13 May 2013

A possum resting in the nest


There was a little visitor to our chicken coop last night.  I found him this morning when I let the girls out. It looks like a little brushtail possum, a native animal in this area. We had another visiting possum stay in our nest a few years back and that one was injured. It stayed a week or so and then disappeared. I hope he regained strength and went back to his tree. 

This little fellow looks to have lost some fur on his face so he may have been in a fight with a dog, cat or other possum. Whatever his problem, we'll leave him alone to rest and, hopefully, recover.

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23 comments

  1. Poor little possum! Glad he sought refuge with your girls :)

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  2. How cute - we don't have them over here of course. Are they generally considerd a nuisance or do people quite like them?

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    1. Robyn, I think most people like our possums. They do cause a bit of a problem in some vegetable gardens and I remember my sister's beautiful rose bushes were frequently stripped of flowers by possums. Overall though I think they're considered a sweet little animal unless they decide to set up home in a roof top. Then you need to catch them and move them to another location.

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  3. Poor little guy. I hope he's all better soon.

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  4. Rhonda, A request , Please.
    Would you please put your recipes all together in one area? This would make it much easier to retrieve them if needed.
    Thank you for a excellent site. My husband and I are just starting our chook pen and vegie patch and we getting excited at the changes we are making.
    thanks so much
    mary-anne

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    1. I've been thinking of adding the recipes to a tab at the top of the page, Mary-Anne. I'll start it soon and add to it over the following weeks. I hope that helps you and the other readers. Good luck with what you're doing at home.

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  5. Hi Rhonda
    I do like possums, but the sound they make when they are threatened is the scariest sound in the world. My dogs go mental, so they now have to sleep inside. (For overseas readers: possums are nocturnal.)

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  6. Hi Rhonda, as a possum carer (in SA) I would like to encourage you to call your local wildlife rescue group. If this little one has been attacked by a dog or cat it will need to see a vet and receive antibiotics as soon as possible. Dog and cat bites are fatal to our wildlife if not treated, due to the bacteria in the mouths of cats and dogs.
    It may also be a case of mange, in which case the possum will need treatment or, if the mange is too severe, it will need to be euthanised.

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  7. Hi Rhonda,
    what a lucky little fella to have found a safe haven to recover, our move into their territory has been costly for our native wildlife. Also I am after a book on caring for chickens, we have acquired a few layers but I am new to their care, & although they are healthy I don't want to miss any subtle changes which may indicate a change. I want an Aussie one that covers our partlicular conditions, if you know of one I would be very interested, thanks, Deb M

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  8. g'day rhonda & hanno

    i don't see them here, too many cats & dogs in this area i think, glad he found refuge with you & your girls there, i miss seeing them

    ooo, recipes all in one place now that sounds like a great idea! hope you have a great week!

    selina from kilkivan qld

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  9. I'll have to read up on brushtail possums. The possums I've found in my chicken coop here (southern US) have been in the process of eating them! Obviously, these possums are not a threat to your girls. This one's lucky to have found such a welcoming place to recover.

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  10. Isn't it amazing how a native animal of one country can be protected and cared for and encouraged in it's homeland and yet cause so much destruction and be a huge pest in another. In NZ we trap and kill brushtail possums by the thousand because of the damage they do to our native trees and wildlife. If we found one in the chicken coop I'm sorry to say it would have a very short life ahead of it!

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    1. The beautiful brushtails are a natural part of our ecosystem. They are an introduced species in your country an therefore have no natural place there. We'll look after this little fellow and help him recover.

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  11. Possums love eggs - just saying, and you should check to see if it has mange which is really nasty and can easily be transmitted to dogs, cats and wildlife.
    I love to have possums around though even if the decimate the veggie garden.

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  12. Hi Rhonda,
    We are nearly ready to start planting in our new vegie patch. As we live in the same area as you is it too late to do this? I know this is hard to answer however I hope some things may still thrive. I would appreciate your thoughts on this if you have time. We bought our seeds from Green Harvest.
    thanks mary-anne

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    1. Hi Mary-Anne, it's not too late, now is a great time to start. You can plant all the winter vegies now - turnips, peas, celery, swedes, cabbage, cauliflower and kale as well as lettuce, beans, silverbeet. If you're in an area with no frost, plant tomatoes as well. Are you on the coast or hinterland? Drop me an email if you want to. Theoretically you can grow all year round here in the hinterland but we stop planting in November because there are too many bugs and it's too hot to garden over summer. We used to do it when we were younger, but it's too much now.

      Make sure you enrich your soil before you plant. It is the one thing that will help you grow good crops and no amount of fertiliser later on will compensate for not enriching the soil before you start. Good luck love.

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  13. Hi Rhonda

    I used to be a possum carer here in Brisbane and I have to agree with Maree, he needs veterinary attention as soon as possible. Unfortunately it may also be a case of possum dermatitis. The Australian Wildlife Hospital up at Australia Zoo have a mobile unit and could probably come around as I imagine they're not too far from you and if not they could definately recommend someone. Their wildlife hotline number is 1300 369 652.
    Thanks for a great website I love it :)

    Gail

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    1. Hi Gail, Maree emailed me and I told her that a local lady from WIRES helped me with the possum. Hanno said he left the nest yesterday afternoon and walked down to the creek. Thanks for the info.

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    2. Good to hear Rhonda....maybe he/she only got halfway back to the creek by the time the sun came up and your nesting boxes looked the best place to hide out until dark :) Enjoy your day :)

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  14. That is so sweet of you. I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
    A nice , safe space is very hard to find ; )
    Have a great day.

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  15. possums here in New Zealand are not sweet little animals - the damage they have done in our native forests makes you cry. His fate would not of been good if he was in our chicken coop over here.

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  16. Wow. Here (in the USA) they like to EAT our chickens and the eggs. We have caught many possums dragging off a swawking hen...

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  17. They may be right now entering into our own roofing as well as ceilings, trying to keep people up during the night as well as urinating as well as defecating everywhere you go. Not only that possums including new fruits and veggies too therefore the backyards are actually problem management the camouflaging.
    possum removal Brisbane || possum removal Brisbane

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