So frustrated - I typed this out, hit the wrong key and it disappeared. Ugh.
So, I make a quick trip to the new house yesterday - really just to feed Momma and do a kitten check. When I get there, she comes out of the shed as usual. I feed her and then go into the shed to see the babies. As my eyes focused, I saw something didn't look right. It could NOT be. There was a possum in the box with the babies! It appeared to be sleeping at first. On closer inspection, I realized it was wounded and bleeding on the neck. I didn't know what to do. If I tried to pick up the babies, and it was "playing possum" I might loose a limb. If I didn't get them out of there - what would happen to them. It appeared that they were all still breathing. After consulting my DD (vet tech) and sister, I decided the best thing to do was make a new box for them on the screened porch. I also emptied a small plastic bin to carry them in. I decide to pick up the pool cue I had noticed sitting inside the door the day before and poke it to see if it tried to bite. If not, hold it down with it while I quickly grabbed the babies and moved them.
I could not believe what I was seeing when I went back in. There was Momma - laying on top of the possum and feeding her babies, totally relaxed. I grabbed them quickly and took them to the porch and of course she followed. I don't think she was happy about being locked in, so I hope my porch is still screened.
I had been joking about putting up a "kitten-cam" to watch them, now we wish we had. We can only guess what happened, but we believe the possum went into the shed to either get the babies, or get Momma's food that I had put in there for her and she didn't like it. I hope when I go back that it has woken up from it's coma and left the shed on it's own. I really don't want to deal with a dead possum, or worse, almost dead possum.
So the score is
Momma 1
Possum 0
So, I make a quick trip to the new house yesterday - really just to feed Momma and do a kitten check. When I get there, she comes out of the shed as usual. I feed her and then go into the shed to see the babies. As my eyes focused, I saw something didn't look right. It could NOT be. There was a possum in the box with the babies! It appeared to be sleeping at first. On closer inspection, I realized it was wounded and bleeding on the neck. I didn't know what to do. If I tried to pick up the babies, and it was "playing possum" I might loose a limb. If I didn't get them out of there - what would happen to them. It appeared that they were all still breathing. After consulting my DD (vet tech) and sister, I decided the best thing to do was make a new box for them on the screened porch. I also emptied a small plastic bin to carry them in. I decide to pick up the pool cue I had noticed sitting inside the door the day before and poke it to see if it tried to bite. If not, hold it down with it while I quickly grabbed the babies and moved them.
I could not believe what I was seeing when I went back in. There was Momma - laying on top of the possum and feeding her babies, totally relaxed. I grabbed them quickly and took them to the porch and of course she followed. I don't think she was happy about being locked in, so I hope my porch is still screened.
I had been joking about putting up a "kitten-cam" to watch them, now we wish we had. We can only guess what happened, but we believe the possum went into the shed to either get the babies, or get Momma's food that I had put in there for her and she didn't like it. I hope when I go back that it has woken up from it's coma and left the shed on it's own. I really don't want to deal with a dead possum, or worse, almost dead possum.
So the score is
Momma 1
Possum 0
. She is so protective of her babies.
Comment