[QUOTE=Squashnmoon;7269151]
Why all the hate for such a little thing? Because you think they’re ugly?[/QUOTE]
I actually think they are kind of cute.
I am not a fan because of the EPM risk and because like raccoons, they make a mess of things and do quite a bit of damage.
[QUOTE=Squashnmoon;7269151]
I understand the concern about EPM and agree that they shouldn’t be around horses, but opossums are not “nasty” or “vermin” or “foul”. They’re gentle, non-aggressive marsupials that perform important scavenging duties for the environment. Why all the hate for such a little thing? Because you think they’re ugly?[/QUOTE]
I am quite sure all the hate has to do with them spreading EPM. They can cause quite a mess in and around horses. When I had horses at my house they many times got into my hay and grain and I can honestly say I never felt comfortable feeding it to my horse after that. Yes I know they have their purpose but not when they scavenge in my barn around my horses and other animals. It just wasnt worth the risk of exposing my horses. And on a side note they are exposed to other wild animals way more than our domestic animals and there is always the threat of rabies.
Living in KY I too can relate to the game warden and fish and wildlife are very little help!
Nothing cuter than a few baby opossums but :mad: not around my barn ~ thank you !
[QUOTE=Squashnmoon;7269151]
I understand the concern about EPM and agree that they shouldn’t be around horses, but opossums are not “nasty” or “vermin” or “foul”. They’re gentle, non-aggressive marsupials that perform important scavenging duties for the environment. Why all the hate for such a little thing? Because you think they’re ugly?[/QUOTE]
Make a trail of your dry cat food into the trap and all the way to the back. You should catch him without much problem. I then shoot them with a .22. I just use hollow points and go for a head shot. I usually get them with just the 1 bullet.
Possums are a little harder to kill than raccoons because they have a small brain in proportion to their skull. So it is possible to hit the skull but miss the brain.
[QUOTE=Squashnmoon;7269151]
I understand the concern about EPM and agree that they shouldn’t be around horses, but opossums are not “nasty” or “vermin” or “foul”. They’re gentle, non-aggressive marsupials that perform important scavenging duties for the environment. Why all the hate for such a little thing? Because you think they’re ugly?[/QUOTE]
EPM. That’s it in a nutshell. Until you watch a horse relapse, decline, and have to put him down, you just can’t possibly understand.
Raccoon, I don’t care about. The only problem I had with them was the cat food I had in a pool chemical container with a screw on lid. The little buggers dragged it out into the barn aisle and got the lid off. That’s when I started feeding the cats in the garage.
Raccoon, I would just release behind the barn. They don’t bother me, I won’t bother them. I like snakes too.
But you said this was in your garage? Is your barn in your garage too? 
I really would relocate, even if you are against it. Call up a sanctuary. I know the thought of EPM is enough to make many people hate opossums, but really? Shooting something in the head while it’s in a trap is a little cold. That opossum was not responsible for your equine friend’s death.
As another poster mentioned, opossums do not establish territory vicinities. You could relocate it and you would never see it again.
I just had a thought. Have you contacted Karen Bailey http://www.kywildlife.org/.
She may have some other suggestions as well. She is very involved in the tb industry as well so would be familiar with your fear of EPM as well and may have some other options.
I have never had any dealings with her myself but it was just an ideal that popped into my head.
When something was eating my chickens, I put out a live trap, set it, but forgot to bring any bait to put inside. I left the trap set and the next morning there was an opossum caught inside. This leads me to believe that the best bait is air. =)
I have several raccoon in my feed room right now. I caught one (on accident…dumped feed in the dark and didn’t know he was in there until feeding the next day…had to throw four bags off feed out because it was filled with urine and feces).
I have cat food and one boarder that provides their own feed in the square containers with the latch on lids, then a cinder-block ontop of that keeps them out of it.
I’ve switched the trash cans over to metal containers that they don’t seem to be able to open and feed cats sparingly in the mornings so there’s no cat food.
