Tangor's dilemma

One of those oddities

[tangor]

A possum has found a way into my house.

That possum managed to cloak him/her self in a shopping bag (probably one that had meat before transfer to fridge.

Don't know how it it gets in.

As a Texican we off the varmints (local gun laws observed, of course!) but this is a special. The dang critter managed to get entangled in a shopping bag (noted above) and it's now six days later and I still find this vermin in the kitchen LATE AT NIGHT still wearing that absurd bag.

Do I let nature take its course: white bag running around, plastic, which we all know from the gangster films will asphyxiate the critter sooner or later, or trap it (to be destroyed) or wait in a blind with a CO2 pellet pistol and end the misery of the plastic bag and vermin in the house?

Thoughts?

[engine]

I don't know too much about these critters, but if it were me, i'd want to trap it and remove the offending plastic, then release the animal back into the wild.

[tangor]

I might.... if someone will pay the freight to set it free 150 miles from my house. Else the dang thing gets back in!

[engine]

Not on the same scale, i'm sure, but we has mice living in our garage. It was a particularly cold spell, so the garage must have been lovely. I trapped them in humane traps and took them about a mile away and released them. I know that they do travel fair distances, hence the mile away into the countryside.

I discovered several things they dislike and put that around the garage, including an ultrasonic sound generator which, I understand, the mice dislike. So far, it has worked.

[tangor]

Ever the hunter, I'm opting for the pistol... but there are two girls (one 56 the other 65, both younger than myself) who are opposed to blood letting in the kitchen. I will probably trap the critter (tried to talk the girls into possum stew but they said NO). Just one of those odd things that happen, even in the best of places. In the worst of places this would be dinner afoot. :)

Meanwhile, clearing out bulk downloads from the years and categorizing. Came across Dolly Parton's musicvid SHINE which reminded me I gave her a hug after a Houston appearance more than a few years back. She's five foot nothing (in stiletto heels), a large lovely head, the other large, and spindly bird legs. And a laugh and smile that melts yer heart. That was a fun night. Kenny, Billy, Dolly, me, a few hundred others... but the ones.... Kenny, Billy (Rogers and Gibbons) where in High School at the same time span and Dolly was a perfect pert and what the heck does this have to do with a possum in the house?

Might be why I'll let the critter live, if I can catch it.

?

How does all that equate? Me dunno. :)

[toidi]

Trap it now! It is leaving memories of its presence for you as we speak, bad smelly memories.

[tangor]

?

Possum poop is outside the house. Never found any inside. Are you saying there are other smelly memories (such as the ones just shared?)

[martinibuster]

Possums are beneficial creatures. They are not vermin. Possums eat vermin and keep them away from your home. They eat roaches, mice, snails and slugs. They're one of the best critters to have in your neighborhood. So quit this nonsense and do the right thing. ;)

[ken_b]

The simplest solution is to redefine the Possum from pest to pet, problem solved!

[martinibuster]

The more complex solution is to get people to stop thinking in terms of pests and vermin.

It's an ecosystem out there and you live in it. As long as the earth is fertile there will be something there to eat from it. It's irrational and pointless to chase off one animal because you'll only end up getting overrun by another. Thus, when people get rid of coyotes in their area they end up overrun by rabbits eating vegetables from their garden. When people chop down forests to build more subdivisions those subdivisions are overrun by mice because the owls and other birds of prey have no where to roost.

So really, people need to re-think this. Try to understand how a possum fits into your neighborhood. Then turn that on its head and begin thinking of how you can fit into the possum's neighborhood, because it truly is an ecosystem out there and you are living inside of it.

[edited by: martinibuster at 3:15 pm (utc) on Feb 10, 2016]

[lawman]

Trap it and send it to martinibuster's house.

[LifeinAsia]

Why not just call animal control and let them handle it as they see fit? Then you won't be in violation of any animal cruelty/hunting laws.

[lucy24]

Why not just call animal control and let them handle it as they see fit?

"As they see fit" probably involves telling you to call a wildlife agency-- whose number they don't have-- because they only deal with domestic(ated) animals :( Although Animal Control did come by and deal with a dead raccoon* in the gutter; I'd expect them to hand me off to, at a minimum, Public Works.


* My cat found it, half a block before I did.

[LifeinAsia]

We had a hummingbird that seemingly froze to a basket outside. We brought it inside and put it in a box with some paper towels and he (she?) started stirring again. We called animal control and they sent someone out to get it. By the time a guy got there (maybe an hour or so later), the bird had recovered and was flying around the house. The guy helped us guide it to an open door.

Maybe your city/county is different, but here, they'll take care of all sorts of animals (besides humans, unfortunately). We're certainly not out in the wilderness.

[tangor]

UPDATE: So no one gets wrong ideas, the critter was trapped and turned over to animal control. Which cost me out of pocket since the city has regulations on live trapping (as opposed to "mouse/rat" traps). What happens from here on out I have no idea though "humane" is touted (I suspect euthanasia as possums are clearly NOT on the endangered list). So, peace descends on the Tangor hacienda until the NEXT time.... (sigh)

[aristotle]

For possoms, mice, roaches, or anything else, you should always keep all your food either in the refrig or tightly closed containers, and don't let them have any garbage or crumbs either. If they can't find anything to eat, they won't stay around.

[engine]

Glad to hear you gave it a chance, tangor!
True, aristotle, however, wildlife sometimes just wants shelter, which is what our mice wanted. There was nothing for them to eat, yet they remained. They are long gone, and I expect some to return at some point when the weather turns inclement.