Once more it’s Friday, and a new month as well! So welcome! Hopefully July will be less eventful for us than June was, at least int he wild life arena. Thrice this month we’ve had a possum in the house.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Monday
Crimson Quillfeather alternate with
ZenTrainer
Tuesday ejoanna
Wednesday Caedy
Thursday art ah zen
Friday FloridaSNMOM
Saturday Alexandra Lynch
Sunday loggersbrat
The first time was just a quick glimpse, as the possum dashed across the kitchen and ducked under the dishwasher. A couple of years ago, we had a rat issue and we figure the possum(s)? are coming in through a hole they left. They’re young ones, probably just old enough to be independent and not a lot bigger than the rats were.
So we called the landlord about getting someone to come out and fix the hole under the dishwasher. I’m afraid to move the thing because I don’t want to risk breaking the water line, especially as I’m not sure where under there the outlet is (and with the way the electricity is rigged in this house, it could well be an electrocution danger). He said he would send someone out, but it’s been about a week and a half and we’ve not seen anyone yet.
The second possum was located in Bit’s room, it fled under her dresser. There are
no holes in Bit’s room, so we think it came in under the dishwasher again, got out of the kitchen and realized.. CAT!!! DOGS!!! and ran for shelter. A broom, a box, and some panic on the kids’ part, and we got it back outside.
Then Wednesday night, my daughter woke me up at 12:30 am. Draco had a possum cornered on the counter, next to the bread machine. This time, it was salad tongs (to move things out of my way and to gently push the possum into the box) and a cardboard box, and Draco walked it all the way up into the cemetery, put the box down, and ran. We’re going to collect the box today, but Bit said she’s going to poke it with a stick first to make sure the possum didn’t go back there to sleep during the day.
The landlord will be here to pick up the rent some time either today or tomorrow, so we’ll talk to him AGAIN about the possum issue while he’s here. In the meantime, here’s some information about possums.
According to National Geographic, Opossums are the only marsupial found in the
US and Canada, and while there are over 60 species, Didelphia virginiana is the most common. Opossums are scavengers, and eat pretty much anything. (maybe the one(s) coming into our house are eating the cat’s food?) They have prehensile tails and sharp claws that they use to climb trees where they nest in tree holes or dens created by other animals. A mama possum can have up to 20 babies in a litter but usually only about half of those survive.
The Humane Society claims that Opossums are far from a nuisance, because they clean up messes left by other animals, fallen fruit, and eat snails, slugs, and insects. They aren’t aggressive, but they bluff at being so as a defense. They hiss and snap, and act all mean, but if truly threatened, they play dead. (The ones in our house must have felt fairly safe because while they hissed and snapped, they didn’t once play dead.) And, on the bright side, if you do get bitten, rabies is pretty rare in opossums, because they have a much lower body temp than other mammals. So while of course you should catch the animal if you can, and get checked out, chances are, you or your pet, if bitten will be fine.
You have three main options for getting an opossum out of the house:
1 - Use a tool, such as a snare pole as seen below, to grab the animal and bring it outside, or in a trap.
2 - Grab the animal by the tail. This is easy for me, but if you're afraid and don't want to, I understand.
3 - Open all the doors and wait for it to walk out, or usher it along with a push broom.
Wildlife Removal
I prefer the salad tongs/ cardboard box method myself, but the ones getting into our house are young, and not anywhere near full grown.
So there you have it, if a possum gets into your house, don’t panic, keep pets away and don your “possum fighting gladiator gear.” Brooms are good, boxes and salad tongs have been proven effective (just don’t use the salad tongs to grab the possum, you could hurt it). But the best defense is a good offense. Keep your house sealed so the little suckers can’t get in in the first place.
Hopefully our landlord will send the maintenance guy out soon to see to that for us. I hope you have a great weekend, where wild life stays where it belongs… OUTSIDE.