I tried to catch this guy 3 nights in a row with no success. So last night I put a trail of bread OUTSIDE the cage and then a trail of bread going INSIDE the cage. Well, just like Hansel and Gretel, he followed the bread crumbs all the way into the cage far enough to trip the door closed. This morning, I took him over to the woods about 3 miles away from my house and let him go. I hope he doesn't find his way back any time soon. Here is a photo of him and I don't think he looks very happy, do you?
This page contains the following solutions.
After being woken up at 2:00 am the morning before, I was quoted $389 for removal from a wildlife specialist to trap the things. I did an internet search and found this tip.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How can I get rid of the huge mom possum that lives in my pine tree? It killed 2 of my cats. It's as big as a dog! I had 3 outdoor cats when I bought my townhome. It's in a historical area and I am next to a field, that's lovely. The neighbors and I took the stray cats under our wing; they were good mousers and mole killers. I give them food, shelter, shots, etc. But this spring one cried every night to come in.
I never saw it so scared. Soon I found out why. I saw what I thought was an average possum and I thought ran it off. Wrong. The last two cats were maimed so badly (leg and tails) literally chewed off. I later saw the monster mama. I have 1 cat left. I can't bring him inside. I have a cat that has never lived outside, etc. How do I get rid of all opossums without running off the kitty?By Molley H.
I have the same problem but has not killed any of my cats that I have in a 20 by 10 kennel outside. I did see one in their kennel not long ago but it was not a large one. My cats out in the kennel are 14 plus and too old to kill like they did years ago when babies would get in there. I pray someone can give us an anwser.
You will have to either set a trap/cage yourself to catch it and then call the animal control to pick it up, or call them to do it, if they will. You can buy the trap/cage at hardware stores or a garden/pet stors. Hope this helps.
I caught and released, about 3 miles from home, a possum. Can it find its way back here?
We have opossums in our roof, and we don't know how to get rid of them. Can you please advise, because we can't sleep at night?
Wala S.
I live in Houston and while I've never had 'possum problems i am reminded of the time that the golf course behind our condo had to call Texas Wildlife Commission to come get the 8 foot gators out of the water hazards. Why don't you try them? They might even come and get them since 'possums are wild. BTW they didn't kill the gators, just carted them off someplace.
My parents had a raccoon infestation in their roof a few years ago. They tried everything, moth balls, live traps, legs trap, sitting outside with a gun even. There has always been a opossum problem with the cat food left outside for the various strays.
The only thing that worked, for either of them (even the giant bull mastiff left outside didn't scare them!) was a clock radio turn up all the way to a talk radio station, it has to be speech or obnoxious music, no classical or something easy to ignore. It was placed in the attic and left on all the time, it was a plug in type, not battery operated. When placed at the other end of the house from the bedroom you couldn't hear it until you go to the other end of the house. However it scared off the wild life, didn't hurt anyone, and the cats would put up with the sound.
So try putting some sort of radio with speakers near the problem area. They were able to remove the radio for a year before the raccoons decided to try again, but they live out in the country so the raccoons didn't have many options.
P.S. It's important to get them out of your roof as soon as possible. Once they find a good nest they'll continue to come back. They will also use your roof as a potty, and it soaks through drywall eventually, causing holes for them to look through into your house, very scary! Also, they mess up the insulation so you loose heat and spend just that much more money because of them.
Get a large live cage, place a peanut butter sandwich inside for they love peanut butter and wait. Soon you can deposit them free in a environment right for them.
When I worked for animal control, the head of it told me that possums do not get rabies, so it was safe to reach out and catch them. Possums are not stubborn or beligerent; they merely have horrible eye sight (rely on their sense of smell) and are very shy which is why they turn and try to hide in a corner. We caught one in our yard and put it in a cage to take out to the country and let go. While in the cage, I scratched behind its ear, and it snuggled up to the side of the cage and acted just like a cat, only more shy.
While riding my harley down a road I never had been on before I saw a possum that had been hit by a car. As I drove slowly by it because I cant stand to see any animal die or suffer I saw something about 2 1/2 - 3 inches on top of her. I turned my bike around and saw it was a baby trying to get to her mammas teat.
