possum deterrents, page-11

Kincella,

Possums, especially brush tailed, present a problem to a lot of suburban dwellers.
We have at least one possum family on our property here in Albury that ranges over about 5 properties, but every night, ( will walk past me if I'm down the back working at my bench outside my shed), will go up onto a huge Pin Oak, or other trees elsewhere on our place.
So far I'm not aware of them hurting any fruit or vegs over the years, since '97, so we have cohabitated happily till now.
I have more fruit trees and grape vines, struggling through the hot dry weather so hope they don't start on them in a year or two when hopefully, they produce.
At the moment, 2 large grape vines, first year of a big crop, has slowly and even nearly inconspicuously, black birds have taken 60%, even though I had a net hanging over one.

A white Egret took my goldfish again, so now have a mesh over the pond, cats took some of our chickens 12 months ago, codlin moth in some of our apples, this year have a mosquito net over our Nectarine tree, so far so good regarding fruit fly with that one.

So hard to grow food without something destroying it or eating it, even without possums in the mix.

I didn't know it was illegal to trap possums if they are a nuisance until I googled and found reference to being able to move them out of your roof but not being able to move them more than 50 metres.
(It states on the NPWS site, not more than 150m)

I will have to look more into that one.

Also, it says elsewhere that feeding is not recommended.

"Although you should not feed your resident possum, you could try building it a special shelter, somewhere safe (and away from your roof cavity) where it won't be disturbed by dogs or people. Check out the links below for more details - and good luck making friends!"


So, Kincella, big brother raises its ugly head again.
Looks like it's not OK with you to trap them possums and you're happy with that part, but you probably wouldn't like being in trouble for feeding them.

On another note, Not many people would be aware of Yellow Footed Antechinus, of which there aren't a lot around Albury Wodonga.
That is how it was explained to me by Joy Sloane, an environmental officer from Wodonga years ago, when I caught my first one in a trap, and made enquiries, whilst having a mouse problem on the Jindera Gap.
What it showed was a pretty good environment where we were living at the time, less interfered with by human activities, such that she said the closest they generally were, was Chiltern Forrest.