Breaking

[kerravonsen]

In brief (as typing slow/painful).
Possum: 1
KA: -1

Minus one soup-pot, that is. It broke in the struggle. Struggle between me and possum, which had again fallen into the kitchen cupboard from behind the oven. This time, however, I did not escape unscathed when I attempted to remove it; it scratched and bit me, and my hand is quite sore. And gouged.

Soup pot was pyrex, lay in glassy pieces on the floor. Possum ran into my bedroom. I opened the front door and hid in bathroom with band-aids, and I think the possum left at that point. Then I slowly and tearily cleaned up the mess. (sigh)

Comments

[tptigger]

It bit you? Are you up to date on your rabies shots? Maybe you should check in with your doctor. *frets* /overprotective Jewish Mother (even if you are older than me :) )

[lizbee]

Rabies isn't a problem in Australia, but I came here specifically to say, GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET ANTIBIOTICS, animal claws are filthy and hands are especially vulnerable to infection.

[kerravonsen]

Yes Mum.
Tomorrow is Monday, I'll see who can see me then.
In the meantime, I did slather my hand in alcohol before I applied the bandaids.

[lizbee]

Alcohol is good, but I honestly think it would be reasonable to go to an emergency department today if you can. The longer the delay, the more likely you have to stay in hospital overnight, receiving antibiotics intravenously, as opposed to a nice, simple course of tablets. If any part of your hand is swollen, red and throbbing, you should definitely seek help asap.

[kerravonsen]

I have called 13-SICK and they are sending someone over this evening (that was the soonest they could come).

[kalypso]

I hope they've come and your hand is OK. And that there's some way to block the hole behind the oven so the possums stop injuring soup-pots and hands.

[dreamflower]

Are you having your hand seen to?

I don't know about the possums in your neck of the woods, but possums here in the US are nasty in the literal sense of the word: they carry all sorts of diseases and are sometimes rabid!

*worries about you*

[kaffy_r]

Oh, dear. I second dreamflower02 in asking about your gouges and possible infection. And I salute you for even trying to get the little critter out of your house by yourself. I take it there's some sort of hole behind the oven, that lets the possums in?

*hands you virtual antiseptics and antibiotics, plus hugs*

[kerravonsen]

The possums are in the roof. I'm sure there's a large family of them living there. I think there's a gap between the back of the oven and the wall on the other side, and they get from the roof into that gap (it's like a hollow tree to them), and sometimes they fall down a hole and into the cupboard which is underneath the oven. This is the second time this has happened, but the first time I managed to take out the possum unscathed, so I was an idiot and assumed I could do it again.

[kaffy_r]

Let's not call it idiocy; say rather that you were working on observed data - "I did it once, I can do it again."

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

My goodness! I grew up around possums but they never got into our house--how unpleasant! :(

[kerravonsen]

Australian possums are actually very cute, not ugly like US opossums.

But they are a problem in that they find human houses wonderful places to live -- they treat the small spaces between ceiling and roof (and spaces between walls) as one giant lovely hollow tree. And they are protected wildlife, so you can't kill them. Indeed, you aren't even allowed to move them out of the area! So what tends to happen is that you get someone to trap them and block the holes, the trapped possums get taken away, you hope that all the holes that they got into have been found and blocked... and then the possums come back again, finding some other hole that wasn't blocked. Or else all the holes were blocked, but not all the possums were removed, and they die and stink up your house with a smell you can never remove...

It has been something I ought to have dealt with, but it has been in the too-hard basket... (sigh)

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Ouch!

Is there any way the RSPCA can help with the critter?

We have a pair of welders gloves that we use to handle the local wildlife/ stray cats that need our aid. If the possum invasion is a frequent occurrence I'd suggest youinvest in a pair. It would come in handy for metal working too.

[kerravonsen]

Is there any way the RSPCA can help with the critter?

You have to pay someone $$ to get rid of your possums. They like living in people's roofs. (see reply above)

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Ouch! My sympathies.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I hope your hand is better and didn't get infected.

We only have a rat getting into one kitchen drawer due to a gap in the wall behind which we have to get fixed.

[delphipsmith]

Yikes. Get that hand looked at, you can get some nasty s**t from those critters. Their adorable little hands and faces are totally misleading lol

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

So do you need someone to come a-visiting with a ladder, take a look, then head to Bunnings and grab something to block it with?

Also, my parents had regular possum visits. The secret is (if possible) to give them a route out, then leave the room and shut the doors to the rest of the house.

Also, hardware stores have lovely huge leather gauntlets that are excellent if you have to grab the blighters.

Bugger about the soup pot, though. And hugs. That must have been horrid.