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need to borrow a dog for a bit - possum babies in house


mexpat06

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Last week we had a possum stuck in the TV room and then the bathroom and it left thrut he window.

 

This morning we found a baby that does not look like a newborn.  One of our four cats was watching it toddle across the floor in a rarely used room.  No sign of any others but it is unlikely there is just one.

 

We thought maybe an excitable dog might help find the rest.  Send me a PM if i can borrow your dog this afternoon between 2 and 4, thanks!

 

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This story was just getting funnier by the minute until the alarmists jumped in. I would think it logical the poster was not talking about killing them, else why go public with such a grisly intent? Using the dogs sense of smell to find out where they are hidden(perhaps behind a wall), so they can be safely removed before they die of starvation makes more sense to me. I am sure they have already looked at all areas accessible to people and dogs.

Chances are the babe (s?) are well hidden behind or in some dark crevasse. A cat could find this too. Why not let yours in there to see what it can find? Look for openings in your walls.  I feel for you if its your "junk room". Ah well, probably time to clean it out anyway, lol. Where s Jack Russell when you need one eh?

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34 minutes ago, Semalu said:

This story was just getting funnier by the minute until the alarmists jumped in. I would think it logical the poster was not talking about killing them, else why go public with such a grisly intent? Using the dogs sense of smell to find out where they are hidden(perhaps behind a wall), so they can be safely removed before they die of starvation makes more sense to me. I am sure they have already looked at all areas accessible to people and dogs.

Chances are the babe (s?) are well hidden behind or in some dark crevasse. A cat could find this too. Why not let yours in there to see what it can find? Look for openings in your walls.  I feel for you if its your "junk room". Ah well, probably time to clean it out anyway, lol. Where s Jack Russell when you need one eh?

 

I think it is possible that you don't know the whole story and that is that the people want to throw the still nursing babies out in a field where they will die. They were given the wildlife number but did not act too interested. Hopefully,  they will call the wildlife people to catch and save the babies. 

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Well with the mother in the house last week we did not have to call the wildlife people because we got her into a bathroom with an outside window and provided her with a wood 2x4 bridge up to the window and she left.  Just this morning we found a baby in a usually unoccupied guest room, not filled with junk. We looked and there was no obvious place for a nest or babies.  The housekeeper was here yesterday for 9 hours and if there was any nest in this house she would have found it. If this baby was in the house a week after the mother left then any other babies would be noisy and very hungry.  It is possible the baby came in thru the cat door but really that woul be a shot in the dark for any animal. I needed a dog to lead the way to the possible nest not to harm the nest.

 

Our 4 female cats could have cared less that the adult was in the house they all went to the high ground on couches and table tops and watched while their male human herded the possum and sent it into the bathroom.  I saw each night thereafter for several nights those same cats just sit and watch the possum move thru their yard.  Since I have extremely keen hearing and go out in the middle of the night to spot the chewing of leaves by the leaf cutter ants I had not noticed nor heard anywhere on the property the sound you might have expected from baby animals in distress.  I do without shame poison the leaf cutter ants.

 

We attended a vegetable gardening meeting this morning and per their suggestion when we returned home we did contact the animal people and had a nice chat when they called back.  We took the newly found baby with me for identification when I indicated that I would put it in the field a lady took it and cooed over it and said it was cold and she needed to hug it.  It seems until we find evidence of yet another baby we do not have to do anything. Yes my first response is to put a baby without a momma in the field. It is a possum not a kitten or puppy. 

 

Everybody has a different sensibility about these issues.  I do not believe in no-kill centers.  I believe in paying for spaying strays. I do not believe in picking up strays that you "think" should be better taken care of, need someone to love them or anyother lame excuse to snatch dogs out of their environment. I do not believe spending your last dollar to provide surgery for an animal (and over the years we have seen this happen more times than we ever thought possible) is in anyone's interest let alone the animals.  I do not believe every baby animal should be saved.  I do believe in utilizing personal and community resources for the greatest good for all. I believe in supporting veterinary efforts for community action. 

 

I have the alarm set for 3 am so I can go out and sit in the lower garden and listen for squeaking.  The my other half can take care of them tomorrow and whatever the wildlife people want to do with them is fine with us.  I will, of course, send a significant donation along with them.  I will do this because of social pressure however I would much rather give that amount to Dr. Pepe for spaying my village neighbors animals.  It is the greater good than a couple of possum babies.

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Its too bad such a good story turned sour so quickly. I hope Mexpat +1 remember the funny side of this and can let the rest go, having learned the  sad but  valuable lesson about posting on open and public web sites. Good on you for standing up for your beliefs and good luck with the possums.

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Wow,I wonder if its from watching too much TV, you know, all those egocentric shows where everyone always has evil or criminal intent? This story is not like that.

I suppose this is starting to stray off topic but, in addition to what Mexpat said, I would also like to add being a believer in rabies shots for all...

 

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1 hour ago, Oldyfeliz said:

  Possums have survived for thousands of years & provide no benefit.  Since I was raised on the farm I understand this.    

People who were "raised on the farm" know that they are tasty even if they are more or less fresh road kill. Possum hunts in certain areas are an excuse for social gatherings and enjoying the chase with hounds, well trained and bred specifically for that purpose and the end benefit of tasty morsels..

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2 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

Are you kidding me? They are an invasive species in most of the world. Just like many of the rats and mice - would we having having this discussion if they were rats?

invasive species Mexico

I have to laugh, for one,using wikie as a reference and two, your reference not backing up  what you have posted. At least you didn't say "scientists say"!:lol:

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ok guys! what is the Tel. No. to call the Gaigers, the recue team? Thanks!.

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Lot of kind souls here - nothing wrong with that. We once had a tenant in Puerto Vallarta who reported that a "baby mouse" (almost certainly a baby rat) was loose in the apartment. The property manager told them he would come by and drop off some rat poison, she said "oh no - I can't allow that, I'm a Buddhist"  She wanted it to be live captured and then released back into the wild (Los Muertos Beach!)

I was wondering about people who let their cats run wild in the neighbourhood, hunting baby rats, baby possums, small birds and lizards. Interesting what PETA has to say about it.

http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/caring-animal-companions/caring-cats/indoor-cats/

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Mexpat06, loved your post, am with you all the way. Hug a baby possum? I certainly don´t advocate animal cruelty, but why must people anthropomorphize animals? Even one´s dog doesn´t appreciate being hugged, surprise surprise, even though they will tolerate it.

Possums are more or less giant rats. Wild animals. Therefore they get killed by dogs and other animals all the time. That´s not cruel, that´s nature at work. And if there were babies that were still nursing, they would have long been dead with the mother being gone for a week.

Get a grip folks.

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1 minute ago, mudgirl said:

Mexpat06, loved your post, am with you all the way. Hug a baby possum? I certainly don´t advocate animal cruelty, but why must people anthropomorphize animals? Even one´s dog doesn´t appreciate being hugged, surprise surprise, even though they will tolerate it.

Possums are more or less giant rats. Wild animals. Therefore they get killed by dogs and other animals all the time. That´s not cruel, that´s nature at work. And if there were babies that were still nursing, they would have long been dead with the mother being gone for a week.

Get a grip folks.

They are not rodents so they can't be giant rats.

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