New Zealand possum holds woman ‘hostage’ at her home

theguardian.com ^ | Eva Corlett

[NWFree]

Lol they come to my back door and love to munch left over bird food laying about.

[slouper]

New Zealand Opossums are much more attractive and cuddly looking than north American Opossums. I’ve got one that traverses my back yard and its big and ugly. I see it in the early hours of the am and I live in the city, there’s a creek nearby. It roams the neighborhood in the wee hours. I’m thinking it feeds on uneaten pet food letf out on back patios. I put a couple of eggs out in the back yard one night and there were nothing but shells in the morning. Won’t do that anymore.

[slouper]

I think they’re relatively harmless unless they’re rabid then its shotgun time.

[gitmo]

Have you ever eaten possum? Most animals won’t eat them.

[Hootowl99]

I have a possum experience (or two) to share…

I received a phone call from my son when at work that there was a possum in the garage and what should he do. He was real insistent that I come home to deal with it. So, here I am 40 miles away and have to negotiate Atlanta traffic to get home. No way…. I told the 25yo son to get a broom and scoot the possum outdoors.

I got home several hours later and the possum was still in the garage. I had been getting routine updates on the possum war all afternoon.

I took up the battle with my mighty broom to no avail. The possum had shinnied up the garage door track and was holding on for dear life. Finally, I turned the broom around and started whacking at his feet to dislodge the death grip. I'd hit one foot but he would still have three more feet gripping tight. Finally, I got all four feet ouching at the same time and the possum fell to the floor. In seconds he was out the door and disappeared.

Have you ever seen a possum playing possum? Myself, my cousin and a couple of other kids were playing in a field and came across a possum. It immediately rolled over on its back, feet in the air and played dead. We'd poke the possum with a stick and it would open its eyes, bare its long claws and hiss at us then go back to playing possum. Five minutes of kid fun.

[gundog]

Color me skeptical. With a camera trained on that spot, I’ll wager it was baited with fruit, and both deer and ‘possum were lured in. Any ticks I’ve ever found on deer have been in other areas, mostly the soft skin under the front legs. The hide on a deer’s forehead is like armor.

Alternate theory: Of course I’ve never found a tick on a deer’s face. The ‘possums ate them all.

[ncalburt]

Very cute .
They look like Large
squirrels .

[NWFree]

Mine look like big rats and take some getting used to

[jdsteel]

New Zealand has POSSUMS, the US has OPOSSUMS. Different animals.

In NZ they are a destructive invasive species. They look more like weasels than opossums.

[Flick Lives]

[bagster]

[The MAGA-Deplorian]

Could have been worse...

[The MAGA-Deplorian]

Possums are food

Not in New Zealand. This is what their possums look like. Be like munching on Bambi

[Salamander]

What happens in the woods stays in the woods.

[Salamander]

:)

Very common in nature.

Just like the birds who pick ticks off of animals in Africa, fish who clean parasites from other fish, etc.

Nature is cool.

[gundog]

That’s the trouble with ticks. They don’t stay in the woods.

[Daffynition]

Well then, I was in a jam trying to think of what to get you, so....I'm sending you some wildlife Preserves for Christmas.

[Daffynition]

What in going on in UPSIDEDOWN Down Under?

[Daffynition]

There's no splainin' what happens in da woods.

[Salamander]

Need to form a possum barrier in the yard.

:)