Critters in the trash can

[samari46]

Sitting here the other night and heard thumping under the car port. Turns out an old possum climbed into the trash can (big ones for the lift type garbage trucks) but couldn't get out. Next morning still there. It's looking at me and I'm looking at it. Wife checked later and it was gone. First old possum I've seen in a long time. Frank

[skeettx]

Did you broil him or bake him?
With Yams?
Mike

[ryanmattes]

We've got a real problem. There usd to be a stable that backed up to the property, they leased the back pasture to graze horses. They shut down, moved everything away, but left the barn cats. We like the barn cats because they keep the rodents away, so we started feeding them. That's not the problem, this is.
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[abunaitoo]

We have two legged critters here.
Not even close to being as cute as those.

[Winger Ed.]

Opossums ain't much to look at, but if you have them around- you probably won't have very many ticks or snakes in the yard.

They are a vacuum cleaner for ticks, and immune to pit viper venom.
They eat them both.

There's no shortage of them here, and in 5 years, we haven't seen a single tick on any of the dogs.

[monadnock#5]

There used to be a man not far up the road who fed feral cats. Lots of 'em. Then there was a rabies outbreak. The state sent pro exterminators to eradicate the population. I don't know what they threatened the old man with, but his critter feeding days were over. He died a couple years later.

Possums are infrequent visitors. Some years I see them around, and some I don't. Aparently it's been a few years, as the area is lousy with ticks. Been thinking about a small flock of Guinea Hens.

[bluebird66]

I have a lot of possum's here on the farm. If I see a raccoon it's dead, they love to eat my chickens.

[farmerjim]

The possums started eating my satsuma oranges this year. Only two of them died. I expect many more will before next year.

[jim147]

Have a mixed hound here. She plays with possums but if she sees a raccoon it is dead in seconds. I've seen her 20 foot up in a leaning tree trying to get one.

[William Yanda]

Have a mixed hound here. She plays with possums but if she sees a raccoon it is dead in seconds. I've seen her 20 foot up in a leaning tree trying to get one.

Good dog!

[10-x]

Have a couple neighbors cats and one maybe half feral one I feed. Problem the half feral one is pregnant, she will come up to me an let me pet her. Once she has her “ litter” may take her to animal control and get her fixed and ear clipped.There are several opossums that eat just about every night and have seen 2 coons , nice to see critters in town. The Verizon phone store has 17 feral cats that a couple feed every night, just about all have been fixed.

[dale2242]

I just bought one of those live traps .
I have borrowed one from a friend for years.
Any varmint caught in it does no get relocated.
With the exception of pets of course.

[bedbugbilly]

Back in Michigan when we were on the farm, it was a constant battle against possums, 'coons and woodchucks - all capable of doing a lot of damage but even so, I kind of enjoyed seeing them. I spent a lot of time live-trapping and transporting into a "witness relocation program" -- to places with lots of woods but not near houses, etc.

Here in southern AZ - you never know what critters will show up. We are across from a desert area and often see coyotes, bobcats and such. Several weeks ago . . we woke up to find a heavy terra cotta to that had been sitting on the wall of the front patio near the end of the driveway - dirt spread out - luckily the pot didn't break but the flowers were gone. It wasn't hard to find the culprit as he was laying down across the road in the desert - a longhorn bull! One of the blessings of the "open range" laws of AZ.

Last week, we had gone to bed early and were just going to sleep when my wife heard a loud noise out front of the house. We got up, went out to the breakfast nook and opened the shades which overlooks our small front patio. We were greeted by the sight of 8 Javelenas - it looked like a small "stockyard". The largest one had knocked another heavy clay pot off the fence - tipped over the bird bath and it was munching on the flowers that once occupied the pot. Interesting to watch the pecking order of the herd of Javelenas - the largest one obviously rules the roost and isn't afraid to go after the smaller ones so it can can enjoy the "spoils" before the rest and they get pretty aggressive.

God's creatures . . . you gotta love 'em even though they can be "petty" at times.

[contender1]

Ok, possums,, they are actually good AROUND homes in many ways.
Coons,, not so much. Rabies, destruction etc. Feces dangers.

I'm a State certified Animal Damage Control Agent. It's my job, daily, to deal with problem animals.
The picture above,, with the coon & cat,, and the plate of food,, BAD IDEA! The open window,, is just as bad as a pet door.
Feed the cat,, and remove the food. Food left unattended will attract the wildlife,, as shown. All kinds of problems there.

My advice to anybody & everybody,, OBEY ALL STATE LAWS when dealing with wildlife. Even critters invading homes, or causing damages to homes, pets, livestock etc,, have to be dealt with legally. Trapping & relocation,, often illegal. Removal by killing,, may require a permit if not a hunting or trapping season. (Here in NC,, permit's are FREE,, get one & follow it's guidelines.)

