Apple Thief

I’ve been dealing with something breaking in and trashing my tack room. Throwing stuff all over the ground. Nothing has been damaged but every morning it’s a mess. Then a few days ago whatever it is ate several of the apples I had purchased. I set out a camera with an apple to catch the culprit to see what I’m dealing with.
I have zero idea how it’s getting in, but here is the cute apple thief.

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Possum. Or giant rat depending on your viewpoint. One of the few animals I don’t like

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Oh it’s definitely an opossum. He spent a lot of time in there last night. I find them cute, but it prefer not having to clean up his mess every morning!

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I had one that would sleep on my (covered) saddle for years. I grabbed him one day when I took the lid off a trashcan in the barn and reached in before looking. We both shrieked.

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Guess you don’t live in an area with EPM.

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My thoughts exactly. :astonished:

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I do; I’ve had 2 horses with it. But opossums are so prevalent in this area I’d never be able to get rid of all of them. My goal right now is finding out how he’s getting in

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You don’t need to get rid of them all, but IIWM, I’d do my damnedest to keep them out of my barn.
Could you bury hardware cloth outside, around the tackroom where it might be getting in?
Add a hardware cloth sweep to the tackroom door?

I had a young possum try living in my chicken coop. Hens weren’t harmed, but I’m sure it thought the Egg Takeout/Dine In was open :confused:
First time I grabbed it by the tail - it played dead -& flung it as far as I could.
It was back the next night & got tossed again.
That seemed to be the charm, never saw it again.

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The floor is concrete; no openings. I think he might be getting in through the hole for the water pipe. It’s not very big but maybe he can squeeze through

well coyotes may be your answer as coyotes will eat opossums

But we live trap and relocate any opossum that the coyotes do not eat