Possums in the walls/attic.

At least one possum has been hanging out in my attic, on and off, for months. I read that they often will just move on and not return after a few weeks. So I waited. It's been months. I would just let them use the attic for the winter if it were not for the elec wiring/fire hazard possibility.
So. I finally decided to do something about.

I got one out last night and sealed up the hole that they were entering through. Then, I woke up at 3 am this morning to a possum freaking out in the attic... I guess he got trapped.
So, I opened it back up and went back to bed.

Tonight, after I heard one going out for the night, I closed up the hole again. Hopefully there was not another in there. I'm trying to stay up late tonight, to hear if another one is still up there. I think they are entering from a hole in the ground/foundation then making their way to the other end of the house, crawling up the wall and into the attic. I think I need to seal it and place a trap under the house then check the trap to make sure I don't end up with a dead animal under the house.

Has anyone else had larger critters get in their attic/walls? How did you get them out?
I am thinking if the problem continues I will trap them, one at a time, and release somewhere far from here. I read about using fox urine... my local sports.outdoors place carries it, but they were sold out today.

I thought about installing a one way doggy door on an entrance to the crawl space under the house. That way, if anything does ever get in I can seal every crevice I can find and it can still get out.

HeartlandHank said:

At least one possum has been hanging out in my attic, on and off, for months. I read that they often will just move on and not return after a few weeks. So I waited. It's been months. I would just let them use the attic for the winter if it were not for the elec wiring/fire hazard possibility.
So. I finally decided to do something about.

I got one out last night and sealed up the hole that they were entering through. Then, I woke up at 3 am this morning to a possum freaking out in the attic... I guess he got trapped.
So, I opened it back up and went back to bed.

Tonight, after I heard one going out for the night, I closed up the hole again. Hopefully there was not another in there. I'm trying to stay up late tonight, to hear if another one is still up there.

Has anyone else had larger critters get in their attic/walls? How did you get them out?
I am thinking if the problem continues I will trap them, one at a time, and release someone were far from here.

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this is your best option... good luck stay high

Yeah. I think you are probably right.

I had gnawing sounds in my walls a few years ago. I drilled into the ceiling and walls and used a big syringe filled with old-school Termin-8 and squirted that in between each stud/joist. Not to kill them, mind you, but to make the place taste too nasty ... it's a copper salt. The gnawing stopped. I think some pissed squirrels had to seriously contemplate relocation. cn

Not bad, CN. I would be super pissed if I heard them gnawing up there. I did see that they tore some insulation out of the wall and moved it to the garage though... little fucks.

You just need one of these http://www.wildlife-traps.com/possum.html . Mix up some peanut butter and a can of sardines together and they will go right in with no problems. I worked for a pest control company many years and these cages with the peanut butter mix gets them every time.

HeartlandHank said:

Not bad, CN. I would be super pissed if I heard them gnawing up there. I did see that they tore some insulation out of the wall and moved it to the garage though... little fucks.

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I must tell you ... it really interfered with quietly enjoying my OxyContin habit. cn

We had 6 or more racoons get in . They were flea infested and caused a lot of damage . They tore holes and got into the kitchen , opened the cabinet doors and ate all the food . Cayenne Pepper is what we use to keep varmints away . As long as they can't get in any more you should be good .

^ Haha. Man. I love those IR 30s.

Moses Mobetta said:

We had 6 or more racoons get in . They were flea infested and caused a lot of damage . They tore holes and got into the kitchen , opened the cabinet doors and ate all the food . Cayenne Pepper is what we use to keep varmints away . As long as they can't get in any more you should be good .

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Yeah. The flea thing was another issue.
Our cats got fucking fleas a couple months ago. Luckily there is no carpet in this house, so getting rid of the fleas was not too difficult. But I realized later that the possums probably brought them in.

HeartlandHank said:

Yeah. The flea thing was another issue.
Our cats got fucking fleas a couple months ago. Luckily there is no carpet in this house, so getting rid of the fleas was not too difficult. But I realized later that the possums probably brought them in.

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You might consider some possum recipes. Just know that they are marsoupials. cn

cannabineer said:

You might consider some possum recipes. Just know that they are marsoupials. cn

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Wow. You weren't kidding... There ARE tons of possum recipes out there. Crazy.

The fact that they are marsupials has me less worried that young will be left behind. Removing babies would be a serious pita.

My misspelling was a suggestion of how to best serve'm.
I must wonder if they'd be decent eating though ... I was always impressed as a kid growing up that possum was the only roadkill that left a 2-year grease stain on pavement. cn

I don't know how I missed that one. I'm off tonight.

I saw this video the other day. Fucking incredible this guy didn't die. Save yourself some time and move to :29 or so.
[video=youtube;cZAjJ-g0UDw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZAjJ-g0UDw[/video]

At 6:00 you can really see how incredible it was that he maintained control. unreal.

I don't think I will brake for possums in my hood anymore.

cannabineer said:

My misspelling was a suggestion of how to best serve'm.
I must wonder if they'd be decent eating though ... I was always impressed as a kid growing up that possum was the only roadkill that left a 2-year grease stain on pavement. cn

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cannabineer said:

My misspelling was a suggestion of how to best serve'm.
I must wonder if they'd be decent eating though ...

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They are ok... Raccoon on the other hand is delicious, haven't had it in years and it takes forever to prep but it sure was good eating.

I've trapped alot of coons. I always used peanut butter on a piece of cheese with the peanut butter stuck to the trap lever. That way he has to work alittle bit and will definitely spring the trap. Possums are evil looking. I actually saw my first one ever, dead in a pool this past summer.

Thought this might have been another blowgun thread.

I had racoons and possums, used a trap and caught a few and tag them with spray paint to see if they came back... they did.
Lets just say I wasn't so nice the next time around.