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babyblue
July 31st, 2012, 7:10 AM
I have floor vents in my home and discovered a opossum in there this morning. Any ideas how to get it out? It's a baby and I am worried there may be more than one and where is momma.

Grammar Rules
July 31st, 2012, 7:12 AM
Wow, let us know. Do fire departments even do stuff like that? Maybe Animal Control? I'd call the City first and get a suggestion.

CenTexDave
July 31st, 2012, 9:38 AM
I'd be finding out how it got in there in the first place.
They are usually nocturnal, so probably will leave when it is dark outside. Then block how it got in there.

sojourner truth
July 31st, 2012, 10:28 AM
Yeppers...Had one blown away by the cops last Monday night. Killed a bull snake (about a 3 footer) on the patio this morning. We are getting a lot of lizzards this year too.

mac
July 31st, 2012, 11:25 AM
i have this visual in my mind of this possum seakin' into the house through the door with a little ole screw driver in it's hands or pocket, unscrewin' the vent and then goin' into the vent itself to chll out only to find out that some one had replaced the vent grill and screwed it back in place. how in the world can anything bigger than a gecko get through a vent grill to get inside a vent. until now i would've said that that was impossible!

anyway, the only thing left for you to do is to unhook the vent from where it's attached to the unit, find out which way the critter is pointed and push him out the other end with a cane pole, or compressed air or whatever you have. he ain't gonna cooperate and turn around for you and may even play dead for a while. good luck to you! if you ever figure out how the hell he got in there, please let us know. i can only think you must have an awful big leak in your system and have prob'ly been tryin' to cool down texas!.....mac


I have floor vents in my home and discovered a opossum in there this morning. Any ideas how to get it out? It's a baby and I am worried there may be more than one and where is momma.

babyblue
July 31st, 2012, 11:34 AM
I think he probably chewed a hole in the ventilation system under the house and got in that way. We will have to climb under there and see if we can find a hole and close it up. I just don't want to close it while he's in there in case he will just go out that way. My husband is thinking we should open the vent in the office with a trap set up to try and catch it. I just went and bought 2 traps.

mac
July 31st, 2012, 11:46 AM
i'm not sure i know why he wants to trap 'em but.....so be it. yeow, take off that vent grill and he'll find his own exit.....just make sure that the first thing you do is put the grill back on befor you start chasin' that 'possum 'round or he'll go right back down the vent!....mac


I think he probably chewed a hole in the ventilation system under the house and got in that way. We will have to climb under there and see if we can find a hole and close it up. I just don't want to close it while he's in there in case he will just go out that way. My husband is thinking we should open the vent in the office with a trap set up to try and catch it. I just went and bought 2 traps.

CenTexDave
July 31st, 2012, 12:07 PM
I've never tried it myself, but heard possum stew is excellent. :))

mac
July 31st, 2012, 12:13 PM
nay....they're gamier'n a coon and/or a bear..mac


I've never tried it myself, but heard possum stew is excellent. :))

Night Owl
July 31st, 2012, 1:36 PM
If the animal is in your duct works then you have a big issue. Those are susposed to be sealed. Good luck.

CenTexDave
July 31st, 2012, 1:46 PM
Coon jerky is excellent. So is coon - wrap in bacon and cook.

sojourner truth
July 31st, 2012, 1:54 PM
We had this problem with mice in our old house. Our vents were overhead, but they would gnaw a hole in the ducts and then crawl down into the vents. Mostly in the summer of coldest winter days for the heat/AC. They don't like being hot or cold either, and love it when they can find a spot they can "chill out" in for a few hours. Somewhere in your ductworks, you have a hole they have gnawed in. Sure hate the idea of climbing under the house to find it, but it needs to be done. Not sure what you can use to patch it besides duct tape. Maybe some metallic duct tape woyuld discourage the chewing. When they crawl under the house, they can feel the cooler air in the duct, especially if the outer insulation is dry rotted and missing. This happens about every 10 years on overhead ducting due to UV radiational decay. Replacing the ductwork is pretty expensive too.

corgifan
July 31st, 2012, 2:47 PM
I thought they were called "possums" in the south.

CenTexDave
July 31st, 2012, 3:49 PM
They are officially an opossum. Just shortened to possum.

sojourner truth
July 31st, 2012, 4:44 PM
I thought they were called "possums" in the south.


I wouldn't know, I'm from california where we use dictionaries that spell the species name as "opossum". We also aren't raised being told that Y'all is singular and all y'all is plural.

mac
July 31st, 2012, 4:53 PM
anybody that'd eat a 'coon......twice, would eat a maggot.....mac


Coon jerky is excellent. So is coon - wrap in bacon and cook.

Grammar Rules
July 31st, 2012, 7:15 PM
I wouldn't know, I'm from california where we use dictionaries that spell the species name as "opossum". We also aren't raised being told that Y'all is singular and all y'all is plural.

Not in Texas. Y'all is only plural. That singular y'all is further into the Deep South.

Still, that possum (yep, that's what it is in Texas) needs to go!

Ludwig
July 31st, 2012, 7:35 PM
The air vents to your crawlspace under the house should allow nothing bigger than a "water beetle" to get under your house or you are going to have mucho problemo with rats come cold weather and only God knows what all has chosen to camp out under that house already. When you go to investigate I suggest a very strong light and a golf club go with you. Also, in my case, it's a good idea to carry a walkie-talkie or cell phone so you can get help if you're wedged between a rafter and the ground. Having a house sit on you is very intimidating.

babyblue
July 31st, 2012, 10:16 PM
The house is a mobile home so there is actually quite a bit of space under there. We have had them under the house before and one time we found one in the house but never in the vents.

Ludwig
July 31st, 2012, 10:22 PM
The house is a mobile home

Should be an easy fix then. Might want to consider installing sheet-metal ducting.

babyblue
August 2nd, 2012, 8:59 AM
I'd be finding out how it got in there in the first place.
They are usually nocturnal, so probably will leave when it is dark outside. Then block how it got in there.


It looks like you were right. We haven't heard or seen anything in the last 2 nights. Now we will see how it got in so we can fix that.