Chalk up another opossum

[Srgnt Billko]

One of the Hav-a-hart traps got another opossum. But they aren't the problem - the woodchucks are. The chucks have taken to eating our flowers - primarily the red one.

[Tom The Great]

Might want to try another bait. Maybe some of those red flowers.

later,

tom @

[Srgnt Billko]

It's a day-night thing. The woodchucks come out during the day and the opossums at night. But I don't have the energy to shut the traps down every evening and back up first thing every morning.

[Tom The Great]

Then I'm guessing you'll be haing lots of opossum pie. After a while, you'll notice fewer opossums in your trap.

;)

later,

tom @

[dgk]

I think that you actually want oPossums. They eat bugs, rats, snails, and other pests, and they don't do damage nor carry diseases. I found that out when I discovered one in my backyard, which is in New York City. I have it fenced in so my cats can't get out and it was back there for two days, with the cats, before I found it under a bush. I was looking for one of the cats so it was quite a surprise. That explained the odd poop that I found the day before. It had the same white face and pink nose as the cat I was looking for, but the nose was 3 inches long.

It turns out that opossums are no threat to an adult cat, but the cat might hurt the opossum. A few weeks ago, there was some sort of opossum population explosion. I was working on the computer, looked out into the hall, and both cats are looking at something on the floor. Uh oh. I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't a mouse or rat, or a shrew or vole. Then I realized that it must be a baby opossum. I took it back outside and put it through the chain link fence into the next yard. It grabbed the link with it's rear foot, held on to get its bearings, and dropped into the ground cover. They have opposable thumbs on their rear feet!

A few minutes later I come outside and Espy is proudly walking around wth another baby so I got it from him and sent it next door. There was one other incident before the day was over. The other day I saw a small opossum going under a neighbor's deck so at least one must have survived. They have a rough life in urban areas I hear.

[Srgnt Billko]

In NYS transporting an opposum onto a neighbor's property is against the law.

[dgk]

That's pretty funny. I told him about it the next day and told him not to freak if he sees an opossum. I think that the adult is living in an area adjacent to my yard that is hard for people to get to because of a shed and some fences. My cats have spotted it a few times; I can always tell because they both line up right in the corner of the yard and are looking up.