Issue: Baby Opossum Trapped Inside Grill

[ColaCock]

There is a baby opossum trapped underneath the grate of my barrel grill. Only way it could have got in was through the grease trap, even though it is a small access area.

My dog was going nuts under the grill each time we went out, but I didn't see anything...until finally I opened the top of the grill and saw it.

What do I do?

[RGHoskins]

Remove it.

[markymark550]

Phil Robertson would probably say you've already got dinner in your grill, just time to fire it up.

[Captain9Dragons]

check it again in the morning, it got in it will get out

i once thought that i was feeding a stray cat , until i peered out the back door and observed a well fed possum

[Acockolypse Now]

Kill it with fire.

[ColaCock]

Originally Posted by markymark550

Phil Robertson would probably say you've already got dinner in your grill, just time to fire it up.

Originally Posted by Acockolypse Now

Kill it with fire.

Thought about this, but opossums don't really bother me much here and I'm not fan of killing helpless animals these days (although I know you were both joking). It did cross my mind.

It's a baby opossum.

[SwampFox]

I had a problem with them getting into my 2nd floor apt when I lived in St Pete. The maintenance guys checked the place out but they kept getting in. The last one I caught, I dropped in my empty bait bucket and drove to Ft Desoto Park and let it go.

That did the trick, and I never saw them again. That is why I think it was just one I was dealing with.

[ColaCock]

Originally Posted by SwampFox

I had a problem with them getting into my 2nd floor apt when I lived in St Pete. The maintenance guys checked the place out but they kept getting in. The last one I caught, I dropped in my empty bait bucket and drove to Ft Desoto Park and let it go.

That did the trick, and I never saw them again. That is why I think it was just one I was dealing with.

Yeah, but this is a baby. Probably only 6-7 inches not counting the tail.

Mom is around somewhere I am sure.

Think I will just open the grill when I go to bed here shortly and let it find it's way out. My girl is just going to want me to throw the grill away now!

She came outside and saw it...screamed and basically woke the neighborhood up!

[RGHoskins]

Put on some gloves, pick it up, and put it down outside the grill.

[ColaCock]

Originally Posted by RGHoskins

Put on some gloves, pick it up, and put it down outside the grill.

Don't get me wrong...it's a baby, so I am not afraid of it.

However, I just found out that opossums don't carry rabies (always thought that).

Just thought it was strange it got where it is...it's basically in opossum jail under the grill grates.

[RGHoskins]

Originally Posted by ColaCock

Don't get me wrong...it's a baby, so I am not afraid of it.

However, I just found out that opossums don't carry rabies (always thought that).

Just thought it was strange it got where it is...it's basically in opossum jail under the grill grates.

Maybe it's a bad egg.

[ColaCock]

Originally Posted by RGHoskins

Maybe it's a bad egg.

Yeah, not too bright. Are you suggesting it deserves to be eliminated based on its species' Darwin Award?

[RGHoskins]

Originally Posted by ColaCock

Yeah, not too bright. Are you suggesting it deserves to be eliminated based on its species' Darwin Award?

More that maybe it's been jailed for a reason. Opossums are pretty cool customers. They're well documented not to take no mess.

[ColaCock]

This is a pretty cool opossum:

[lencho30]

Don't kill it. Opossums are actually pretty cool. There are a lot of myths about them that are just plain false. They keep away snakes and smaller rodents and 95% of the hissing and teeth is just for show.

[Cocky Doodle]

Reminds me of a few years back - wife and I were laying in bed - not sleeping yet - I heard something scratching around in the air ducts which were under the house. My wife is VERY scared of rodents, insects, you name it. She asked me "what is that noise?" I said probably a mouse, dont worry it cant get thru the air vents into the house (although I knew it probably could). We kept hearing the scratching noise. Then I heard a thumping sound moving around the air ducts under the house. I thought - well that aint no mouse - whatever it is is making a thump when it walks - thats something big - but I didnt say anything. Then we heard a loud scratching noise right beside the bed on my wife's side. She flips on the bed light and looks down. There is a possum hanging from the air vent, gnawing at the vent trying to get out. My wife screams, jumps out of the bed, and runs out of the room. The damn possum just hung there chewing on the vent - with its nasty little teeth - big possum too. He eventually figured out he would not get out there so he dropped down and went back thru the vents - thump thump thump - but he was still in there trapped.

I am thinking how in the hell do I get this possum out of the vents? I am thinking things like 1) pull one vent off and shove a cat in there to flush him out? 2) drop a rodent bomb in the vents - but then have poison coming in the house forever thru the vents? 3) call an exterminator
and so on

Next morning I found a hole in the venting ducts and figured thats where he had gotten in - but he couldnt find his way out.

I left it alone for a day to see what would happen - and I guess he finally found his way out. Patched the hole so he couldnt get back in.

Totally freaked my wife out.

[DaddyPhatSaks]

Ive raised tons of Opossums for release. They are wonderful creatures. Their blood temp is too low to carry rabies (generally speaking). Get the baby out and let it go, he/she is probably starving to death.

[DaddyPhatSaks]

ps....I also raise these...

[SwampFox]

The one that kept getting into my apt was a youngster. The first time I saw it, it just walked up to me whileI was watching TV. I scooped it into my bait bucket and took it outside. I caught it a few more times before I took it out to park on Mullet Key and never saw it again.

[stiffolcock]

those skunks are some cool critters(de-scented).