4 Babies that didn't survive laid next to her, so I dug in her pouch and found 5 more babies alive. I put them in my saddlebags and went straight home. Got on the computer and found out how to take care of them so I had 6 little mickey mouse looking babies for 3 1/2 weeks, hand fed, used a warm washcloth to rub their stomachs lightly, this helps digest their food and go poop, (a replacement for their moms licking them to get their stomachs active) then I gave 5 to a wild animals rescue and kept skeeter.
They say they live 2 years but she lived almost 3 1/2. They do not have or get rabies because their blood temperature is to low. Anyways I made her her baby habitat and a little Harley hammock and when she got big we took our big closet took off the doors, I painted a palm tree, we built levels and ramps up to her now adult hammock and she loved it. I could nibble on her ears, kiss her face, she loved me to rub her little feet which are like little human hands. My mom watched her on my weeks vacation and when i came home she grabbed me so tight and made little crying noises.
We would take her to mc donalds for her own hamburger and fries. She loved them. After 3 1/2 years she got cancer so bad I had to have her put to final sleep and that still tears me up to this day. She was my baby and I will always love her. I'm showing a picture now but be sure to check out the contest because I have entered her in that. Here she is, a fat sable teddy bear. Skeeter
I had a flashlight on an opossum and it came to me. What do I do? I was outside with a flashlight and I saw what I thought was a big cat, but when I put the light on it, it started to come to me. When I ran to my door it was at the side of the house; it was a opossum and it looked at me.
By Dannilea S.
Well I hope he moved on. Possums are not aggressive usually. He may have been confused by the light. In my own experience they arent afraid of people either. When I run across them they usually just keep on doing what they are doing and ignore me. There is one rare possibility to worry about. If a possum looks sick or is foaming at the mouth, or is aggressive to you, it may have rabies and you should stay away and call you state fish and wildlife department.
They used to be part of a certain section of the country, but here in MN, we have seen them as well. One was on my patio in town, had my dog out late at night to pee, on a leash. She got angry about something in the yard, which started hissing, etc. I grabbed the leash and pulled dog to the house quickly, grabbed the baseball bat, not knowing what was in front of me. Saw it was the possum. Talked to the DNR and also the vet. That thing could have mauled my large dog to pieces. So, if you live in town, consult your local animal officer or the police.
Is there a home remedy that doesn't cost a fortune to get rid of possums? I have a family of possums that have made a home under and in the walls of the house. Is there a easy way to run them off, a smell or a chemical they can't handle being around? That is really all I know to put down. Please and thank you.
By Terry
Moth balls scattered where they enter and leave may help. If they are under the house, throw the moth balls under the house in a circle around this area. It may take a few days, but this works on mice and skunks, too.
Moth balls scattered where they enter and leave may help. If they are under the house, throw the moth balls under the house in a circle around this area. It may take a few days, but this works on mice and skunks, too.
What can I spray on my passion fruit to get rid of possums?
Hardiness Zone: 1
By jim from Australia
Moth balls have worked well for me in getting rid of skunks & other unwanted animals; I bet they'd work for possums, too. (And they're cheap!) Sprinkle a few on the ground around the plants; replace them after rain or really heavy dew.
It would be unfair and cruel to take them into another area as they are extremely territorial. Any program I have seen where they rescue possums they always return them to the place they found them. As for deterring them from your fruit - I'm not sure how that would be achieved.
Well I do know now for a fact that possums do kill ducks. And I hate them. I will/am going to do whatever it takes to get rid of this possum under the house. Move, kill, or whatever.
For those who say cats and opossums don't bother any one or anything, they are wrong. Just saw a opossum kill my new baby kitty right in front of me. Couldn't get to it fast enough. My heart hurts and opossums suck.
Even though we live inside the city in a fully inhabited neighborhood, we seem to have an opossum (and I'm told possibly babies, too) roaming at night. I have not only seen evidence of it (you know what I mean), but I have seen it on the neighbor's porch. What can I do? Thanks for any help.
Dennis in Texas
It may have its nest in your neighbors yard, i.e., under the porch, or under or behind a shed, or under bushes. Also, they are attracted to foodstuffs just like raccoons, so make sure you and your neighbors are not leaving garbage bags or cans open, no dogfood out on porches and things like that. They won't attack you unless you corner them. They prefer to be left alone.
