Rant

No possums where we are but loads of deer, so only deer-proof plants survive. Interestingly, this includes many wild flowers so we take a live and let live approach and have a wild garden.

We do enjoy seeing the young deer (fawns) in spring and summer.

We also eat plenty of venison because Scotland's forests are being spoiled by a too large population of deer and they need to be culled. This also puts me in favour of the reintroduction of top deer predators such as lynx and wolves.

I have two squirrels that visit daily, scout around the garden eat whatever pest is unlucky enough to get in their way. Funnily enough don't really bother with pots, apart from a quick nosey, not much digging in garden either, that's usually down to the birds.

Ask Chris Packham to adopt it!

But animals do not process and cook their meat first. This is an instinctive self-protection move as raw meat can contain organisms that can make us ill.

Witszend does not like the animals being eaten by other animals, but that is just what we do. Beef,Pork, Chicken etc

farmgran

I've never forgiven them for eating all the buds off my roses! My husband used to get them with the shotgun. There was a loud bang followed by a dull thud which was rather awful.
There aren't many about now.

They're protected in Australia, aren't they?
I'm not sure about America.

They leave all the weeds, sadly. Very discriminating. They love roses in particular. When we lived in Tasmania they were quite tame and would eat out of our hands but the ones here are not so tame.

I've never forgiven them for eating all the buds off my roses! My husband used to get them with the shotgun. There was a loud bang followed by a dull thud which was rather awful.
There aren't many about now.

Aww. I would love to have a possum living in my garage.
But then again I hate gardening!

Wow! Eating the rhubarb leaves too?

Oh dear, for an edit button like MN.

Opossums and possums are marsupials.
Opossums are North Anpmerica's only marsupial.

Impossibly cute but destructive little varmints!

Greenfinch

Oh the dreaded ( o)ppossum! I remember them well from my childhood in Australia and they were one of the reasons for driving my mother back to the UK. They would clatter around the roof all night ( we lived in a bungalow) making a terrible noise and their urine would seep through the roof, stain the ceiling and leave a foul smell. Sleep would be impossible.

I think they have special boots. The one that runs across our upstairs decking thuds over at 2 am every night. I actually don’t hate the things, just what they do. They eat anything, even the cat’s food if it is left out. Opossums are the American version of our possums I think. They are a different species, ours are cuter to look at ( naturally) 😀

henetha

It's quite hard to love some creatures when they destroy our gardens. I don't have a lot of trouble except with snails and slugs. But here's a thing, - I went out yesterday evening and when I came home and put the lights on, there was a great big fat slug sitting in the middle of the living room carpet.
How on earth did it get there?

It’s on it’s holidays😁 it thought it had found a nice B&B

Oh the dreaded ( o)ppossum! I remember them well from my childhood in Australia and they were one of the reasons for driving my mother back to the UK. They would clatter around the roof all night ( we lived in a bungalow) making a terrible noise and their urine would seep through the roof, stain the ceiling and leave a foul smell. Sleep would be impossible.

Indigo8

Just for the record dalryple23, Mr Todd, the fox in "The Tale of Jimima Puddleduck" by Beatrix Potter, is a bad character and Jimima has to be rescued from him by Kep the sheepdog.

Not that it really matters.

I was just thinking the same!

flappergirl

I'd love to meet a possum. Sorry Nanna but they look so adorable.

They have very scary teeth.

nightowl Yes, humans are predators, we can hardly criticise other species which kill just to survive!

I'd love to meet a possum. Sorry Nanna but they look so adorable.

We have problems with cats, and am not anti cat we have had several cats over the years, but we get cats pooing in our borders in the back garden without trying to cover it, seems todays cats don’t do this, or pooing on the hard standing outside the back door or on the patio, thought it was foxes until we saw a cat doing the dirty deed.
Not sure how to discourage them from using our garden as a toilet, any ideas?

I love wildlife. I feed foxes. They help keep the rats in check. We’ve taken over most wildlife habitats and polluted the rest. Humans are the filthiest animals of all and the ones that kill for fun, even our own species. If we were wiped out the rest of the animal kingdom wouldn’t miss us.

It is pigeons I hate just now.They sit on my roof and ''go to the toilet'' al over my back doorstep.

My first job of the day is to clear up hedgehog poo and swill down the patio.
My own fault, as I feed 3 ‘hogs that visit every night.

Oh no! We have had to deer and rabbit proof the back garden - but nothing can stop the fat grey squirrels that kill the young trees by eating the bark. No fence deters rabbits for long.

Urban foxes are filthy beasts they tip over rubbish bins and distribute rubbish all over the street, which attracts rats and they defecate everywhere. DD had one regular using a planter by her front door as a latrine. The planter had to go.