How to Get Rid of Possum Problems
Possums aren't usually dangerous animals, but many people run into various problems with opossums due to their scavenging and opportunistic behavior. Opossums turn up in many unwanted areas, such as in
sheds, under decks, in attics, and in the below photo, inside a dog house. Read the below email for more information on this exciting story:
I got the below email about a possum problem in a dog house:
David,
Love your website. I could read for hours - great stories and sense of
humor. Seems like you truly enjoy your work and respect the critters.
I've found that my labrador has been hosting a house guest lately. Very
brave opossum found the gourmet food, water and heat lamp as shelter
from the mid-north Indiana winter.
Great tips - and I have been removing it by it's tail. To the horror of
my girlfriends and co-workers. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's
gotta do. If it keeps returning, I'll have to give someone a call.
I'm bookmarking this site and sending it on to others - I have some
friends in your area of Florida too!
Thanks for what you do and a fantastic website!
-Jamie
Jamie, thanks for the kind words! Do you have a way of keeping out that
opossum permanently? If not, you can either relocate it a few miles
away, or wait for it to move on. Opossums tend to be nomadic, except
in the winter, when they den up at times. - David
My dog has 2000 sq. ft. of fenced-in area with the dog house in the
middle. So either it's climbing the fence or possibly a tree and
"jumping" inside. Can't find where it's getting in under the fence.
Just couldn't believe my dog was still IN the dog house when I found the
opossum inside with her at 8p on Thursday (first sighting but who knows
how long this has been going on)! Scared the crap out of me when I
lifted the flap! "Oh, good to see you're here with some more food!"
It's been comical as it doesn't seem scared at all. Abbey's almost 14
and may have been asleep when it slipped in. She did bark to alert me
at 2a this morning so I think she gets it. The attached picture is from
today - I assume they look just the same as the southern variety. I have
Indian Runner ducks that my daughter shows in 4-H and they are couped up
whenever it's below freezing and always at night. That will be my next
concern if this little thing doesn't leave soon. We have all the area
wildlife passing through so I gather eggs daily, have an enclosed run,
and try not to have food outside. AND have a DOG! There are plenty of
other wooded areas near me so I'm sure I can find another safe spot. It
would be my luck that it's a female that decides she wants to stay a
while with some babies. It would be hard for me to kick her out. Thanks for the response. Good luck out there!
Wow, you are host to quite a lot of critters! Don't worry if an opossum has young. They grow in the pouch and stay with mom, and she usually remains somewhat nomadic. As the young get too big, they drop off and can fend for themselves.
Oh, the only critters around here are opossums, raccoons, white-tailed
deer, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, skunk (I like the smell too and
always wanted one as a pet), coyote, fox, owls (great horned owl got one
of my ducks last fall so they're on my short hit list), turkey vultures,
snakes, stray cats, mice, moles, voles, groundhogs (they want under my
house), bats, and I'm sure others I've forgotten or haven't seen
personally out my window. Lots of hummingbirds in summer. I live near
the Wabash River so there are otter and beaver there too.
My grandfather used to drop off nests of orphaned babies that needed
bottle-fed when I was little so it's all his fault. He lived down the
road on a farm and had to have at least one of everything besides the
horses, cows, pigs, and poultry. We raised bunnies, raccoons, opossum
(they do hang from your fingers and are so cute). I have no idea if
there were wildlife rescues here then nor did I know it was illegal to
help them out at the time (1970's).
You saying that the young opossum drop off put to mind them jumping
ship, stepping off a trolley or a covered wagon while the mom just
waddles along. The fruit is ripe! Nature is amazing.
How do you think of those rhymes and stories? The one about the baby
opossum was fantastic. Merry possum band. And the little man in the
tree. Do you go to schools or camps and talk to kids about animals?
You would be great. You should write a book. Really!
Well, thanks again for the kind words! You sure do have a lot of wildlife on your property. I didn't think anyone read my website, and I was often careless when I wrote poems and stories, but it's nice that you like them.
Have a great day,
David
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