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Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:40 pm
by Glen
Image

Would someone be able to tell me what sort of possum this is? It is fairly large about the size of a cat.

A supplementary question, what doesn't it like (besides a .243)? I have had a heap of little ringtails in my roof which went after I left mothballs and flouros on for 3 weeks in the roof, today I noticed this guy out the front eyeing off the bridge the electricity wires make from his tree to my roof.

Re: Possum ID requested if possibe?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:20 pm
by ATJ
Glen,

It is a common brushtail possum. The only way to stop them from getting into your roof is get rid of any holes they can fit through.

Re: Possum ID requested if possibe?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:45 pm
by photohiker
Nice capture.

I'm wondering about him being out and about in daylight.

Could be that he is displaced and thus looking for a patch. You could do worse than putting a possum hutch in the tree and make it more appealing than the house.

And no, .243 is not the solution, they are protected, except in NZ, where they are turned into jumpers. :)

Michael

Re: Possum ID requested if possibe?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:24 am
by Glen
Thanks Andrew and Michael, I will recheck the holes and the hutch suggestion is very novel and really along the lines of what I wanted to do. He was out in the open about 3m above a footpath at about 11 in the morning and looked disorientated, I felt like giving him an apple but didn't want to upset his diet

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:44 am
by Analog6
possum box instructions: http://www.nana.asn.au/n2-pbox.htm and http://users.bigpond.net.au/ozbox/br_pos.htm

An apple will not upset his diet, much better than the bread and sugar some folks give them. They will become quite used to you intime. I had one on the farm who would eat from my hand and used to bring her babies every year to share the fruit we out out nightly.

Re: Possum ID requested if possibe?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:33 am
by gstark
Glen,

His name is Fred. ;)

ATJ wrote:The only way to stop them from getting into your roof is get rid of any holes they can fit through.


Or get rid of the roof. :)

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:45 am
by ozimax
222 cal

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:35 am
by Glen
Odille, thanks for the instructions. I remember they can be tamed, my brother had a pet possum when we were young. I think I would like to visit him in a neighbouring park rather than share my humble abode. Gary I hope Fred isn't a transplanted Bondi resident? Ozi, my guests were all carrying Glocks, if it had been another sleepless night I may have been tempted

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:51 am
by gstark
Glen wrote: Gary I hope Fred isn't a transplanted Bondi resident?


No. Dat'd be Sean, to be sure to be sure.

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:11 pm
by jethro
Ozi I reckon a 318 would prove more impacting

Actually add a cat as well

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:04 pm
by ozimax
jethro wrote:Ozi I reckon a 318 would prove more impacting

Actually add a cat as well


Not sure about the 318 but a 300 Weatherby Mag would do the job nicely. As for the cat, subtract a cat, not add!

Actually, I like possums as I do all native Australian animals. Now ferrals, that's another story... :)

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:13 pm
by Bugeyes
222, 318, 300WM... pfft... my Weihrauch air rifle could dispatch it just as well :roll:

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:22 am
by gstark
ozimax wrote:Actually, I like possums


Yep.

Marinate overnight in barbeque sauce with a nudge of chipotle, and barbeque with some hickory or apple wood in a smoker.

Re: Possum ID requested if possible?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:15 am
by ozimax
gstark wrote:Marinate overnight in barbeque sauce with a nudge of chipotle


There just HAD to be chipotle in this recipe! It reminds me of a T shirt I saw in Michigan last month:

"Animals have their place - right next to the mashed potato, peas and gravy"