a shovel. I hear their brain is the size of bird seed, so getting a clean hit with the pellet could be problematic. The little guy is proving to be a bit of a challenge. If I'm being honest, I think the rodent with the tiny brain may be slightly in the lead.

Any other suggestions?

My suggestion is that whatever ever you do, make sure it dies so it doesn't flee to green pastures to the south.

 

[22*43*51]

Low velocity .22 rounds.

Great for in town.

 

[moral_victory]

Nm

 

[JWolf74]

Might I suggest ninja throwing stars? They also works on children who won't stfu and eat their peas.

 

[linkshero]

Not much to report tonight. Got home and made a little makeshift gun site in the garage. Had the pellet gun pretty spot on. Took the dog out hoping to tree the possum, but the little f@$#!#% was no where around. Will have to try again tomorrow. I guess if that doesn't work there's always poison, or the coon thing. Peace out. Don't have much experience with throwing stars.

I was also thinking about getting a Cobra. I would think it could take down a possum.

 

[INXS83]

So, I have a possum. Not as a pet, but hanging around my house.

pic (not actually him, but you get the idea)



I would just leave the little guy alone, but I hear they can tunnel and burrow and stuff around the ole homestead. That, and it is driving my dog apoplectic. He smells him in the front yard, and every time he finds him, the possum scurries up a tree.

Once he gets up the tree, it’s impossible to get him out. I beat him out of it once with a broom, he hit the ground hard, and ran off. I have tried poking him with a spear. I taped a torch to a makeshift broom handle and tried burning him out. I ran the garden hose on him one night when it was like 32 degrees, and tried to freeze him out. Last night, he was way up, and out on a pretty small limb. I got the limb moving and he was flying back and forth like a crazy thing, but just kept hanging on. I was somewhat concerned he was going to land on my head. So far, his strategy of digging in, and playing Possum is working pretty well.

My neighbors already keep an eye on me from behind their curtains, so I don’t really want to pull out a shotgun, or .22. I went and picked up my old pellet gun from my folks, hoping I can drop him out of the tree, and then finish him off with a shovel. I hear their brain is the size of bird seed, so getting a clean hit with the pellet could be problematic. The little guy is proving to be a bit of a challenge. If I'm being honest, I think the rodent with the tiny brain may be slightly in the lead.

Any other suggestions?

Put out a pan of anti-freeze, but lock up the pets when you do.

The humane thing would be to purchase a 'have-a-heart' trap and bait it with peanut butter. Once you catch the critter, find out where your most annoying local official lives and give him/her a live Christmas gift in the middle of the night.

 

[IACub]

Put out a pan of anti-freeze, but lock up the pets when you do.

The humane thing would be to purchase a 'have-a-heart' trap and bait it with peanut butter. Once you catch the critter, find out where your most annoying local official lives and give him/her a live Christmas gift in the middle of the night.

Please don't do this. Anti-freeze poisoning is a horrible way for any animal to die.

 

[N_fuego]

Get Rid of Opossum

Modified on October 31, 2015

I don’t know if evolution got angry at the opossum and that’s why it looks the way it does or if the Big E simply forgot about the ugly little nit all together. I mean seriously, what a bummer of a way to look for a critter as cool as the opossum. “Cool” did I say? Hell yeah. Cool. Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are the only marsupial found in North America. Like other marsupials, i.e. koalas, kangaroos and wombats, the female opossum has a pouch in which the young of the species scramble into as soon as they’re born. Once inside the pouch, baby opossums latch onto 1 of the 13 nipples found there. And yes, I said 13 nipples. Opossums are also the proud owners of prehensile tails and opposable thumbs. Coolest of all: their body temperature. Because of their low body temp, opossums almost never carry rabies. This same feature is also responsible for their high resistance to the venom from rattlesnakes and copperheads.
http://www.getridofthings.com/pests/animals/get-rid-of-opossum/

Marsupials with prehensile tails and opposable thumbs. Wow.

 

[markfromj]

[QUOTE="linkshero, post: 1482098, member: 9894" ]So, I have a possum. Not as a pet, but hanging around my house. pic (not actually him, but you get the idea)
[/QUOTE]

That's not me, that's my possum?

 

[h-hawk]

We also have possums around. I see them more often in October when the weather starts to cool down. They must be out and about getting ready for winter.

My possum story. My wife's family had cats when they were growing up. They had an old porch delegated to their feeding and a litter box. One day someone was feeding the cats when they noticed that a possum had moved in and was living with them. For some reason the cats did not seem to mind the interloper. Wife's family had the local animal control guy (probably the poor sheriff or deputy) come out and take it away.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

OP?

 

[ghost80]

However you kill it make sure that it is dead. It's no bull about them sometimes playing dead.

While growing up we would get them in our barns all the time coming in to eat livestock and pet food. Shot one with a .22 once and it fell over dead. Picked up the carcass and threw it outside. Few minutes later I see it get up and start walking off. Apparently I hit it with a bad angle and the bullet bounced off its tough hide.

Couple whacks with a chunk of wood and that did the trick for real.

 

[ghost80]

Best story I'd heard is my son in law's. He was outside on his acreage and saw one walk out of a shed but had nothing with him to kill it. The closest thing at hand was this..and it worked just fine.

 

[The Tradition]

I have one on my property that I see from time to time. Doesn't seem to harm anything, but the dogs go nuts if the see it or smell it when we go out for a walk. I have no interest it killing or removing it.

Now the damn squirrels are a completely different subject. If there was such a thing as a squirrel nuke, I'd deploy it.

 

[Joes Place]

Please don't do this. Anti-freeze poisoning is a horrible way for any animal to die.

It's also very illegal in most places; if you have any neighbors with pets who drink it, you're 100% liable for it. Very bad idea, and if you get caught (neighbor turns you in), you're going to end up in court - and you'll lose any civil suit against you by a neighbor as well.