Re: [gardeners] possums

Kay Lancaster (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 26 Apr 2003 20:54:50 -0700 (PDT)

> dept. only does domestic animals) and see what they say.  The google search 
> on 'getting rid of possums' brought up a whole lot of New Zealand websites.  

The New Zealand brushtail possum is Trichosurus vulpecula, and a very
different critter from the US opossum, Diadelphys virginana.
 
http://wildlife.faunanet.gov.au/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=302
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/didevirg.htm

Personally, I've never had much trouble capturing Virginia opossums
in the house, and never bothered with them outside.  Inside, they'll
hiss a bit at you, but if you clobber them with the business end of the
broom a couple of times (not the handle), they "play possum" and they
can be swept into a cage and relocated.  Or such has been my experience.

Kay Lancaster  kay@fern.com