Urban Possum Varmit...Freeper needs advice on how to get rid of possum living under porch.

8/9/03 | self

[Imagine]

I've got a possum living under my porch diggin up stuff during the night. Any suggestions on capturing or killing the critter???

[Imagine]

This is a hugh problem, only series answers needed...

[jjbrouwer]

Have you seen the movie Caddyshack?

[Imagine]

Yes, but, weren't they moles???

[jjbrouwer]

I think they were gophers. Probably works with possums too.

[AntiGuv]

[Overtaxed]

Get a Havahart trap:

[jjbrouwer]

[MinuteGal]

Place an open carton of worn-out Old Crusty Pantsuits under the porch.

The possum will flee for higher ground immediately.

Leni

[MHGinTN]

Mothballs scattered about should do the trick.

[anniegetyourgun]

Just moved to a place where this seems to be a series problem. Neighbors tell us that keeping all entry/exits closed off is critical. But they don't tell us much about how to get rid of 'em once they are there. Gotta big mean cat?

[thinktwice]

Buy a "haveaheart" trap, catch the critter (and family) and let them go in some secluded spot -- do not release them in an open area.

I released one once in an open field and crows swoooped in to attack that defenseless creature.

[Constitution Day]

My 89-year-old grandma impaled one with a pitchfork a couple of years ago out in her chicken coop.
This was at 3:00 in the morning... she said the chickens were raising hell & disturbing her sleep. :)

She's a pretty tough lady.

[LibKill]

Hand grenade down the critter's hole.

[meatloaf]

Ditto on the havahart followed by a .22 cal "pill" and a dirtnap.

[WSGilcrest]

Before you buy one, check with your local animal control. They may have some to loan.

[Dog Gone]

You can purchase a Havahart trap at a hardware store. They are easy to use and very effective in capturing them unharmed.

You can kill him, but you might have a problem with the smell if you don't retrieve the corpse.

[anniegetyourgun]

Certainly, you must know a trick or two?

[Consort]

[BunnySlippers]

Call your local PETA representative.

[Sacajaweau]

You need a posse! and you're probably going to have to have a stakeout.

How big is this possum. How about just a regular spring-loaded trap?? Is he real scarey?? or is it a wimp thing??

[Aracelis]

This might be of some help...

Or maybe some peanut butter and a live trap?

[woofie]

Get the UN involved

[Arkinsaw]

Don't worry, he will soon leave for their normal habitat.......which is the middle of the highway.

[Overtaxed]

We caught a possum and a few birds on the unsuccessful Operation Squirrel Relocation. Figgured we'd better stop before we caught a skunk.

[Utah Binger]

Pour water down his hole. Trouble is finding sombody to hold him.

[DeFault User]

Have you considered sanctions and inspections? What would Jacques Chirac do?

[theFIRMbss]

[Constitution Day]

You've got skunks up your way?
I have never seen or heard of one here in eastern NC. We do have black bears, though.

[jjbrouwer]

You know you can actually eat the critters once you catch them:

Possum Stew

Ingredients:
two cans of tomato sauce
three cans of cooked tomatoes
1/2 thickly sliced warthog meat (mainly for flavor)
a big bag of pasta noodles (any redneck kind will do)
salt and pepper
1/2 possum (other 1/2 can be used for breakfast possum-omelettes)

Directions:
Fry bacon in big gramma kettle, over mid. size fire, then fry possum in the grease till golden brown. Take the meat out, then add enough water to pot to fill 2/3 way and then boil noodles. Once cooked add both cans of tomatoes to kettle and meat and add salt and pepper. Cook all together for a bout 1 hour simmering over low fire to sautee.

(I have no idea what a gramma kettle is, by the way.)

[Imagine]

Any Warthog pilots out there. If so, do the A-10s carry napalm?

[Sacajaweau]

Yeh, call PETA. They'll bring food for the critter and sit on your porch until you move. God forbid, it's pregnant.

Try your local animal control. Tell them it was acting viciously....that it went crazy!!

[spokeshave]

Try a mixture of propane and oxygen....retire to a safe distance and ignite.

There is a company that makes back pack systems ....tanks of propane and O2 with nozzle probe.

Also makes a handy dandy attachment to the underside of your car ( left and right hand jets) to deter car jacking.....the very popular in Durban, Cape Town and other urban conurbations in South Africa.

[poindexter]

Borrow a dog?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Get a dog or a wildcat.

Sit back and watch the show. Also works to keep other people's pets and small children out of your yard.

But if you don't want to be sued use a possum trap. I think you are suppose to use fish of some kind as a bait.

Mothballs are suppose to drive them away but I never had any luck with that.

[cubreporter]

Why not call an Animal Rescue place? We had the same problem with skunks...a whole family of them. The Animal Rescue set traps and it was simple, easy and they skunks were relocated to the wild with no one hurt and our "no vacancy" sign out. :) Give it a try.

[cubreporter]

Wow

[magslinger]

You might try live capture traps, they are available from the county animal control here. You then have the problem of finding an area to release it where you won't get shot at for doing so. I would put some mothballs under the porch. The little critter WILL move out. Make sure you close off or mothball any other posible den, though. We had a woodchuck moving around our neighborhood for a few weeks that way this summer.

[my right]

Mothballs scattered about should do the trick.

Now how do you capture the moths??

[Overtaxed]

I've smelled one or two in the Chapel Hill area (real ones....not the usual :) ) so it's possible that they're around E. Wake. I didn't want to wait to find out since I'd be the one to de-skunk the trap.

[darth]

Put a stereo under the porch and play loud, heavy metal music 24X7. Works on skunks too.

[anniegetyourgun]

Now that would simply ruin the animal for future use, dontchaknow.

[old school]

Draw an Imaginary line, from the critter's left ear to its right eye; and draw another imaginary line, from its right ear to its left eye. Then, where the two lines intersect, give the critter a lead snack, (.22 calibre long-rifle variety), preferrably at night, at which time time neighbors are unlikely to notice, and call the Cops on you!

[F.J. Mitchell]

Call animal control-your taxes are paying them to do such chores.

[ChewedGum]

Now how do you capture the moths??

Nice!

Gum

[BigWaveBetty]

I'll give you my ex-husband's phone number. He'll track it down and then cook it for dinner.

[Constitution Day]

Wow

Yep. She is tough as nails, I tell you. She also had 16 children.

[jjbrouwer]

That's where I got the earlier Possum Stew recipe from. Having read the recipes, I'm beginning to doubt whether the guy has really eaten one of the things.

[Maceman]

You know you can actually eat the critters once you catch them

"That's the thing about possum innards. They's just as good the second day."

[AntiGuv]