I finally got a couple of photos this morning, this image was cropped and blow up for a better view. I counted at least four babies, you can see three faces and one set of ears.
Just big rats to me.
Around here, the 'possums and the raccoons seem to compete for the same turf. For a few years, we’ll see lots of one and few to none of the other, then the balance shifts for the next few years. Right now, the raccoon party is in power. I guess at least the 'possums don’t seem to kill our chickens.
This is quite a contrast from the opossum experiences I had at the farm. Very mean. Aggressive, destructive, would ravage a dozen tomato plants in one night, dig up dozens of carrots and potatoes, constantly tearing up the chicken house trying to get at the chicks and eggs. One night they did manage to get in and killed 20 chicks and 5 hens and destroyed dozens of eggs. There was a standing order to shoot on sight when I was visiting the farm. They did not tend to run off into the woods like coyotes or foxes. The opossums would stand their ground and bark and spit and generally look like they were fixin’ ta pop the top on a can of whoop ass.
@Kidsandliz They “ate at” the hens. Well mangled carcasses were all that was left. Pretty much decimated the chicks and eggs. Really not much left of them but some pinfeathers and goo. They traveled in a packs there. Groups of five or six. Pretty much the only wildlife I was cautious of there, save for the wild turkeys. The turkeys were very aggressive as well, but didn’t mess with the livestock or garden. Only the people.
@ruouttaurmind OMG wild turkeys… So I was taking a group of college kids backpacking in Zaleski State Forest (southern OH back when I lived there). Copperhead and rattlesnakes live there. I heard a hissing and was thinking WTF - that is loud for a snake. With another group (so I was now more cautious than in the past) we had walked right past a a poisonous snake - forget which kind - just off the path with his body coiled with its head raised and swaying back and forth. I was last in line and was the only one that saw him. Good thing he didn’t strike. Anyway across the path in front of us comes a running wild turkey (smaller than I thought they were) with it’s wings out and sort of flapping, red part of its neck engorged, and hissing. He veered off the path and into the woods right in front of us. I guess he decided not to attack when he saw there were 12 or so humans (who were so ready to scatter LOL).
I’ve had 4-5 wild turkeys (“citified” big ones on undeveloped urban land) group attack my car. I just rolled up to them slowly and let them do it in order to watch. They kept circling and pecking and finally I moved forward slowly and they gave way.
I rolled away slowly watching them in the tire view (empty road)
And a bit behind me along comes an F250 extended cab dually monster, going very slowly. The pickup driver must have seen my “turkey incident” and gotten curious.
The turkeys were still trying to hold the road. The dually came to a stop tight in front of them and they tried to attack it also.
After a while the driver slowly pushed thru them.
And a few min later (was watching at a distance) the turkey street gang headed for the pasture and the trees.
FWIW both vehicles were white. Wonder if turkeys are color sensitive about what they target.
The turkeys lost out to bulldozers and heavy equipment tho. That land is all developed now.
@f00l@Kidsandliz@ruouttaurmind maybe too much human interaction? Or… Dumb? Lol. Turkeys are usually hard to call in. Never had an issue with possums doing weird stuff.
I lived in Austin, TX in the early '60s. Saturday nights, after consuming prodigious quantities of adult beverages (I was 17 or 18), we’d go down to 6th Street to a café that served baked possum. What a great way to clean out the system and mitigate the hangover. Other than that, I can’t think of anything those giant rats might be good for!
Awesome possum story.
/image awesome possum
LEGOS! EGGOS! STRATEGO! AWESOME!
@mediocrebot Stratego!
Ahhh.Sweet little babies.
: )
Very sweet! Congrats to the mom (and aunt @lisaviolet for setting up the guest room)!
Aahhh, I want one…
Just big rats to me.
Around here, the 'possums and the raccoons seem to compete for the same turf. For a few years, we’ll see lots of one and few to none of the other, then the balance shifts for the next few years. Right now, the raccoon party is in power. I guess at least the 'possums don’t seem to kill our chickens.
@macromeh you’re lucky. We’ve had opossums kill our chickens. They don’t eat them, just kill them.
Opossums are awesome! They eat bugs including ticks so that’s a bonus!
POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!
