Opossum Poop - something like a cat turd.

Hey,
This is Charles Parker again with another animal trapping update. I have many animal removal blogs out there on blogger but the one that people seem to like the best are full of poop.
Pictures, stories, you name it - the more crap involved the better, lol.

When I do an inspection on a clients property, I often find some poop (excrement/waste/etc.) and sometimes the homeowner has already spotted it and knows it is some sort of crap or turd but do not know what kind it is. Customers ask me, "how do you know it is opossum poop?" and I usually respond with, "because it tastes terrible..." but I say that about all kinds of crap.

A little humorous, sure but what is this crap all about? When you find droppings in your attic, you will almost always ask yourself what did it. I hope to help you figure it out with all of my experience in this sort of crap.

I get asked, "what kind of animal did that?" and can usually tell right away. especially if it is an opossum. Before you get all excited about this crap, let's get a few things out of the way. First of all, if you have an "Opossum" problem, it is not a "Possum" problem - go see for yourself - possums are not native to North America - OPOSSUMS, however, are found here. That is right, a "Possum" is found in Australia. Check out this link for more reading: Possum vs Opossum

So what does Opossum poop look like? Here are several great photos, and feel free to use them however you wish. If you do use them on your website give me some credit, maybe link back to my blog here. Thanks! Animal droppings are often in dark attics. This first photo is often what you're faced with, a large out of focus pile of something you just know is crap but cannot tell for sure what did it. Let's call this - random crap. Random crap is when some random animal strolls in, does his business and leaves. Sure, there is evidence but only an expert who knows his "crap" can ID it and he will probably need to come out and have a first-hand look. He needs to see it in person because this photo doesn't do it justice. A good animal crap pic would let you see some texture, and maybe even invoke some sort of emotional response. A great one, wow you can almost taste it.

Even out of focus opossum poop is smaller than raccoon poop.

Raccoon poop would be more like what you would expect your dog to leave behind vs opossum poop where you might think a cat did it. By comparison, opossum poop most resembles cat poop in size.

Animal trap setup - how to find out what is in the attic!

Day ONE.

Opossums in the attic, however the homeowner thought it was a squirrel or rat issue - so did his pest control guy!

Convinced he had squirrels, he called us in. We went to work - but we knew it was an opossum, the trouble was we didn't know how big it was! Was this the remnants of an abandoned litter? Were there adults present?

Well, our setup like this quickly helped us to determine that there were adults present!

So after a careful examination of the property we set it up like this, notice the powder around the traps? This help us determine what is walking around in there, since we can see footprints.

The first thing we did was get a good look in the attic, we saw poop (feces) that was way too big for a rodent.  We saw poop (yes we know, "feces") that was also green, this indicated that something was indeed eating the poison that the pest control guy put out, but it was ineffective and simply not the right control technique for this situation.

Day TWO

Customer sent us some photos, and we knew at that point that the powder was disturbed and the footprints were from a fairly large creature in the attic. It was NOT baby opossums, it was an adult and fully grown animal. The traps were tripped but nothing was in it, of course not he was too large.

We set out a larger trap, a larger trap with heavy duty springs. I had a feeling we were dealing with a larger animal and although all I had with me at the time was this trap I set it up and promised to be back the next day.

Day Three

Opossum trapped!

Yes, we caught the opossum and YES it was an adult. I brought an even larger trap with me and set that out today. I will update this when we get new information...

So until then - to be continued...

Large Rattlesnake found in New Orleans!

This large rattlesnake was found on the side walk in New Orleans east! If you snake matching this description give us a call - this one was found but there may be others! After a hurricane like Isaac you never know what you will find, this is one thing one resident was shocked to see - but glad its gone!

Parker Wildlife Control picked this snake up after receiving a call from a concerned homeowner in the area. We do not usually find these snakes here but when one shows up we know it is a real danger to the community to have one cruising down through the neighborhood!

If you have a wildlife problem give us a call - 504-338-7517 or visit our website at www.parkerwildifecontrol.com

Pigeon Update

Remember that pigeon problem I posted concerning the pigeon trapping that was impossible? Well they finally called and gave me the OK to remove them manually by pellet gun. Every attempt and alternative was made and utilized but to no avail prior to this as we all care about animals. Our first night removed over 400 and the second night over 200 more. Now the workers can begin the clean-up process, and those who work there are no longer going to be worried about what they may be bringing home to their families on the bottom of their shoes after a day of work, or what they may be exposed to on a daily basis - breathing potentially infectious air is good for no-one.

It was a bad problem but it has been removed.

I did not charge enough for it but it was a learning experience for all!

Waking up this morning to read about Coyotes in Saint Tammany, I had to just shake my head. I think the author did an excellent job with the information he had but if talked to Wildlife and Fisheries why didn't they recommend a nuisance wildlife control company ? There are several companies licensed to do this type of work right here in new orleans and yet they didnt mention it? Sounds crazy, but my company "Parker Wildlife Control" can remove coyotes from saint tammany parish as well as anywhere else in the state of LA.

No we will not remove all of them, but by keeping the numbers down, other more beneficial wildlife will be able to come back, not to mention give the people of that area a little piece of mind when they are out walking their pets in the evenings.

here is a link to that article, http://www.nola.com/northshore/index.ssf/2009/10/coyotes_are_snatching_pets_in.html

Armadillo trapping in New Orleans

Trapping armadillos in New Orleans this year has certainly been fun! Trapping them isnt very easy and can be quite tricky even for an expert. I have trapped more armadillos out of LaPlace this year than any other area!
Why remove an armadillo? The answer is simple really especially if you have termites or a contract with a pest control company for termites. Any time you dig (or an armadillos digs!) around the foundation the area needs to be retreated as the barrier they have established is broken.
I have found no bait yet to work for them. I simply trap them using known trails they use and allow them to walk right in. Placing a trap in front of the hole can result in catching them faster too!

Off to check out the PIA pigeon job from hell. Birds will NOT respond to the bait. Its a chemical company, and I am afraid there is something that is on the ground that the birds just will not eat fromteh ground in that area which is going to make trapping impossible. I have alot of money already invested in a job that hasn't paid me a nickel yet! More will follow as it happens folks!