I could spend the next few days, typing all kinds of stories on such critters & their issues INSIDE homes.

[namsag]

My dogs kill possums all the time. I wish they wouldn't. I would love for them to eat up all the ticks. I would like to have some guineas for tick eating machines but the dogs would kill those too.

For the possums in your pet food, a .38 Special paraffin and primer round will light them up and is a lot of fun without really hurting the possum. (Or so I've heard).

[ryanmattes]

Oh, yeah, we get coyotes and bobcats too. But not in the house. The front pasture is full of rabbits, and the predators are there to eat.

We've been here for about 9 years, and the possums were only ever occasional visitors. The raccoons are fairly recent, the last year or so.

But they're putting a road right through the house at some point, so rather than try to fix the wildlife problem, we've been looking for a new place
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[poppy42]

Ok, possums,, they are actually good AROUND homes in many ways.
Coons,, not so much. Rabies, destruction etc. Feces dangers.

I'm a State certified Animal Damage Control Agent. It's my job, daily, to deal with problem animals.
The picture above,, with the coon & cat,, and the plate of food,, BAD IDEA! The open window,, is just as bad as a pet door.
Feed the cat,, and remove the food. Food left unattended will attract the wildlife,, as shown. All kinds of problems there.

My advice to anybody & everybody,, OBEY ALL STATE LAWS when dealing with wildlife. Even critters invading homes, or causing damages to homes, pets, livestock etc,, have to be dealt with legally. Trapping & relocation,, often illegal. Removal by killing,, may require a permit if not a hunting or trapping season. (Here in NC,, permit's are FREE,, get one & follow it's guidelines.)

I could spend the next few days, typing all kinds of stories on such critters & their issues INSIDE homes.

I too what is a nuisance control agent (that’s what they were called in the state I resided at a time). We could probably spend weeks exchanging stories! Like the time a raccoon managed to pull the head off a woman’s $3000 parrot threw a hole in the wall that the raccoon made. Most people have no idea the type of disease possums and raccoons can carry! Especially when they’re located in urban aura suburban environments!

[daengmei]

I've had a racoon get into the attic and it caused quite a bit of damage. It pulled the ceiling apart just above a cabinet the wife keeps food seasonings in and then pulled the cabinet loose from the corner. I had to build a shelf close enough to the hole for a trap and got him. Big and fat he returned to the woods with a little relocation.

I was warned by someone that my live was in danger and should move immediately.

[gwpercle]

When it comes to pesky critters the Good Cajun has two options .
Feed them or eat them .
Have recipes ... will send ... wire Gary , Louisiana

My wife has a third option ... Have-A-Heart live trap and relocation to another part of the Parish !
Gary

[gbrown]

When it comes to pesky critters the Good Cajun has two options .
Feed them or eat them .
Have recipes ... will send ... wire Gary , Louisiana

My wife has a third option ... Have-A-Heart live trap and relocation to another part of the Parish !
Gary

I have one option, the trash can. Garbage trucks come on Wednesday.

[Mk42gunner]

I have no problems with wild animals outside, but not in the house. I also do not want to feed them.

One year the cats had ripped a hole in the screen door and I was a bit slow fixing it. All was fine until the coon came in. Hardware cloth was installed over the screen the next day.

Possums are quite likely the stupidest fur bearing animal still alive on the North American continent. My dog Buster, AKA the barking fool, has a head count well into double digits of possums that get into his pen. Too bad they're not worth skinning out these days.

Robert

[Buzz Krumhunger]

The first time I took the girl I eventually married home to meet my folks, my mother took me aside, mortified because a possum had gotten into the attic and expired above the kitchen. Maggots had begun to feed on the carcass and occasionally one or two would fall out of the light fixture above the kitchen sink. My dad was too old and fat to get into the area where the darn thing had croaked, so he just waited for me to arrive with my future bride. I went up there to investigate and found that it had deteriorated to such an extent that the only way to retrieve it was with a garden rake and a flat blade shovel. I don’t know how I managed to get it out of there without horking but I did. My mother never really got over the humiliation of having my bride know they had a rotten possum in their attic.

[contender1]

"My wife has a third option ... Have-A-Heart live trap and relocation to another part of the Parish"

Again,,,,,,,,,,, THIS MAY BE ILLEGAL!"

And if you relocate an animal upon State or especially Federal property,, I know it's illegal.

Next,, if YOU own property,, would you want strangers placing THEIR problem animals upon YOUR property?

Of the species I can relocate,, I have to have the owners written permission to do so. Otherwise,, I can get into legal trouble. And if you want legal trouble,, just get caught with wildlife in your possession out of season, and especially on someone else's property.