This is quite a contrast from the opossum experiences I had at the farm. Very mean. Aggressive, destructive, would ravage a dozen tomato plants in one night, dig up dozens of carrots and potatoes, constantly tearing up the chicken house trying to get at the chicks and eggs. One night they did manage to get in and killed 20 chicks and 5 hens and destroyed dozens of eggs. There was a standing order to shoot on sight when I was visiting the farm. They did not tend to run off into the woods like coyotes or foxes. The opossums would stand their ground and bark and spit and generally look like they were fixin’ ta pop the top on a can of whoop ass.
@ruouttaurmind So did they even eat the chickens they killed and their eggs? That is really sad all those animals died.
@Kidsandliz They “ate at” the hens. Well mangled carcasses were all that was left. Pretty much decimated the chicks and eggs. Really not much left of them but some pinfeathers and goo. They traveled in a packs there. Groups of five or six. Pretty much the only wildlife I was cautious of there, save for the wild turkeys. The turkeys were very aggressive as well, but didn’t mess with the livestock or garden. Only the people.
@ruouttaurmind OMG wild turkeys… So I was taking a group of college kids backpacking in Zaleski State Forest (southern OH back when I lived there). Copperhead and rattlesnakes live there. I heard a hissing and was thinking WTF - that is loud for a snake. With another group (so I was now more cautious than in the past) we had walked right past a a poisonous snake - forget which kind - just off the path with his body coiled with its head raised and swaying back and forth. I was last in line and was the only one that saw him. Good thing he didn’t strike. Anyway across the path in front of us comes a running wild turkey (smaller than I thought they were) with it’s wings out and sort of flapping, red part of its neck engorged, and hissing. He veered off the path and into the woods right in front of us. I guess he decided not to attack when he saw there were 12 or so humans (who were so ready to scatter LOL).
@Kidsandliz @ruouttaurmind
I’ve had 4-5 wild turkeys (“citified” big ones on undeveloped urban land) group attack my car. I just rolled up to them slowly and let them do it in order to watch. They kept circling and pecking and finally I moved forward slowly and they gave way.
I rolled away slowly watching them in the tire view (empty road)
And a bit behind me along comes an F250 extended cab dually monster, going very slowly. The pickup driver must have seen my “turkey incident” and gotten curious.
The turkeys were still trying to hold the road. The dually came to a stop tight in front of them and they tried to attack it also.
After a while the driver slowly pushed thru them.
And a few min later (was watching at a distance) the turkey street gang headed for the pasture and the trees.
FWIW both vehicles were white. Wonder if turkeys are color sensitive about what they target.
The turkeys lost out to bulldozers and heavy equipment tho. That land is all developed now.
@f00l @Kidsandliz @ruouttaurmind maybe too much human interaction? Or… Dumb? Lol. Turkeys are usually hard to call in. Never had an issue with possums doing weird stuff.
Raccoons have enough balls to get up in the deck/sunroom now and then and are the ones I’d expect to be after chickens/popping heads. And they take some shooing when they attempt the trash can. They don’t just run off. Usually look at you for a bit to see what you are going to do.
https://www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/waffles-and-pancakes/ep-386-cheese-chums/viewer?title_no=1310&episode_no=387
And then some just get along
@f00l @Kidsandliz @ruouttaurmind and if any of you enjoy that comic lol.
Back story. For a few about momma racoon. Kids show up stealing from the cats randomly later.
https://www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/waffles-and-pancakes/ep-279-house-guest-part-1/viewer?title_no=1310&episode_no=280
Cheddar has a predisposition to cheese snacks. Mine won’t leave me alone till he gets his own cheezit. And he gets in the cabinets just cause. Doesn’t naw things open though.
https://www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/waffles-and-pancakes/ep-359-cat-food/viewer?title_no=1310&episode_no=360
I lived in Austin, TX in the early '60s. Saturday nights, after consuming prodigious quantities of adult beverages (I was 17 or 18), we’d go down to 6th Street to a café that served baked possum. What a great way to clean out the system and mitigate the hangover. Other than that, I can’t think of anything those giant rats might be good for!
@texquill
You can get grilled or stewed every critter at places in Baton Rouge, I’ve been told.
PS
The Austin of that era was a special place.
/image possum-smile
