kindness Posted March 10, 2009 Just thought I might start a thread on how much I dislike what possums have done to my garden over the past few months. I will upload some pictures later on when I get a moment but for now I just wanted to see if anyone else shares the same problem I do... Oh possums how I hate thee for: Shitting on my roof therefore making my tank water undrinkable Munching pretty much everything I've grown over the past two years knocking over my plant pots on a regular basis. keeping me awake at night running on the roof and I especially dislike you little bastards for munching my very slow growing cactus if I lived in new zealand I would turn you into wonderfully soft pieces of skin. ugh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted March 10, 2009 I can sympathise with you man..I just put chicken wire across my shed roof and edges and turn it up so it creates like a wire fence...they are constantly fighting and chasing cats around my way...there are hundreds of cats and the possums cross into their territory a lot and it sounds like someone is being mugged every night. They run across the roof tops and scare the shit outts me sometimes. One time one came into my shed and started going through boxes and upturning everything..he didn't see me and I didn't see him for a few seconds then pandemonium ensued...me panicking and him running around in circles...we both didn't know what to do and it must have looked so funny me chasing him and he chasing me...little fucker was having a go at me so I grabbed a straw broom and let him have it across the head a few times to stop him ripping my shed apart. Another time I was in deep hyperspace in my shed and one jumped on the roof of the shed with a mighty crash and scared the fucking shit outta me sooo bad I thought I had a heat attack and died. I'm lucky they don't touch my plants. but I keep a watch out a lot and its not uncommon for me to go into the garden at 2am in the morning with a torch and have a ciggy and scare the cats and possums off...they know better than to come into my yard anymore...I've got very good aim with the hose and they HATE THAT...!! They are bastards though that's for sure and can cause amazing amounts of damage...they are almost feral and act like hooligans in and around the city and alley ways. H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Undergrounder Posted March 10, 2009 Commiserations man, i hate how they eat my plants too... a couple of muches taken out of the top of a cactus, all the new flowers that open, soft, new growths.. etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindness Posted March 11, 2009 lol eg if only they weren't a protected species in Australia! If we stay in this house for another spring/summer I'm going to have to build a fort knox type garden. Couldn't even grow veges here this year which really bites. anyhow, I'm trying to let it go! lol it's just taking some time to process peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
devance Posted March 11, 2009 http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/opossum.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum Lucky you don't have these. Only in the U.S. But a biological analog/homolog for Aus Possum. 'play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. The lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. The animal will regain consciousness after a period of minutes or hours and escape.' Never domesticated, where a skunk can be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sassy Posted March 11, 2009 Furred and feather creatures hate being dirty . Try something greasy like vaseline etc put in places they pass through , cats , possums hate it . I used to have turkies trying to roost on my tv aerial , vasso sorted those lot out and it was amusing to annoy an animal who was asking for it . I think there are bird deterring gels on the market more heat stable than vaseline and i reckon they'd work on possums . I had rat problems till i introduced guinea pigs , no more rats ( or plants at ground level) . If only guineas could climb ..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tardistestpilot Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) get a fake stuffed owl with big eyes and set it up somwhere the possums will see it like where the mains power comes off the street to the house ive heard that possums get scared because owls are there main predator ..dish out some psy warfare on the little beasties Edited March 11, 2009 by tardistestpilot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted March 11, 2009 So glad we dont get these in suburban Perth, they sound like mongrels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smiling Cloud Posted March 11, 2009 Possoms can get really annoying and the only way that you can keep them out is a specially constructed fence. Get some chicken wire, post etc and build a normal sized fence htat is nice and tight and about waist high. Then attach another 50cm-1m of floppy chicken wire above your neat fence. It doesn't look too pretty but they really hate that floppy fence wire as they get scared of falling off and stop trying to get in. If you have over-hanging branches then forget trying to keep them out of anything as they don't mind falling 20m out of a tree into your garden, for something so cute they are amazingly hardy. Even if you decide to create a cage around your garden unless it is something stronger than chicken wire they will tear holes in it and get in. Also to keep turkeys from destroying your gardens lay down chicken wire on the beds and let everything grow through. Turkeys only wreck gardens because mulch is easy to scratch at. Laying down wire works but it can get a bit annoying when you need to dig the soil to plant new things. Hope this helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted March 11, 2009 get a dog. also, if you are in an urban situation where the possum numbers are limited, you can simply feed them so much that they are not interested in your plants. I have friends who were doing that just cos the possums were soooo cute, but the side effect was that they had no interest in the garden. who'd eat cactus if you can have apple ! you can get spoilt fruit from most shops/markets for free or very cheap, or if it's just one possum then your kitchen scraps should suffice. ie, just make your compost accessible to them and put it on the other side of your garden. