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Nileyears 71F
2379 posts
1/31/2022 10:30 am
SURPRISE!!!
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Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 10:32 am

 Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for an opossum.


Rocketship 80F
18584 posts
1/31/2022 11:16 am

 Oh my goodness, Nileyears~~~

Both opossums and skunks are good insect eaters, but I wouldn't want them living under my house either!

Have you thought about getting something like what we call 'chicken wire' and digging down about maybe two feet and putting it around the house?
I've heard that works well.

Warm Hugsss~~~~


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 12:25 pm
    Quoting Rocketship:
    Oh my goodness, Nileyears~~~

    Both opossums and skunks are good insect eaters, but I wouldn't want them living under my house either!

    Have you thought about getting something like what we call 'chicken wire' and digging down about maybe two feet and putting it around the house?
    I've heard that works well.

    Warm Hugsss~~~~
Yes, both critters are great for insects, opossums also eat ticks as well. Skunks eat not just insects, they also eat mice and voles. Bad thing about skunks is that they also kill chickens, so I really don't want them living under the house. As the saying goes, everything likes chicken!

Chicken wire is a great idea, I have plenty of rolls around here I can put to use. I save them for my veggie garden in the Spring to keep the rabbits and chickens out, but this year I'm planning on making hoop houses for the garden.

Thanks Rocket! Hugs!!


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 4:14 pm
    Quoting sparkleflit:
    Wow....Sounds like those critters are keeping you busy....I had raccoons living under my house......Years ago...Not this house, it's built on a concrete pad. One time when I was coming home at night with a flashs-light, I was met with 6 sets of glowing eyes.....4 of them small....They left on their own, but I missed hearing them squeaking and snuffling that Winter...
I wish this house was on a concrete slab, but the ground shifts too much, so it's on pier and beam. Never had raccoon problems, I wonder if they are as loud as opossums? Skunks are quiet, I only knew there was something under there because of the freshly dug tunnels going under the cinder block wall surrounding the house. One thing I am happy about is that it didn't leave a stinky smell under my home, some people aren't that lucky.


cayman07 79F

1/31/2022 7:28 pm

 My son had a family of skunks that would come into the house at night and eat the cat food. He become very attached to them and they never sprayed anything . Amazing because he lives in the middle of Albuquerque! Right now I am preparing for brutal temperatures later this week. My son will be down Wednesday to help care for the livestock.


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 9:19 pm
    Quoting  :
Thanks Tx, good to be back!

I like the idea of a sixty foot rope, I'll tie one on to the trap in the morning... just in case and hope nothing is in it yet!

I feel for your ex father in law, I would have been throwing up big time. I ran over a dead skunk with my one ton and I swear, the smell of skunk was on my truck for over a week! Stinky little critters!

I'll do my best to not get sprayed, I don't have any tomato juice handy. Does tomato sauce work? I have plenty of that.


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 9:26 pm
    Quoting sparkleflit:
    When I was learning to drive, only had a learner's permit, I "borrowed" my father's car without his permission. It was kept in a closed garage about 60 feet from our house......My parents were gone for the night......a rare opportunity....

    I was feeling pretty cocky when I parked it in the garage and shut the door.....Unbeknownst to me, I had run over a dead skunk on the highway.....I didn't notice, but sitting there with the door shut all night and half of the next day just drew the smell out....He tore up my learner's permit and I had to wait 6 more months.....
BUSTED!! LOL, teenagers, always thinking we could get away with stuff back then. Oh well, think of all the times we did, it all balanced out.


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
1/31/2022 9:42 pm
    Quoting cayman07:
    My son had a family of skunks that would come into the house at night and eat the cat food. He become very attached to them and they never sprayed anything . Amazing because he lives in the middle of Albuquerque! Right now I am preparing for brutal temperatures later this week. My son will be down Wednesday to help care for the livestock.
Free food! Skunks are cute at a distance, but I don't think I'd let them in my house, especially the kits, they don't give you a warning, they just spray if scared, but they are cute. My daughter startled a baby skunk and it sprayed at her, thankfully it missed and hit the building instead. So she sprayed the wall with bleach to kill the smell.

We have bad weather coming in Wednesday evening changing the rain into sleet over night, then freezing temps for a couple of days. I'm guessing it's the same front that is going to hit you as well. I'm almost ready for it, just a few more things to do. Good luck and stay safe and warm.


Maudie1 74F
8151 posts
1/31/2022 11:03 pm

 I hope you get your opossums problem sorted sooner rather than later. Thankfully we don't have those little guys here.

Good to see you back, Niles.


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
2/1/2022 8:13 am
    Quoting Maudie1:
    I hope you get your opossums problem sorted sooner rather than later. Thankfully we don't have those little guys here.

    Good to see you back, Niles.
Oh well, they are only trying to stay warm, and what better place then under a heated house? Summer time they stay cool. I have no fear of opossums, but they do tear up the underside of a home, skunks on the other hand, can stink you out of your home. My daughter rented a house where a skunk decided to spray. The smell was in their clothing and furnishings. She borrowed my carpet cleaner to shampoo the carpet, washed everything and the smell was still in there home.

Thanks Maudie, good to be back. Sometimes I just don't realize how long it's been.


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
2/1/2022 8:18 am

 Lol, no, not that kind of busted, parent busted. We used to say that to each other as teens when one of us got caught by our parents. My friends and I would have great fun laughing at each other when we got "Busted".


Nileyears 71F
4208 posts
2/2/2022 7:34 am
    Quoting  :
I remember that Tx!! That was only a couple years ago.

I've only seen one rattlesnake here in the last 27 years. Can't believe I've stayed in one spot for so long, LOL, but there are copperheads, rat snakes and yes, even cotton mouths during the rainy season. They all want one thing, eggs and/or baby chicks. Once they find the chickens, I have to kill them because they keep going back to their food source.

I should write some snake blogs, a couple of those stories are pretty funny.

Nah, I'll leave the rattlesnake roundup to the boys, I don't move as fast as I used to.




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