Opossum: My Temporary, Invisible Pet

About a month ago, I was sitting on the couch one evening when I heard a little skritchy noise. My cats and I checked it out and we were all surprised to see a little face looking up through the a/c grate at us. I explained to the little possum that s/he would have to go back the way s/he came, as the house was off limits. S/he took my suggestion, but I was quite aware there was, as you say, a breach in the system. Although I knew at that point that I was to some extent heating and cooling the crawlspace of my house through which the ductwork ran, I procrastinated about doing anything. However, when my upstairs a/c pooped out a couple of weeks ago, I asked the man who came to fix it if he could check out the ductwork for the downstairs a/c.

After rooting around in my crawlspace on a 90-degree day, bless his heart, here's what he found: animals (presumably opossums) had chewed through some of the ductwork, which would have to be replaced. He said he could do it for about six hundred bucks (YIKES), but he suggested bringing it to the attention of the company that had installed my relatively new (October 2005) furnace, because they had left a big gap underneath the unit where it entered the foundation, through which animals could easily be admitted.

So, the installing company did indeed come replace the ductwork at no charge and also sealed the opening. Unfortunately, they did not make sure the crawlspace was possum-free when they vacated it and closed it up behind them, and it became apparent that the possum (which I presumed to be female, the mother of the kit who had crawled up to the vent) was still in residence when I heard her trying to get out. Well, phooey, I thought; I can't just leave her in there; she'll die a horrible death of starvation. But I couldn't expect her to exit the crawlspace with me standing there to close the door behind her, and I couldn't leave the door standing open because she would just come back (or somebody else would).

So, I first conducted an experiment to make sure she was indeed down there, scratching to get out, rather than outside, scratching to get back in: I put out a bowl of shredded whole wheat bread (we don't eat the end pieces, so I always chuck them out of doors for the local wildlife) just inside the crawlspace door and closed it back up. Next morning it was mostly consumed, so my suspicions were confirmed, with the added benefit of having fed my charge.

It was at that point that I became aware that I had, in effect, a pet opossum, however unwillingly we both came to the situation. Although I think possums are downright adorable and I actually have cared for an opossum before when I volunteered for an exotic animal rescue group, I certainly didn't want to keep her captive in my dark, stuffy crawlspace. However appropriate she might find the lodgings, she must value her freedom, and frankly, I didn't need any renovation to my brand-new ductwork! I resolved to trap her so I could close the crawlspace back up and have done with the situation.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of investing 50 bucks in a humane trap, but my volunteering spirit paid off! My animal rescue group would be able to lend me a trap, which I could pick up in a couple of days. As he helped me put food and water out for the possum the next night, I remarked to my husband, "I feel like we have a pet that we never get to see!" The next day, I got the trap, and I baited it with a can of cat food (possums are omnivores, like raccoons) and opened the crawlspace door into it just before sunset. 'Twas only about 20 minutes later that I heard the ka-thunk! that heralded success, and I headed outside and came face to snout with a cute little 4- or 5-pound opossum, pissed off and hissing (her, not me). It took me a little manouevering, but after closing the crawlspace back up, I managed to get her headed the right way out of the trap and she scuttled off into the liriope.

I noticed she had not had a chance to eat much of the yummy cat food I'd put out, and I certainly was not gonna feed possum cooties to my beloved furkids, so I put the bowl on the back deck, where I have put out food scraps before for the nocturnal fauna. I wondered if she would avoid it, associating that smell with a scary experience.

HA!! I looked out 30 minutes later and it was completely devoured.

All's well that ends well, I say.