You may remember this story I shared in this thread: :
Mr. Adoptamom and I used to live in the country - but with 3 other homes on our gravel lane and we could all see one another quite clearly.
Late one very, very stormy night, Junior the Wonder Dog would not stop barking, nor would he come inside when we called him. He had obviously cornered something. Thinking we were safe because it was so late and all the neighbors lights were out, Mr. Adoptamom runs outside with just his tighty whities on to investigate. He sees the evil glare and MEANS fangs of this HUGE possum - and I mean HUGE - this thing had to weigh in at 10-12 lbs easy and had a very long tail. Mr. Adoptamom tried his best for about 5 minutes to drag Junior the Wonder Dog back into the house so the possum could go it’s merry way and we all could return to sleep. Junior would not budge (110 lb lab folks).
Mr. Adoptamom decides to get his shotgun and wakes me in the process to hold an umbrella over his head whilst he shoots the critter. I run out in tank shirt and dainties, holding the umbrella to keep us both dry (not easy - I’m only 5’7" and Mr. Adoptamom is 6’7" and toting that danged shotgun)
About the time Mr. Adoptamom fired, our neighbors walk outside to see what the ruckus is, spot us in our skivies shooting a rifle in the wee hours of the morning and they RAN back inside.
They put a for sale sign up within a week
Well, possum payback is a bitch folks … A few nights ago I heard a scrambling noise in the garage and could see the resident pets all snoozing in the same room with me, so it couldn’t be them. I sent AdoptaTeenSon out with baseball bat to see what the matter was, but by the time he got there he didn’t see a thing.
Last night I heard a ruckus again and went to investigate for myself. What did I discover but the cutest baby possum (NOT) feasting out of the cat food bag. Little warning bells started going off in my head when I noticed the attic stairway down and remember that a while back we disturbed a very pregnant mama possum (perhaps the previous possums third cousin once removed?) in the back yard when we moved our canoe. Hmmm … it would appear that she moved into our garage and attic and had a litter of these creatures! They baby I saw last night was about six-eight inches long, not including it’s tail.
I haven’t the foggiest idea notion how to get these rascals out and Mr. AdoptaMom has already vetoed the idea of toting his shotgun up there for a sequel to our above adventure so, does anyone have any suggestions how we can get this little family OUT of our garage & attic?
A while back my house was invaded by a very large (10-12 lb) possum. It would get into the dried cat food and make a heck of a racket chowing down. The first time I went to investigate, I discovered that possums are incredibly slow moving and equally slow witted (and exteremly ugly). I would grab it by the tail, open the front door, swing it back and forth a few times and pitch it out door. There is about a 4 ft drop to the lawn, and the lawn has a good slope. The possum would sail through the air, land with a thump and roll down the lawn. It would then shake its head and waddle off. I must have done this about a dozen times and it never figured out what was going on, and it never got discouraged.
Finally. I discovered where it was getting in and sealed it off. No more possi.
I learned the only way to get rid of them is to deny them access. They are too stupid to fear anything. They are crepuscular so if you don’t hear anything in the early evening or early in the morning, they aren’t there.
May want to invest in some Coyote Urine. (How often does one have cause to make that sentence?)
Anyway, it’s commercially available (or you can make your own with 3 good sized coyotes and 18 cans of Schlitz in a bowl) and it was very affective for keeping armadilloes and possums and other ‘varmints’ out of our immediate yard over the years.
Please do not attempt Old Goat’s advice. Not all possums are slow moving and they have lots and lots of razor sharp teeth. In my cat trapping days, I trapped many a possum and would use a broom handle to open the trap to release the more cantankerous ones.
You might want to check with Animal Control in your area to see if they will lend you a trap.
Traps - sounds like a avenue to explore. I’m too chicken to pick the rascals up anyway.
I read a little more about them online last night and find that they’re not the threat I thought they were, so I’ll relax a bit and take my time on finding the best method to encourage them to leave.
My dad has a possum that occasionally hangs out in his garage. He has made peace with it, and now I look forward to seeing it when I go visit. We’ll be sitting around working on a puzzle or gabbing, and Dad will say “Say, there’s my possum” and sure enough, I’ll see him (or her) waddle by on the patio.
It isn’t named or anything, and he never gets close to it, but they peacefully coexist. My dad occasionally leaves out stale bread and other expired things for it.
so, does anyone have any suggestions how we can get this little family OUT of our garage & attic?