Here in Australia we have pesky little creatures called possums who love to make a home in your roof space if they can find a way in. They are also a protected species by law.
We had a possum problem some years back and a possum specialist come and he placed a one way trap door over an open tile (after sealing all possible entrances) After a few tries we managed to successfully evict the unwelcome guests. Now a few nights ago I noticed one of the sealed spots had given way (not sure if a possum had managed to pull the screw out - these guys are pretty strong).
So the cool thing (at least I think so) I did was to create a possum exit alert to let me know when they are leaving the house to do whatever possums do at night. Fortunately the exit point is a space small enough to stuff a crumpled up piece of scrap paper in it. A piece of string is taped to the paper ball with the other end tied to a xiaomi door magnet. The magnet rests on top of a door sensor stuck to the wall (in a waterproof box in case it rains). Paper ball gets pushed out pulling the magnet off the box and triggers the alert.
So tonight the alert goes off (at about 9 which is about the right time for them to head out) , so I quickly head out and screw a new piece of wood to shut them out again. If there is no frantic jailbreak scratching during the night then mission accomplished. I know I could just go out and check the paper ball every so often but where's the fun in that?
Opossums are not protected here in Georgia, US. In fact they just made it legal to hunt them year round on private property. Apparently they are effecting the turkey population, they steal eggs.
I had never heard of them being protected here so I looked it up. We have always thought of them as big rats mostly. I have seem them a few times on my cameras wondering through my yard at night.
During the day, we feed birds and squirrels on our back deck. After dark, we have an opossum scavenge for leftovers. We have a video camera that covers the back deck, so we can watch the critters eating. The camera we have has great night vision, so the opossum shows up clearly, even on dark nights. So far, he seems content to looking for leftover food. A few years ago, we had a racoon tear off some shingles and chew through the plywood of our roof to access the attic space. We have to keep nearby trees cut back so the racoons and opossums cannot get up there, but the squirrels can jump far enough to reach the roof.
We also have them in New Zealand, where they were imported from Australia. Here they are an absolute pest and there are many government funded projects trying to eradicate them. I am trapping in my backyard. I have a 1.5ha property, mostly covered in dense bush, so the possums love it here. The last time I had one of the government funded project trapping on the property they caught 15 possums over two weeks.
Good use of a contact sensor though! Hopefully you didn't trap anything inside your roof space
Technically although based on my family and those I know in north Louisiana I would say they they likely haven;t heard about that rule...
In Texas, property owners can kill "nuisance" animals such as opossums if the animals are considered a problem... And they always are, and (almost) everyone has a gun, and a fire pit for disposal of unwanted things, so...
That said I'm sure some here relocate them. Heck, I have a neighbor that relocates rattle snakes and tarantulas instead of disposing of them... Takes all kinds I guess.
Update, heard scratching in the roof this morning. Looks like I'll have to call the guy in again as the possum(s) have probably found another way in . Ah well......
I'm in far SW Missouri. My wife feeds possum, raccoon and stray cats. The possum eat lots of tics . They are considered beneficial by many people. Unfortunately they are slow movers and often get flattened in the roadway. The only wild animal I do not appreciate, and have shot in the past, are the armadillo hole diggers.
From what I've read, Armadillo or more likely to carry leprosy than possums. And in 20+ years living in SW Missouri I have yet to hear of anyone with leprosy. But thanks for the tip. I don't handle any of the wild animals and keep their food bowls far from my domestic animals bowls.
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. Ah well......