You can be grateful because they eat snails. They might be pesty in that they will eat pet food left outside and garbage. Please do not hurt them. They mean you no harm.
I leave food scraps out for them myself, and try to catch a glimpse of them feeding. They are harmless to pets and people as well. They don't even carry rabies the way foxes do. I love nature.
My neighbor has an opossum in her house under her garden tub. We have set live traps with no luck. Is there any other way to run it off?
By new prospect tenn from New Prospect, Tn
A live trap is your best bet. Try different bait. My dad just caught a two possum over the past month living under our house with a head of lettuce that was going bad. Remember, a opposum is a scavenger and will eat whatever attracts it's nose.
I had one that kept making my dogs bark at night. No one believed that I had one in the yard so one mornign I saw it on my fench and I went and got my camera and started taking pictures of it with the flash on. It has not come back yet and this was last year.
I have heard chewing on my a/c vents under my mobile home late at night. Could the animal be an opossum? I've seen one on my front porch (not afraid of automatic light on porch) and in the tree over my house.
By Lyn
Yes! We had the same problem last spring. A baby actually got into the house and scared the daylights out of me. We went under the house and sprinkled some moth balls (not a good idea). Got rid of the problem, but created a new one with moth ball smell getting into the house.
I have been raising feral kittens and now they are big cats. In my yard, I noticed one night an opossum and then two opossums. I am very scared now to go out in my yard. I am afraid they will attack me. My question is, how are the cats, there are 4, and the two opossums able to get along? Why aren't the cats claiming their territory? How do I get rid of the opossums.
By SR
The cats are probably staying away from the opossum and they aren't messin' with the cats because the kitties are staying away from them. Your best bet is to get (possibly borrow) a live catch trap, catch the critters and take them somewhere far away and let them go. Opossum like rotted food, something with some smell to it is best. If you are scared of the opossum ask someone to clear the trap for you. Depending on where you live "animal control" might empty the trap for you. Normally you have to get an exterminator and they won't be cheap.
I just read that putting mothballs in the garden, inside of a plastic jug with holes in the bottom to keep them dry, will help keep cats out of the garden. So I wonder if that would help with the opossums that get in my yard and eat the cat's food. I have a fence around the yard and wondered about putting the mothballs along the fence. But I don't want to reject my cat.
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator I am frequently asked about deterrents to wild animals that are safe and will not harm the animals, people and domestic pets. Mothballs (naptha) will usually work for animals that have a keen sense of smell...opossums, deer, mice, skunks, etc. However mothballs can be very dangerous. Even in a container there is a chance of leaching into groundwater, plus they can be poisonous for other animals.
A much safer method would be to clothespin UNUSED fabric softener sheets (the more fragrant the better) to the fence or take a small chunk of Irish Spring Original Scent soap and place it in one of those little drawstring muslin bags that are sold at most feed stores and clothespin it to the fence. You can also secure the sheets or bags to inexpensive bamboo skewers and place them around the perimeter.
These methods will also work well to keep mice, etc. out of sheds, boats or cars being stored, etc.
I have an aggressive possum in my yard that wants to hurt my Pomeranian. At night it screams at me or the dog. It's huge. I only have a small courtyard, so it's quite a problem as it's bigger than the dog. Any Suggestions?
By Pauleen
You should call animal control for your town or county right away. It may be sick and could give rabies to your dog or you. They will probably set a humane trap for it overnight so they can examine it for illness.
How do I get rid of possums in our vents without harming the animals or the home?
By Jamie from GA
You need to find out where they are entering and exiting your house. Then get a Live Catch Trap and bait it with lettuce or cabbage. Ask around and you may find someone with a trap they can loan you or you can check with your humane society (SPCA) and they might be able to help. Oposum eat just about anything so lettuce or cabbage could be replaced with something else. We had some under the house and put out a trap with a piece of chicken and caught one. We also caught a stray cat and a bunny (with a carrot). But we got 1 adult and 2 baby Opossum as well.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Does anyone have any ideas how we can keep possums from coming in our yard?
I think I have possums in my attic. They are also in my walls. These things are scary because they fight all the time.
What are possums afraid of? And how do I get rid of them?
This is the second time in a 3 week period my little Jack Russell terrier woke us up in the middle of the night chasing a possum.
