Possum in my backyard...advice?

[faroogoo]

Ok over the last few weeks i've had a Possum,Dont ask me what type i dont have a clue lol

Anyway late at night it comes & wanders around in my trees & sets my dogs off...

The weird thing is i first thought it was a cat the first time i went out there without my maglite & it dissapeared,then last night i went out there with the light & got a good look at it,It didnt give a shit i was there,just looked at me & wandered off over the fence.

*Please note,killing,harming or poisining etc ,is not an option,im against it*

Few Q's

Are they normally so sedate around people?

Should i/ Can i legally catch it & relocate it,to my mates property in a semi rural area with loads of trees & space that already has possums?

I have to do something otherwise the dogs going to carry on like a pork chop every night waking me & other people who have to get up early for work & are probably not happy lol

[Troy711]

AFIK you can humanly trap any animal that you consider a nuisance and take it to the RSPCA and they can relocate it. Just feed it some bread or fruit and keep it as a 'pet' possum.

[xlr8_87]

you can hire a possum trap from your local council. I think you're only meant to relocate them a maximum of 50m away or something but no one will know if you took it for a longer journey.

just need to put some fruit or something in it to catch it, easy as pie!

[S.T.K.E]

Mate e used to have a massive possum problem a few years ago. Generally it starts with one and more arrive. The problem been is that when the fight its is very loud esspicaly if you have young kids because theres probley nothing worse then having them woken late at night but the possum's fighting. Best way that we got rid of them call your local possum man. also call the rspca they also can trap and relocate but make sure that they are been relocated a fair distance away as the tend to come back .

but then again it may just hang around for a few days looking for a mate

[greenfoam]

Keep the possum and get rid of the dog

[greenacc]

If you don't want to feed it Buckshot, try the garden hose. There's a good chance it won't like a cold shower late at night and will do the bolt. Do this a few times and it will probably go and find a new residence.

[s1knt]

call yor local council or rsaca they will know what to do

[Holdens Rule]

I've been looking in to this at work as we have a massive possum problem. From what I've gathered you need a license to trap them now as they are endangered. You cannot relocate them, you have to build a possum house (box) for every one you trap and locate them somewhere on your property, and you need to document how many you catch so they can check and make sure you have enough homes for them. All this info came from pest controllers so it could be right but they could also just want the job, I will be calling the animal welfare league to check this out though.

[cracker]

fire, possums dont like fire

[Holdens Rule]

Just read your post again and if they are in your trees then chop them down, just kidding.

[s1knt]

as some one else has said i think it is against the law to remove them with out prior consent from who ever it is. i remember back in my younger days when i was a furniture maker we used o make possum box's for the council that were dispatched to people in your situation.
is the possum doing any harm at all? or just giving you the shits because its there?

[faroogoo]

as some one else has said i think it is against the law to remove them with out prior consent from who ever it is. i remember back in my younger days when i was a furniture maker we used o make possum box's for the council that were dispatched to people in your situation.
is the possum doing any harm at all? or just giving you the shits because its there?

Nah not doing any harm,just making one of my dogs bark.

Getting up between 3-5am to scare it off & tell my dog to shut up gets a little annoying both for me & probably for my neighbours aswell.

Dog is a Jack Russel so anyone who knows what theyre like will understand.

If it continues il have no choice but to catch it & relocate it to my mates property.
I see that as a better alternative than eventually getting attacked by my dogs,its not going to get away evertime.

[Zeussy]

One bit of advice, don't try and catch it with bare hands, lol, my mate caught one when we were camping, got it by its tail when it ran up a nearby tree..

My mate was trying to be Steve Irwin, he was like "ahhh look at this beautiful native ring tale possum" etc.. (just making it up as he was going, lol) then one of us asked it if was a male or female, so he tried to get a better look at it - near the camp fire and the ****er skitzed out and started gnawing at his hand, like an oversized rat/guniea pig..

We found it VERY amusing, and he ended up getting a tetinus shot the next day.. LMFAO...

To the OP, sorry I can't be more helpful to your situation, I just wanted to tell that story! lol

[greenfoam]

Nah not doing any harm,just making one of my dogs bark.

Getting up between 3-5am to scare it off & tell my dog to shut up gets a little annoying both for me & probably for my neighbours aswell.

Dog is a Jack Russel so anyone who knows what theyre like will understand.

If it continues il have no choice but to catch it & relocate it to my mates property.
I see that as a better alternative than eventually getting attacked by my dogs,its not going to get away evertime.

I wish your dogs good luck with that a bushy tail possum is alot stronger than a cat, I had a cat once which proved the point by totally getting bashed by one :P

[danja]

You can trap them, drive them to a nature reserve and let them go, but chances are it won't be that long before another possum finds it's way to your yard.

They love fruit, vegetables, and roses (strangely enough!) so if you have anything like that lying about, consider getting rid of it.

Talk to your local RSPCA or if there is a SA version of WIRES, you could try them too.

You may want to consider relocating your dogs indoors at night if possible.

[faroogoo]

I wish your dogs good luck with that a bushy tail possum is alot stronger than a cat, I had a cat once which proved the point by totally getting bashed by one :P

haha poor cat.

If it comes back tonight il try to get a pic of it,

Its only small though similar in size to the smaller of the 2 in the pic below so might only be a youngin .Unsure if it looks 100% the same will see if i get a good enough pic.

*I have a couple of Roma tomato plants that are still oddly producing & a mandarin tree also,Dont want to start feeding it & make it dependant though.

As for dogs inside...They come inside in the summer heat.

[Jo3_Blo]

Easy way to tell is the tale, if its like a skinny sorta tail, then its a ring tail possum, if its got a big bushy tale, its a bushtail possum.

We have some at our place, never do any harm.

Also, when you say relocate it, gotta consider that it might have companions which will be left behind, and it will also be by itself, and possibly in other possum territory in its new residence.

They don't seem to bother my cat or dog, however the damn cat never goes for rats, rather he loves catching possums...............the bugger.

[danja]

^^ If they are like that pic they are brushtails. We get them all the time, cat's have cleaned up most of the ringtails

Note to all the cat owners out there: don't let them roam free at night, they make mincemeat of the locals (sorry Foamy, but Sydney cats are tough customers!)

[faroogoo]

Yeah im hoping my dogs will eventually get used to it,At my mates property theres regularly possums with pups on theyre backs roaming around at night,the only thing intimidating up there are the horses & they dont give a stuff lol.

will try to i.d it tonight if its there.

I hate ferral cats & also cats that are let out at night,had a cat that jumped my side carport fence which is a bar fence so its see through,to get to my dogs food,Anyway heard a rumble happening & thought it was just the dogs fighting.
Until i get out there & both of my dogs are laying a beatdown on this cat,1 had it around the neck & the other between its legs (he's a sick bastard lol).

For the record i saved the cat,wrapped it in a rag thinking it was dead & put it out the front while i locked the house to take it back to the owner,but it ran away never to be seen again.

-I thought cats were smart...jumping over a fence you can see dogs through proves that
-Feed your own F@cking animals so they piss off from my driveway.

[BrAdAsS]

"It's coming right for us"

"BANG"

LOL

[Kal123]

You should really read the book Possum Magic.... should answer all your questions.

[vt_ss_5l]

If you trap it and pick it up by the tail it Makes Them Dosile Then take him up the street ! hahhahahahhahaha Then he is someone elese Problem ! or you can blow air into its face and it will Bite you ~!

[vt_ss_5l]

hahahahhahahahah What **** im crying laughing at this thread Classic ~!

[faroogoo]

There will be no way im puting my hands anywhere within 3 feet of a wild possum.