Up To My Ass In Possums!
After nearly a YEAR of noises under my house, I set traps. Mouse traps were set off and no catch. Same with Rat Traps.
On occasions, I smelled what seemed like cat pee. Which also smells like natural gas. In FEBRUARY, I had the gas company come and check for leaks and (what turned out to be coincidental) my METER was leaking and was changed. Still, both the odor and nightly scratching continued.
My nephew, the great Eric Weaver, helped me discover this. Tonight- May 05, 2006- Friday about 12pm. He was here to both hear the noises and smelled their odor thru the furnace vent. He wanted to go down and explore while the noise was active. Something I was a bit timid to do by myself- go down in the cellar basement.
So we opened the crawlspace door and there they were- 4 or 5 baby possums- but they all disappeared except for this one (pictured) that would have come right us to us. But I was too scared and shut the door.
Whoa! The animal kingdom
UPDATE- Saturday May 6th - Just last night my 19 year old nephew Eric made a late night visit and my critters had just been active under the house. Traps had been ignored. But the smell was there and noises/scratching. I feared it would be like taking a car to the shop- and then the noises stop. Indeed they did for about a half hour after he arrived. But then they came.
So Eric wants to view inside the basement crawlspace and there they were 4 or 5 BABY POSSUMS!!! They quickly retreated down to one as I started snapping pics. This has been going on since LAST SUMMER and I've never been able to spot anything.
That crawlspace is only about a foot high and where you see the gray duct against the right wall, the scratching I always hear is coming from BEHIND that. I feel they are nesting in there! This viewpoint is the only way in, under two rooms.
This is surely going to take money to get rid of...
WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK DR. MARK
Last night, they set off the rat trap and ate the bait, but no catch. I'd think a rat trap could catch a baby possum...
For professional help, it looks like 3 to 4 HUNDRED DOLLARS on the possum situation. Like a hundred up front and then $50 per creature. (5 spotted.)
Saturday afternoon, I went exploring- tore off a side grating under the porch and went under- dirtiest I've been in ages- and found a HUGE HOLE knocked in the foundation! Presumably for cross ventilation. Insane that it would be there. As big as a bowling ball, with no covering/screen.
I decided I'd plug it first, then see if I get any return visitors. I never hear noises during the day and they have to go out sometime (?). Unless Mom Possum comes and goes to feed them. They are not newborns, but very young. I also don't want any creatures to die down there. The odor now is bad enuf!
Then if the hole plugging doesn't work, I can decide if I want to buy cage traps myself- on sale at the local tractor store- 2 for $25. but I'd rather have a professionals expertise and hopefully guarantee.
SATURDAY Night MAY 6th- Blocking the opening didn't help. At 9:30 tonight, they are more active than ever. Possibly in response to the blocking? Now I will have to get my own cages or pay for a professional.
THE ODOR IS INCREDIBLE. As I sit in my living room at the PC near the heat duct they (presumably) nested under, my eyes are actually burning.
*_*_*
Oh, it's a mess now. They got active from 9:30, and way past midnight. Then it got quiet all of a sudden. So I went exploring. I can only presume the mother possum is going nuts. Trying to get out.
Every little nook and cranny was poked out. Where insulation was. They ever broke thru a round vent hole in the wall I had lamely sealed when I first moved in with cardboard! I actually saw their faces in the hole. Grabbed the closest material at hand and shoved it back in the opening.
SUNDAY- This morning, when I opened the basement door (classic cellar door on the floor) they had clearly went from under the crawlspace (at head level) down one level into the actual cellar basement. A huge piece of insulation was removed from the stair area and was shredded all over. I guess I'm too "afraid' to go down in there alone.
So I've now decided to call the exterminator, who was out and yet to return my call as of 7:30 Sunday night.
A friend emails:
>>You should stick a POSSUMCAM down there and start a
blog!
And here it is!
