Oh my goodness!!
 

I just took Marty and Madeline outside and while I was out a big HUGE possum walked by! This thing was bigger than Marty and Maddie combined! I think it must have been pregnant. It really scared me and I brought the puppies in, but I think it's just building a nest. I hope it isn't carrying anything that my babies could get... I don't think I want baby possums running around here....

They are not the prettiest animal are they?..lol

I think I would have freaked out. We have a lot of critters coming through our area, but we have not come across one of those yet. Thank goodness.....

Angie,

Read this. I googled getting rid of possums and found it:

Getting Rid of Possums
Post By ashlee (Guest Post) (01/07/2008)
I've done this many times nothing works except leaning a trash at a 35 to 40 degree angle on something with ripe fruit in it the possom will climb in for food but can not climb out thanxx this really works :D ily

Thanks Judy! I think I'd feel awful doing that if it's pregnant, but at the same time, I can't have a whole bunch of possums out there that could hurt or spread diseases to my Marty and Madeline. It's just a sad situation. :(

Yes, it is quite ugly! :p Especially with that huge belly...

I have a pregnant raccoon that lives with her hubby in the big tree behind my house, I can't let the girls out there alone, even with the big fence, it's very scary.

Opossoms young are born very, very small and are carried around in the mother's pouch for a while. I don't think that you'll have to worry about your babies finding a "nest" because there isn't one. Here's an article that explains about opossoms. If she looked pregnant then the babies are probably getting some size to them.

http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/opos...life_cycle.htm

You're right! I completely forgot about the fact that they wouldn't have a nest. Bren and I were talking about how they are the only marsupial in the US just this morning (while watching it come in and out of the neighbor's garage). So I guess that's why she looked so big. Wonder what she finds so interesting in the garage? :confused:

mm never saw posssums.. I don't think I did. Just becareful Angie..

I know what you mean about not wanting to hurt her if she's pregnant, but Maddie and Marty come first.

How about asking one of the science professors how to deal with the problem?

She's probably eating dog or cat food. I know that a lot of people will see them at their pet's dish.

Oh my!

Maybe if we tell the neighbors, they'll take care of it.

Judy, I don't know any of the science professors. I had an auditorium class for biology (way back in my first semester) and my geography weather and science professor probably wouldn't know what to do in this case. I might ask him anyway. He was a fun guy. I would like to find a way to get her to leave without hurting her or the babies.

I was a Biology major in grad school and brought in a (dead) bug I kept finding around the edges of my carpet. Yuck. He spent quite a lot of time finding a way for me to get rid of them without using toxins. Jessie was very young, and I had cats, and so on.

I didn't tell him that I had already called an exterminator and they told me what to do!