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misteek Posted March 11, 2009 aghhh possums! theres one walking around in the roof as i write this. thankfully they aren't munching on anything in the garden though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindness Posted March 12, 2009 Nice replies everyone. Yep Torsten, we've been feeding them all the usual scraps that would go into a compost. Even ones that wouldn't, i.e. meat etc - there really is only one option for me at this point which is to make an impenetrable garden out of chook wire etc either that or poison/ .22 them out of existance which I am not going to do. then again, I wonder if they taste any good? peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paradox Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) you can simply feed them so much that they are not interested in your plants........................................................................................... if it's just one possum then your kitchen scraps should suffice. yeah but thats one good way of ending up with a whole passel of f#%king possums instead of just one edit: yeah possums suck and i just realized torsten you said that it would only be feesable to feed them like that when their numbers are limited. fair enough. most of my experience with possums has been in the bush & if you feed them, thats the end of it. you're right royally effed the ones in victoria park in sydney are pretty tame. i picked one up by the tail one night & it just looked at me like it was the most normal thing in the world. also a silly girl who i work with picked one up that was in someones house but she picked it up like you would a cat & it latched onto her hand & wouldn't let go. she had to have a tetenus shot & antiboitics. anyway enough of the possum stories. ringtails are little pricks. brushtails are much better to have around IMO. gliders & feathertails are just beautiful. Edited March 12, 2009 by Paradox Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teotzlcoatl Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) + = Get a .22 Rifle. Silly. If the are endangered or something get one of those steel cage traps and just put some food in it (it leaves them totally unharmed yet trapped in a cage). Catch a few of the lil' bastards and then take them waaaaaaay out in the woods. Edited March 12, 2009 by Teotz' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paradox Posted March 12, 2009 If the are endangered or something get one of those steel cage traps and just put some food in it (it leaves them totally unharmed yet trapped in a cage). Catch a few of the lil' bastards and then take them waaaaaaay out in the woods. thats illegal too. you're not allowed to relocate them. the furthest you can take them is 50m from where you caught them so i've been told. apparently they usually die when they are relocated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted March 12, 2009 LMAO...^^^^^...me like possum..me want eat possum now... sniff sniff...pant pant... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sassy Posted March 12, 2009 He also works roof cavities ( without going through ceiling ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted March 12, 2009 if you like to keep the possum around, but off your garden then a dog is best. even a small yapper will do. little terriers are best. my comment re feeding them ONLY works if the possum numbers are very limited, eg in a small suburban nature strip. definitely counterproductive if you live in the bush as you will soon have hordes of them coming for your food. some possums respond well to a product called D-ter. It's nontoxic and keeps them off the plants. probably not a long term solution though. btw, a dog will also keep bandicoots away and turkeys [if you live near the bush] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Undergrounder Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) You're allowed have someone trap them, but when relocated they usually die, and more importantly, a new possum will just move into the old one's territory.. Protected animal, definitely not allowed to shoot them. There's a spray "Poss-off", smells bad, meant to deter possums from valued plants but frankly i don't know if it works. Snake shit is apparently the best deterrent, get some from a herp or herp store. Some possums are worse than others, i have a decent possum at the moment (above my ceiling right now). It doesn't eat too many of my flowers, and it keeps other possums out of its territory. But when a bad possum moves in and starts eating everything i find and disturb its nest so it moves on and then i wait for a good possum again. Edited March 12, 2009 by Undergrounder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teotzlcoatl Posted March 12, 2009 Could you pepper spray them??? Or even grow peppers around your other plants like they do in Africa to keep Elephants away? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted March 12, 2009 Could you pepper spray them???Or even grow peppers around your other plants like they do in Africa to keep Elephants away? Man lay off the animal cruelty a bit huh?! Pepper spray a possom... Yes it would hurt like fuck just like if someone pepper spray you, except they don't get to lay in the shower crying like a baby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