After nearly a YEAR of noises under my house, I set traps. Mouse traps were set off and no catch. Same with Rat Traps.On occasions, I smelled what seemed like cat pee. Which also smells like natural gas. In FEBRUARY, I had the gas company come and check for leaks and (what turned out to be coincidental) my METER was leaking and was changed. Still, both the odor and nightly scratching continued.
My nephew, the great Eric Weaver, helped me discover this. Tonight- May 05, 2006- Friday about 12pm. He was here to both hear the noises and smelled their odor thru the furnace vent. He wanted to go down and explore while the noise was active. Something I was a bit timid to do by myself- go down in the cellar basement.
So we opened the crawlspace door and there they were- 4 or 5 baby possums- but they all disappeared except for this one (pictured) that would have come right us to us. But I was too scared and shut the door.
Whoa! The animal kingdom
UPDATE- Saturday May 6th - Just last night my 19 year old nephew Eric made a late night visit and my critters had just been active under the house. Traps had been ignored. But the smell was there and noises/scratching. I feared it would be like taking a car to the shop- and then the noises stop. Indeed they did for about a half hour after he arrived. But then they came.
So Eric wants to view inside the basement crawlspace and there they were 4 or 5 BABY POSSUMS!!! They quickly retreated down to one as I started snapping pics. This has been going on since LAST SUMMER and I've never been able to spot anything.
That crawlspace is only about a foot high and where you see the gray duct against the right wall, the scratching I always hear is coming from BEHIND that. I feel they are nesting in there! This viewpoint is the only way in, under two rooms.
This is surely going to take money to get rid of...
WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK DR. MARK
Last night, they set off the rat trap and ate the bait, but no catch. I'd think a rat trap could catch a baby possum...
For professional help, it looks like 3 to 4 HUNDRED DOLLARS on the possum situation. Like a hundred up front and then $50 per creature. (5 spotted.)
Saturday afternoon, I went exploring- tore off a side grating under the porch and went under- dirtiest I've been in ages- and found a HUGE HOLE knocked in the foundation! Presumably for cross ventilation. Insane that it would be there. As big as a bowling ball, with no covering/screen.
I decided I'd plug it first, then see if I get any return visitors. I never hear noises during the day and they have to go out sometime (?). Unless Mom Possum comes and goes to feed them. They are not newborns, but very young. I also don't want any creatures to die down there. The odor now is bad enuf!
Then if the hole plugging doesn't work, I can decide if I want to buy cage traps myself- on sale at the local tractor store- 2 for $25. but I'd rather have a professionals expertise and hopefully guarantee.
SATURDAY Night MAY 6th- Blocking the opening didn't help. At 9:30 tonight, they are more active than ever. Possibly in response to the blocking? Now I will have to get my own cages or pay for a professional.
THE ODOR IS INCREDIBLE. As I sit in my living room at the PC near the heat duct they (presumably) nested under, my eyes are actually burning.
*_*_*
Oh, it's a mess now. They got active from 9:30, and way past midnight. Then it got quiet all of a sudden. So I went exploring. I can only presume the mother possum is going nuts. Trying to get out.
Every little nook and cranny was poked out. Where insulation was. They ever broke thru a round vent hole in the wall I had lamely sealed when I first moved in with cardboard! I actually saw their faces in the hole. Grabbed the closest material at hand and shoved it back in the opening.
SUNDAY- This morning, when I opened the basement door (classic cellar door on the floor) they had clearly went from under the crawlspace (at head level) down one level into the actual cellar basement. A huge piece of insulation was removed from the stair area and was shredded all over. I guess I'm too "afraid' to go down in there alone.
So I've now decided to call the exterminator, who was out and yet to return my call as of 7:30 Sunday night.
A friend emails:
>>You should stick a POSSUMCAM down there and start a
blog!
And here it is!
posted by Dr. Mark at 7:32 PM
1 Comments:
Yo! Rob here! Glad you set up a blog to cover your possum travails. Now you gotta come up with a theme song:
"There's a POSSUM in the basement,
There's a MAD DOG on the fence..."
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