How To Keep Possums Out Of The Vegetable Garden
How to keep possums away.
How to keep possums out of garden?. possums can wreak havoc on a garden, backyard and lawn. While opossums almost never get angry, they never want to get too close or allow one or more to take shelter outside their home. If opossums have taken over your vegetable garden, you can humanely get rid of them by using some simple techniques. Do not harm or sacrifice possums, but all are effective in getting rid of them.
Instructions
Restrict access to food
Secure garbage cans with airtight lids and remove fallen fruit from the ground. Check fruit trees regularly. Keep dog and cat food troughs and trays inside the house at night.
Eliminate hiding places
Keep brush and wood inside a closed garage rather than outdoors. Oposum like hiding in brush and wood piles.
Use a Havahart possum trap
Place some canned goods, pet food or an old fruit or vegetable inside the trap. The smell will attract the possum and trap it inside once it enters the cage. Transport him to an open field, away from his home and free him.
Ward of future possums
Add an old rag to act as a wick. Place the can near your home or potential possum shelter. Also, you can use a small bug repellent. Apply the repellent to gardens, flowerbeds, and flower beds.
Traps
Trapping possums is one of the most effective ways to get rid of them. Especially when they are hidden inside your vegetable garden, by setting a trap with bait to attract them, you will catch and eliminate the pest, preventing them from causing further damage to your property. By using a trap that does not sacrifice the possum, you can relocate the pest once it is caught and use the trap again if necessary.
The best time to use traps is in the late fall or early winter, before the breeding season begins, as this will not trap the mother and leave the young to starve to death, hiding somewhere in her basement or under the floor. You should also delimit the area frequented by the pest, or the area that has suffered greater damage, to place the trap there.
If there are possums living in your basement, shed, or attic, place the trap in the center of the room. If they are under a deck or porch, or have made their burrow inside a hollow tree, you can place the trap near the entrance to the tree. Be sure to always place it on a level surface and try to keep it out of direct sunlight, to avoid exposing the trapped animal to high temperatures.
The next step is to bait the trap, for which you can use various foods. Since they are nocturnal animals and mostly depend on their developed sense of smell for orientation, you can use baits such as small fish, canned pet food, aniseed cakes or even apples. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the trap, as you must avoid transferring your smell to both the bait and the trap. Set it just before nightfall, as this is when they will come out of hiding in search of food.
Once set up, check the trap from time to time to make sure that no animal is trapped, as being trapped for a long period will only make it more anxious and vulnerable. Use gloves when removing the trap to prevent the possum from scratching you and relocate it away from your property, always respecting the laws of its region.
You can cover the trap with a cloth to keep the animal calm during transport, and if you have not caught anything during the first attempt, be sure to remove the trap until its next use, to avoid catching a different daytime creature or even a curious pet.
Tips and Warnings
Can’t surprise the possum the first night you use the Havahart possum trap.
Never sacrifice a possum. As human beings, they can experience pain and suffering.