And to poppy42 & any & all other ADC folks,, yep,, we could spend days swapping stories. Like the time I had a black gentleman freak out as he watched me talk a skunk into walking into my cage,, WITHOUT any bait. Fun times!

[Winger Ed.]

Possums are quite likely the stupidest fur bearing animal still alive on the North American continent.

Them, and armadillos may have to arm wrestle for that title.


Years ago, my Dad had left his garage door open--
probably for about 6 months, along with the folding stairs going into the attic.
He came home one night, and his headlights shined on a opossum as it ran up the stairs into the attic.

He figured, 'no big deal.'
'I'll close up the stairs, wait a few hours until it gets hungry. Then open the stairs, and it'll run out'.

Well,,,,,,,,, It didn't quite work out that way.
A few hours later, it dug a hole in the ceiling, and dropped down into his living room.
Then things got real busy in the house..

[richhodg66]

We live way out in the sticks now for about five years now. Posums get a pass, coons get shot if seen. Coyotes too. Anything else is kind of situationally dependent.

I've gotten to where I really don't like to kill something without a good reason, but coons are just nasty.

[OldBearHair]

I have asked more than one friend that "relocates " coons a few miles away, to paint a flourescent orange spot on the next one and see how long it takes to see it back in it's own territory. Caught a big male possum in a cage trap once and found it with it's fangs caught in the tight sloping door wire. It had lost the left lower fang. I managed to get him loose by bending one wire out of the way. Turned it loose with an admonition to not come back. Well, I had the trap set again a couple weeks later and caught the same possum again, I suppose it was the same one as it was hung up in the same tight corner of the trap as before and it was missing it's left lower fang. Another time coons were causing problems at the deer lease. I set two Dog-Proof Coon traps and wrapped the chain around a small pine tree and secured it. The other trap was fastened to another tree about sis feet away. Next morning early, I arrived to find one 2/3 grown female coon sitting there calmly with a trap on each front foot. Go figure that! It reached into one trap and got caught. Why would it not know to not do the same thing again. Only problem was I took no pictures or videos of the event...

[samari46]

My 8 year old pit bull terrier caught a racoon eating the cat food the wife left out for the 6 stray cats that decided to make our home their home. Chairs, recliners flying all over the place as he tracked down and chased the racoon. If it wasn't so serious it would have been funny. And she has pics the dog treed in one of our trees. I've caught a couple racoons eating the trash in one of our trash cans. Frank

[Winger Ed.]

When we had a outside cat in the city, raccoons would come up and eat her cat food.

So I set a havaheart trap for them. As I was going to work one morning, the wife told me,
"I heard the trap close...... and we ain't eating it"!

Later on, I told my buddy about it. He wasn't exactly the best person to go to for a lot of sympathy.
He told me, "Serves you right for marrying a city girl".

[marlin39a]

There used to be a man not far up the road who fed feral cats. Lots of 'em. Then there was a rabies outbreak. The state sent pro exterminators to eradicate the population. I don't know what they threatened the old man with, but his critter feeding days were over. He died a couple years later.

Possums are infrequent visitors. Some years I see them around, and some I don't. Aparently it's been a few years, as the area is lousy with ticks. Been thinking about a small flock of Guinea Hens.

I hate Guinea fowl. They’re loud, and obnoxious. My neighbor has 6, and they constantly come over my fence and disturb the peace. I researched them. Dry, gamey, dark meat. I’m going to put an end to these varmints.

[namsag]

The guinea fowl make a fine gumbo! I ate quite a bit of it growing up.

[monadnock#5]

There was a big flock of turkeys that would roost across the road, fly down to the brook at dawn, and then split into two groups and work the countryside on both sides of the road searching for food. Never had an issue with ticks. I still see turkeys around town, but they've moved their roost. If I had a choice I'd take the turkeys and all the fertilizer that came with them.

[MaryB]

I have one option, the trash can. Garbage trucks come on Wednesday.

I shot a skunk that had gotten under my deck and set up residence. Garbage man was coming the next day so I propped it in the can like it was leaping. Garbage guy opened the lid and the swearing started. He was a friend so he knew I was the guilty party LOL He knows I dislike spiders so he scooped up a daddy long legs ball on a cold day and put them in the can. Sun on the can warmed them up and when I opened the lid spiders went every direction! Yeah swearing ensued...time to get him back again LOL

[lightman]

We have had something tearing up the bird feeders the last few nights. Its probably a coon. Its time to set the live trap again I guess.

[Moleman-]

We have had something tearing up the bird feeders the last few nights. Its probably a coon. Its time to set the live trap again I guess.

