Not so ugly here.
http://www.pbase.com/afildes/image/155260551
Not white faced so we shouldn't really call them possums I suppose. This was
Penelope, a regular. Size of a large cat (5-7kg) though she looks a bit rotund
as she had a baby in the pouch. Standard S.E. Australian Brushtail Possum. They
have one babe at a time and when they fur up, the often travel on Mum's back
which looks rather cute. They are aboreal and territorial and will get into
your roof sometimes where damage includes chewing access holes and pee stains
on your ceilings, plus the occasional rotting corpse. They don't make pets -
too dumb to tame - but I have managed to get some acclimatised to humans to the
point where I could feed on a piece of fruit and check her pouch at the same
time.
They are fairly placid but can arc up a bit if annoyed or trapped. That's when
you discover that they have teeth like a serious dog and claws that allow them
to run up and down trees. And speed. One once bit clean through my fingernail
once and left a lot of claw marks around it. I didn't even see his head move
and he was old and one-eyed (lost in a fight). I wasn't trying to interfere
with him either - my son was and Spot bit the innocent party when I tried to
intervene. So I don't think of them as 'cute' - I don't like that idea.
(Koalas are NOT cute - they stink, bite, scratch, piss on you from trees to
indicate annoyance and keep you awake nights howling horribly). There is a
smaller Ringtail Possum species around here and they are more of a Bush Baby
look to them so they are a bit cute. There's also a larger, woolier Mountain
Brushtail or Bobuck
It wouldn't be the same up here without the sound of possums running and
jumping around on the tin roof. And arguing in the mating season. We can't keep
them out of our roof but put up nesting boxes for them. But then, we don't grow
fruit, or roses - both favourite foods. My son bought a house down the road
(he's left home, at last!) and had one getting into the wall so we spent some
time sealing off (at night) and providing her with a new box under the balcony
(baited with apple).
While protected here, some blithering idiot introduced Brushtails into New
Zealand where they have become a serious pest and caused a lot of damage.
They've also, I understand, become more social and carnivorous so that they can
infest areas. Oddly, while they are protected here, it is possible to buy the
meat imported from NZ for bush food restaurants. And no, it doesn't taste like
chicken.
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.soultheft.com
Author/Publisher:
The SLR Compendium:
revised edition -
http://blur.by/19Hb8or
The TLR Compendium
http://blur.by/1eDpqN7
On 17/04/2014, at 3:48 AM, Paul Braun wrote:
> We've had possums in our courtyard occasionally. Coming from a guy who's
> had a number of pet rats over the years, Possums are just plain ugly.
--
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