Anyone else having issues with possums? (Gardena, Cypress: house, transfer, neighborhood)

[calipoppy]

My dog has trapped and killed two possums in the last few months and I just saw another one tonight walking on the neighbors fence. And its not like Im out in the burbs, I'm in Gardena. A relative in West LA had a similar problem with raccoons where it battled with her dog, and won.

Anyone else having issues? How do I get rid of these little critters, without using my dog?

[timelesschild]

We don't have possums, although we do have several kinds of animals (raccoons, squirrels, and a pretty skunk). Possums do carry rabies - please be careful.

[Love2dive]

Originally Posted by timelesschild

We don't have possums, although we do have several kinds of animals (raccoons, squirrels, and a pretty skunk). Possums do carry rabies - please be careful.

The correct name is Opossum not possum, but they are docile in nature and it would extremely rare for an Opossum to carry rabies, their body temperature is not a good incubator for the rabies virus to survive. Opossums are extremely common in southern california and left alone they will never bother you, in fact I have seen animal control officers pick them up with bare handed. Most people think the are rodents but they are actually the only marsupial that is native to North America and are related to the kangaroo and koala bear.

[timelesschild]

Well, of course we all know that there are two variant spellings for the cute little things. Is there some reason you felt compelled to post a rebuttal?

The OP asked what to do about them. I agree that they don't do much harm. I have always left them alone to do their scavenging work. I have been told in the past that they carry rabies - since you posted the above, I looked it up and I do see several articles supporting your remarks about their low blood temperature. Very interesting. I still wouldn't pick one up.

[Dennis P]

Opossums are fairly common in my area. In fact, last year during the summer, I saw one on my back patio eating my cat's food. It scared me a little when I saw it at first, because it looked like a giant rat. They also like to scurry across the tops of the block wall fences here, and that always makes all the dogs start barking! I was told the best thing to do is leave them alone and they will leave on their own.

[Love2dive]

Originally Posted by timelesschild

Well, of course we all know that there are two variant spellings for the cute little things. Is there some reason you felt compelled to post a rebuttal?

The OP asked what to do about them. I agree that they don't do much harm. I have always left them alone to do their scavenging work. I have been told in the past that they carry rabies - since you posted the above, I looked it up and I do see several articles supporting your remarks about their low blood temperature. Very interesting. I still wouldn't pick one up.

No it's not a variant, it's opposum, possums are not in North America. Do nothing about them, let the food chain handle it, they are everywhere.

[JustPassinThru]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

My dog has trapped and killed two possums in the last few months and I just saw another one tonight walking on the neighbors fence. And its not like Im out in the burbs, I'm in Gardena. A relative in West LA had a similar problem with raccoons where it battled with her dog, and won.

Anyone else having issues? How do I get rid of these little critters, without using my dog?

Since your dogs could acquire fleas from a dead opossum, there are a couple of things you could do to avoid attracting these critters to your yard.

If you have the galvanized steel trash cans, make sure that the lid is secure, as opossums love to scavenge for treats like food residue in tin cans. Don't leave any pet food outdoors, and remove fruit from your trees ASAP. Raccoons and opossums love to nest in certain trees, like the Italian Cypress, and will nest under your home or in your attic, if given an opportunity.

Opossums are very strong. I've used 23 gauge hardware cloth to seal an attic opening, only to find it torn away the following morning. Also, if you seal an opening in the daytime, you may trap a family of opossums inside, where they will starve to death. Inspect the area to be sealed prior to sealing.

They can be handled (with a gloved hand) by the tail and, if you want to transfer them out of the neighborhood, using a metal cage or container placed in the back of a truck will provide a few degrees of separation between you and its fleas. However, it makes more sense to call a pro when you have a problem like this.

[calipoppy]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think that they are living in a neighbors yard and they get all of the dogs in the neighborhood barking come sundown.

[greggd]

I only see them once in a while wobbling across the street at night usually.

Sounds like you have a happy, working dog.

Did he drag them into the house? I had a dog that would present all his hunting successes, but it was usually birds and mice.

[calipoppy]

I have a little cockerpoo who is not more larger than the possums. He got upset each time that I made him drop his "find" which he held proudly in his mouth. Didn't have a chance to drag into the house though, thank God.