I have one I that I surprised one evening that ran sideways down my feedroom wall (like something from the exorcist) and sat on top of my hay growling/hissing at me like a pissed off cat. Biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen honestly.
In any case…I’ve got raccoon feces everywhere and if I could kill the bastards I would. I don’t live on site so feeding the cats elsewhere really isn’t an option.
I’ll relocate a possum…raccoon, heck no. Rabies risk is too high.
[QUOTE=beowulf;7269759]
But you said this was in your garage? Is your barn in your garage too?
I really would relocate, even if you are against it. Call up a sanctuary. I know the thought of EPM is enough to make many people hate opossums, but really? Shooting something in the head while it’s in a trap is a little cold. That opossum was not responsible for your equine friend’s death.
As another poster mentioned, opossums do not establish territory vicinities. You could relocate it and you would never see it again.[/QUOTE]
I used to feed them in the barn, it was attracting too many ferals and they sleep in the garage in the winter anyway, on heated cat beds, so I just started feeding in the garage only. The barn about 300 feet from my house.
If the ferals are gutsy enough to come into the garage, I trap them and TNR.
Catfood is great (cheap, abundant) for trapping raccoons and opossums. Same trap for both. But opossums are very slow and sometimes easy to catch, so when I see them or when my dogs bring me one I prefer to take care of things on the spot. Raccoons are much more aggressive so I wait and trap those, and then shoot them in the trap. I also have nothing against them, but I can’t afford to harbor disease carrying wildlife in my barn. I do not relocate wildlife, it is illegal and could potentially spread disease. I also trap mice. I do not bother any wild animal that doesn’t come into my barn or threaten my stock.
I’ve been able to catch them with pasta and spaghetti sauce, especially if you put sugar or honey on top of it. Last time I tried it, several came up to the trap and fought each other for the pasta.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;7269140]
Cats hunt because of instinct and for sport, not because they are or are not hungry. A healthy well fed cat will do a better job at keeping the rodent population down than a sickly starving cat any day.[/QUOTE]
I’m not saying starve the cats! I’m saying don’t leave food out for them 24/7. Carnivores are meal-eaters, not grazers. If you feed them once or twice a day, just enough for them that they’ll finish it all, it will eliminate the problem the OP is having with wild animals eating leftovers. That’s what we do with our community cat. She comes up to the house every day, howling for food, we give her some, she eats it all, and leaves.
Really? My DH is a vet with a lot of wildlife experience and he hates opossums because they’re the most aggressive animal he’s ever dealt with, and he’s dealt with quite a few. When we had the one in our barn, he had no intention of getting anywhere near it and was not keen on trapping one.
[QUOTE=Jumper_girl221;7269838]
In any case…I’ve got raccoon feces everywhere and if I could kill the bastards I would. I don’t live on site so feeding the cats elsewhere really isn’t an option.
I’ll relocate a possum…raccoon, heck no. Rabies risk is too high.[/QUOTE]
Have you tried trapping them?
That is how I got rid of the raccoon that was making a mess in my feed room (no food out, opened things I never thought they could open).
we trained them to go up a plank - with a garbage can at the top - little cat food at the bottom, middle and top - then only the top - then a piece of cardboard across the top of the can - just balanced - with cat food in the middle - make sure the can is secured so it can’t fall over - when then go onto the cardboard they fall into the can - trapped and you can do what you will - release or terminate.
[QUOTE=Jumper_girl221;7269838]
I have several raccoon in my feed room right now. I caught one (on accident…dumped feed in the dark and didn’t know he was in there until feeding the next day…had to throw four bags off feed out because it was filled with urine and feces).
I have cat food and one boarder that provides their own feed in the square containers with the latch on lids, then a cinder-block ontop of that keeps them out of it.
I’ve switched the trash cans over to metal containers that they don’t seem to be able to open and feed cats sparingly in the mornings so there’s no cat food.
I have one I that I surprised one evening that ran sideways down my feedroom wall (like something from the exorcist) and sat on top of my hay growling/hissing at me like a pissed off cat. Biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen honestly.
