| Author | Content |
fruiteater
Almont, MI
September 08, 2009
03:50 PM Post #7041149
| Hello everyone .
I live in country and in last month or so I started noticing weird droppings around my house. Can somebody help me to figure out who left them?
I know we have mice on area , but it is way too big for mice . And I have toads around my porch every evening, but I don't think this is it either.
Please See pic below.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
September 08, 2009
03:53 PM Post #7041164
| Looks like a possum to me. Do you have anything out they can be eating? Which could be nearly anything. LOL We had one for a pet. They make great pets. That looks like it would be a young one. |
fruiteater
Almont, MI
September 08, 2009
04:14 PM Post #7041259
| it is possible - droppings are all close to the house within few feet of grill ...Its just I have never seen possum around here. I mean we have it all - chipmunks, racoons, mice , rats (I think) , squirrells, moles ...the droppings around the house is something new .
Should I expect any damage from possum?
BTW , the fur on the background of the pic came from my dog , not from the animal in question . |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
September 08, 2009
05:09 PM Post #7041434
| They shouldn't cause any problem unless you have horses. They are not destructive like squirrels and they can't get into things like a coon can. They also don't carry rabies. They will only fight if pushed into a corner and can't do anything else. They will tear up the garbage looking for food but securing the lid and can will take care of that. |
Hineni
Sharps Chapel, TN
(Zone 6b)
September 09, 2009
01:39 AM Post #7043165
| And, as a last resort defense mechanism, they will barf on your dog when cornered. Opossum puke could be sold as a great weapon IMO. You will wish your dog had never met an opossum. To me, it is far worse of a smell than skunk, which doesn't bother me much. |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 09, 2009
07:16 AM Post #7043353
| I think buzzard barf tops possum puke for nasty ~ LOL We get toad poop on the front porch. It is looser and when dry will crumble easily. This doesn't quite resemble processed bugs.
I was slow to figure out what I was finding in the birdfeeders. Possums were eating the sunflower seeds and regurgitating the hulls. Not quite as nasty as puke.
What am I doing looking at possum poop this a.m.!!! LOL
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
1lisac
Liberty Hill, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 10, 2009
07:04 PM Post #7049109
| I was actually going to say toads. I have found poop from them at my place the other animals you have mentioned have bigger poop, like a small dog.
Lisa |
leha
Santa Rosa, CA
September 13, 2009
03:38 PM Post #7059598
| I have also raised possums and agree this looks like a young one. Reptiles and amphibians usually leave a two-toned dropping, with a white end that contains the urea.
Possums are adorable and will eat snails and slugs (among other things).
Meanwhile, I have raccoons visiting my mature compost at night. They are fetching out the earthworms and washing them in a nearby water bowl. Every morning I have to wash to mud out of the water bowl. I would be mad at them for taking the earthworms, but they're doing a great job of keeping the compost aerated! |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 13, 2009
06:53 PM Post #7060366
| I feel the same about the armadillos here. They till for grubs and loosen the compacted soil. I rarely find a plant that they have damaged, only uprooted them. The plants always recover. I believe all things in nature are necessary... Some (snakes) I'd rather keep at a distance tho. |
leha
Santa Rosa, CA
September 14, 2009
09:24 PM Post #7065000
| Or this guy--helpful, but ya gotta respect their space. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
September 16, 2009
10:18 AM Post #7070130
| Is that a banana spider? |
1lisac
Liberty Hill, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 20, 2009
02:43 PM Post #7084636
| I think that's a girl. If its like the ones we have here (we just call them garden spiders) they mate then the male dies or they kill it. The females make an egg sack each time they mate I have seen them have 5 five egg sacks on one web.
Lisa |
MaypopLaurel
Cleveland,GA/Atlanta, GA
(Zone 7b)
September 24, 2009
09:32 PM Post #7101497
| Girls just wanna have fun. |
jmp24
Medford, NJ
November 19, 2009
12:36 PM Post #7289774
| Aww, I love having possums around. They are really quite gentle and sweet, even wild ones, though being wild they will not be interested in humans. I have a few stray cats that I feed, especially in the winter, and the possums come up to the patio now and then to nibble on the dry cat food. They don't even mind the cats. In fact, one night last winter we had a mix of snow and ice and rain coming down, and I had built a little shelter area for the cats out of some wood and my patio chairs, complete with blankets etc...I went out later to see how it was holding up, and a possum was in there with them! Not snuggling with them of course, but definitely sharing the space out of the wind and wet.
Unfortunately, when you leave out food for one critter, lots of others show up - besides the possum and the cats, we also have raccoons and a mostly white skunk who stop by for a snack. Might bother some people, but I love animals and love having them around.
(yes, we have trapped and spayed/nuetered the cats) |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
November 19, 2009
08:28 PM Post #7291107
| Good for you!!! I appreciate the trapping, spaying and neutering as well as the feeding. I wish more folks felt that responsibility. Thank you... |
porkpal
Richmond, TX
November 19, 2009
11:59 PM Post #7291802
| All our barn cats are actually feral cats. We have always felt that trapping and fixing the ferals has a double value in population control: no reproduction plus a stable group of resident cats to repel future feline immigrants. They can't be handled but they are better than average mousers.
|
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
November 20, 2009
12:28 AM Post #7291861
| A good barn cat is worth it's weight in gold. |
porkpal
Richmond, TX
November 20, 2009
12:54 AM Post #7291903
| Yes, I've never understood why TSC (among others) sells dog supplies tax free if you're ag-exempt but not cat stuff. Our dogs are totally useless on the farm while the cats earn their keep. |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
November 20, 2009
12:57 AM Post #7291907
| Here in Ky. (of all places) horses are not considered farm animals. Go figure. |
porkpal
Richmond, TX
November 20, 2009
01:35 AM Post #7291967
| Horses' farm status varies by county in Texas. We're in Fort Bend. Our horses are farm animals. In nearby Brazoria they are not! |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
November 21, 2009
02:06 AM Post #7295373
| But I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed as pets in the subdivisions where they are not "farm animals". It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! :) |