We've got the same thing only it's deer. Figure they must be pretty hungry enough to lick bird seen out of those little holes. They've only broken 1 feeder this year knocking them around like a pinata. Funny to watch.

[Winger Ed.]

Figure they must be pretty hungry enough to lick bird seen out of those little holes.

Like the squirrels do-
They claw at the feed blocks where they are against the side, and catch the seeds in their mouth.

[10-x]

Years ago had a have a heart trap for coons, caught a few but one night watched out the window as the big coon went in enough to have the door fall on its back, the smaller one went all the way in and got the bait . Drug it out and they both ate, talk about Smart. Had 2 at different times when a kid in the 50’s early 60’s. House broken, got shots and even sat in my old high chair at the table, one of the best pets one could have had. Nowdays cant have any wild critter for a pet unless you have some kind of license.

[gwpercle]

The first time I took the girl I eventually married home to meet my folks, my mother took me aside, mortified because a possum had gotten into the attic and expired above the kitchen. Maggots had begun to feed on the carcass and occasionally one or two would fall out of the light fixture above the kitchen sink. My dad was too old and fat to get into the area where the darn thing had croaked, so he just waited for me to arrive with my future bride. I went up there to investigate and found that it had deteriorated to such an extent that the only way to retrieve it was with a garden rake and a flat blade shovel. I don’t know how I managed to get it out of there without horking but I did. My mother never really got over the humiliation of having my bride know they had a rotten possum in their attic.

And she still married you ... That Is Real Love !
Gary

[cabezaverde]

Opossums ain't much to look at, but if you have them around- you probably won't have very many ticks or snakes in the yard.

They are a vacuum cleaner for ticks, and immune to pit viper venom.
They eat them both.

There's no shortage of them here, and in 5 years, we haven't seen a single tick on any of the dogs.

Unless you have horses.

[samari46]

Probably wouldn't have the racoons except my wife leaves out dry cat for the strays that have taken up residence. Found 6 new born kittens in between the screen door and wood door for the laundry room. two were dead and fed and watered the 4 that were left. Had Bob out in the am but no noise from the kittens. Went to check and all I found were pieces. Skulls crushed and no flesh inside. And not much left either. Two double grocery bags inside out and scooped up every thing and in the trash. So either possum or racoon did them in. Frank

[gbrown]

I shot a skunk that had gotten under my deck and set up residence. Garbage man was coming the next day so I propped it in the can like it was leaping. Garbage guy opened the lid and the swearing started. He was a friend so he knew I was the guilty party LOL He knows I dislike spiders so he scooped up a daddy long legs ball on a cold day and put them in the can. Sun on the can warmed them up and when I opened the lid spiders went every direction! Yeah swearing ensued...time to get him back again LOL

Yeah, my best friend, from 1963 to 2009, when he passed, would set cats, possums, and nutria in an upright position like they were alive. Back in that day, we had guys on the back of trucks. His dad got a visit from a supervisor from the solid waste Dept., stop this or we won't pick your trash up. LOL!

[Winger Ed.]

Garbage man was coming the next day so I propped it in the can like it was leaping. Garbage guy opened the lid and the swearing started.

Late one night, my buddy set the head and front legs of a deer he'd shot on the top edge, and just under the lid of the small dumpster can
in front of the town Fire Station. It was right by the busiest intersection of the little town, and right at the front end of the parking lot.

It looked for the world like a deer was climbing out of the can.
He waited a few weeks before he asked the Fire Chief, who was also his neighbor about it.
He got, "I KNEW IT WAS YOU!! The phone was ringing all day about that".

[Gator 45/70]

"My wife has a third option ... Have-A-Heart live trap and relocation to another part of the Parish"

Again,,,,,,,,,,, THIS MAY BE ILLEGAL!"

And if you relocate an animal upon State or especially Federal property,, I know it's illegal.

Next,, if YOU own property,, would you want strangers placing THEIR problem animals upon YOUR property?

Of the species I can relocate,, I have to have the owners written permission to do so. Otherwise,, I can get into legal trouble. And if you want legal trouble,, just get caught with wildlife in your possession out of season, and especially on someone else's property.

And to poppy42 & any & all other ADC folks,, yep,, we could spend days swapping stories. Like the time I had a black gentleman freak out as he watched me talk a skunk into walking into my cage,, WITHOUT any bait. Fun times!

Why Gary's the nicest fellow you would ever want to meet.
Here if we trap a nuisance animal the best place to bring it is to you're pard-nahs place and turn it loose in his driveway,
That way when you meet up a few days later you can laugh about his wildlife invasion and the ensuing fight to the death in most cases.
It's a Louisiana thing !

[bluebird66]

Bears are the worst.