In any case…I’ve got raccoon feces everywhere and if I could kill the bastards I would. I don’t live on site so feeding the cats elsewhere really isn’t an option.
I’ll relocate a possum…raccoon, heck no. Rabies risk is too high.[/QUOTE]
Go to your local farm store and get some traps. Once they are in the trap you shoot them. If you don’t want to shoot them find a local coon hunter and see if he wants them to train his hounds. Another option is to find a local trapper and see if he is willing to come set some traps and then he will take care of the raccoons no problem.
Two years ago I had to put a mare down due to EPM while her 2.5 month old foal was calling for her. Devastating. Raccoons love to visit my chicken coop and eat my chickens. Neither is welcome and it makes zero sense to relocate them so they can cause a problem for someone else, especially since neither is an engangered species.
[QUOTE=morganpony86;7270500]
I’m not saying starve the cats! I’m saying don’t leave food out for them 24/7. Carnivores are meal-eaters, not grazers. If you feed them once or twice a day, just enough for them that they’ll finish it all, it will eliminate the problem the OP is having with wild animals eating leftovers. That’s what we do with our community cat. She comes up to the house every day, howling for food, we give her some, she eats it all, and leaves.
Really? My DH is a vet with a lot of wildlife experience and he hates opossums because they’re the most aggressive animal he’s ever dealt with, and he’s dealt with quite a few. When we had the one in our barn, he had no intention of getting anywhere near it and was not keen on trapping one.[/QUOTE]
I do only feed them twice a day, and I don’t have a problem in the summer. By time time they’re fed in the winter, it’s already getting dark and the damn possum knows there is food out.
However, I have solved my problem. I ordered a cat door that only opens for a microchipped animal. No more critters in the garage other than the ones I want there.
http://www.sureflap.com/products/details/1-microchip-cat-door
Problem solved. I don’t know that I could actually make myself shoot a trapped animal unless it was sick. Although I have no problem stomping on mice.
[QUOTE=Dance_To_Oblivion;7270557]
Go to your local farm store and get some traps. Once they are in the trap you shoot them. If you don’t want to shoot them find a local coon hunter and see if he wants them to train his hounds. Another option is to find a local trapper and see if he is willing to come set some traps and then he will take care of the raccoons no problem.
Two years ago I had to put a mare down due to EPM while her 2.5 month old foal was calling for her. Devastating. Raccoons love to visit my chicken coop and eat my chickens. Neither is welcome and it makes zero sense to relocate them so they can cause a problem for someone else, especially since neither is an engangered species.[/QUOTE]
I have talked to the “Critter Gitter” and he is coming out at some point this month, hasnt’ given me a date yet. He has a raccoon only trap…the trap we’ve used has been amazing at catching the cats and DH’s small dog…not so much the raccoons.
Husband is setting up his wildlife camera as well to capture the times they are out and try to come out and shoot them then (it pays to be married to a redneck 
).
On that topic…got to the barn last night around 6:30 and apparently had forgotten to put the cinderblock back on the cat food. Started dishing feed and a raccoon popped out of the cat food bin. Sat there and finished his handful while looking at me (2’ away) and then waddled off slowly. Little bastard wasn’t even scared of me. Husband asked why I didn’t just shoot him with my pistol. Um, one I didn’t have it on me, two…blood in my feed room all over my hay…ewww. (although I did shoot the one that was in my bin, hubby fished it out, I pulled the trigger…then scooped out the icky hay that was underneath him). I really didn’t feel bad about that one though…poor thing was under 200lbs of feed for 24 hours…he didn’t look like he felt that great. I wouldn’t be able to do a trapped animal though.
and on topic…this came through my fb feed this morning.
http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2013-11/enhanced/webdr06/21/11/anigif_enhanced-buzz-13850-1385051640-37.gif
That gif creeped me out!!!
If anything shooting them in a trap is more humane as it enables to to insure better shot placement.
Way to go, lauraKY 
Sureflap indeed.
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