Unexpected visitor at our back door last night

[mytwobabies]

Dh had sat a bag of trash out on our back deck last night. He went to go run an errand a couple of hours later and there was a possum right outside our door, evidently enjoying the trash. We tried everything we could to get rid of him. Dh opened the door to take his picture and it appeared as though he was smiling?? I opened the door and threw a cup of water on him and he just looked up at me, drowned and a little ticked. He then began showing his teeth and it was making me nervous. We tried spraying lysol on him in hopes it would drive him away, but nope. He just got into his defense mechanism and "played possum". Then he began drooling and we got really nervous thinking maybe he was rabid or something. We couldn't use the door or let the dog out. We called the Sheriff's department and they gave us the name of a couple of trappers and we couldn't get in touch with any of them. We then asked if it was illegal to kill them in town as we thought he was sick. They told us an officer would be out. So, the cop got here and he and my dh each took a long stick and rolled him off of our deck and all the way to the back of our lot by a line of trees. He was fine, not sick, just very scared. I did some reading on them after the cop left and saw that they're very docile and gentle animals, but we still didn't want to take any chances on him being rabid. What an adventure. Dh went out to the tree line after the cops left and he had run off. So, hopefully we will never have any visitors, maybe he will go tell his possum friends that we aren't friendly, that we poured water on him and sprayed lysol on him.

[delaware1]

I have to say you are braver than I am, I don't think I'd get close enough to lysol a possum. My parents live next to a woods and they've been having trouble with a huge possum raiding their trash cans.
Hope your visitor doesn't come back.
-Kathleen

[bearz]

We have at least 2 of them living under our deck. We have 8 cats, and they don't bother each other at all. The other night I stepped out on the back deck, and there one was just waddling around. I told DH to get a trap before we have about 15 instead of just 2! They look awful...like great big old rats...but I guess they are pretty harmless.

[Sarah66]

Their feet are kinda cool/wierd though. They love cat food.

[Littlechum]

The possum smiled for the camera? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[QTip]

Oh I know that possum smile well! Ugh! We used to have so many at my mom's house and my old house, it wasn't funny! The drooling is a part of them playing dead, it is normal. (I learned that on Animal Planet!) They give me the creeps, it is like they know something you don't.

[larasmom]

we have foxes in our development. we have one that every night walks up and down the walk in front of our house. my 2 boxers are going bonkers and bouncing off the front windows and that darn fox just sits there like he is laughing. sometimes it is so bold and gets into our garden and stares in the front window starting at the dogs.

i called animal control and they told me they are very common in our area and if don't like it there i shoudl go outside and spray it with the hose. like i am going to stand next to it in my garden to get to the garden hose and spray it.........NOT.