Sunday, November 7, 2010

(Day 311) House 'guest'

We're learning lots about living in the sub-tropics. There's a certain amount you can learn by reading and then there are other things that are learned through experience. We were somewhat aware of some of the bugs that live here, and so we signed up with a pest control company. Since they sprayed and set up baited traps, we've swept up a bucketful of cockroaches - dead, I may add. Living in the country has taught us that having mice in the house is not unusual - I've set my share of mouse traps over the years and disposed of many mice.

During the first evening here last week when my wife was putting clothes into the bedroom closet, she thought she heard a scratching sound coming from the attic area, right above her head. I came and listened - these were not mice, unless they grew to several pounds in the sub-tropics! The scratching sound was accompanied by the occasional thump, and shuffling of feet. I immediately thought of raccoons.

At first light the next morning my wife was already on the phone to pest control. They came, and recommended a wildlife removal firm who came and set traps in the attic. Each morning thereafter I was to check the traps - before breakfast - and call if a trap was occupied. We were assured this would likely happen within a day or two. Not so. Two more traps were added outdoors yesterday where it was thought critters might climb onto the house to gain entrance. This morning I was roused from a deep sleep and told to check the traps. By now you know I had to record the results.

As of this writing we're still waiting for the 'guest' to be taken away to a more suitable place. And we await the next steps since we've also been assured that there will be more than one guest.

(70-200mm  f8  1/30 sec  ISO200) - for both photos




Now, if you're still reading, I haven't forgotten about Sunset Sunday, so I offer this shot, taken a few days before we drove down here:

(10-22mm  f11  1/8 sec  ISO200)

31 comments:

marty said...

it's cute but only in a trap !!
I think I could not sleep in a house where
there are a lot of small animals who live
there too !!! houuu ! but it is interessant
to see it alive !!

I love and prefer the sunset !!
bisous et bonnes vacances without mice or rats, or I don't know what else !!

S. Etole said...

Each beautiful in their own way ... especially outside of the house!

Scott Law said...

I love the light play through the trees as well as the color.
OBTW, interesting pets you keep LOL!

imac said...

Most interesting Rick, look forward to seeing what happens.

Carolyn Ford said...

The critters are quite cute! We have had raccoons and these guys in our yard and on our roof more than once...they are noisy at night. Thankfully, not inside the structure of our house in any way. What a gorgeous sunset...the light through the trees is an eye-catcher. I am curious where in the sub-tropics you are, or were? Is this from your Florida trip?

Here I Am Carrie said...

Oh I remember following a possum around one of the state parks there and getting some photos it was at night. Love the lightening in your Sunday set.

becky said...

Is that the world-famous-florida-possum?!? :)
I happen to think Possums are cute... but I know they can be a nuisance.
He's probably thinking "hey, wait a minute... i was here first!"
INCREDIBLE sunset! I love the sun's rays filtering thru the trees!
:)

Alexander DeLarge said...

Cute little furry thing! :). I like the last photograph, the shadows and beams makes it perfect.

Alex.

Dawn said...

Maybe you should just train it .....;))

Love the sunset through the trees. Almost looks like it wants to play rather than set!
Beautiful!!

Rick said...

@marty - oh, you could get used to have a nice pet possum around, couldn't you ? ;-) LOL ! Thank you Marty - a nice possum bisous pour toi !

@S. Etole - agreed - OUTside the house ! ;-)

@Scott - thank you Scott; we feel like the ones being 'kept' here ;-) Now we're just waiting for a gator to meander over from the canal across the road !

Rick said...

@imac - I'll keep you 'posted' ;-)

@Carolyn Ford - we've seen lots of raccoons back home, but no possums, so a new experience for us (could do with just seeing them outdoors, though !). The sunset is from back in Canada - shot it a few days before we came here. Thanks Carolyn.

@Here I Am/Carrie - glad this guy was in a cage - like 'shooting fish in a barrel' ! Thanks Carrie.

Leslie said...

Nice photos. They have sharp little teeth and claws, don't they?

Last winter I walked out into our back porch to find a mysterious trail of pine needles leading to the grill. The grill has a vinyl cover that meets the cement porch floor. I lifted the cover gingerly to find a young possum sleeping quite warmly and comfortably on a nest of pine needles he'd made between the grill cover and the bottom of the grill! I had to "wake" him gently with a broom, at which point he hissed menacingly and backed further into the porch, and I climbed onto a chair and called my husband at work. After a short stand-off, the possum decided to make a break for it and in a flash he was out of the porch and over the fence into the next yard.

Rick said...

@becky - they're cute in a wish-you-weren't-in-the-attic sort of way ;-) Thanks Becky !

@Alexander DeLarge - thank you Alex ! Do you have possums in Argentina ?

@Dawn - now THAT's a great idea ! Apparently they like to eat mice so if we get mice in the attic maybe I could put a collar and leash on this guy and let him have at it - and reel him back in when required ;-) Thanks Dawn !

Rick said...

@Leslie - yes, they sure do. He did show me a couple of nice rows of teeth - I should have captured them. No hissing though (I didn't provoke him with a brrom though ;-)

What Karen Sees said...

I missed checking up on you for a few days so I need an update. Are you in Florida for a vacation or an extended stay or have you moved??? P.S. Love the sunset shot.

Rick said...

@Karen - a bit of all of the above. Staying till the week before Christmas, home for Christmas, then back for a few months - the plan is to spend the majority of the winter here vs up north. And, thank you !

Dagmar said...

Hey hey do explain what is it????And you're quite a hunter....every single morning before coffee....couldn't have done it. So I'm inviting you over to please get rid of our mouse. It's coming into the roof our bedroom with it's suitecase every single morning at 5 am and brushes to clean up after were he'd left the day before....Were on earth can I put a trap in a narrow space like that.....grrrr. I love living in the outback and I do love all the animals that come along with it...yet not in MY bedroom....
So if you have any splendit ideas do pass them on Rick.

ps love the little creature and the sunset is beautiful too.
Happy times Dagmar

Leovi said...

These mice are very hairy, is the first time I see a well. Beautiful rays of sun through the trees.

darlin said...

Yikes, a possum is it? He/she does look rather cute but as one commenter mentioned already... in a cage. I love your close up of the possum, now I know what they look like encase I ever come across one! :-)

I love, love, love your sunset! I want to go back to the farm is what this sunset is telling me... get outta Dodge and head for the hills but unfortunately this won't happen for quite some time. :-( The way you've captured the sun coming through the trees is so beautiful, it looks a tad bit chilly but nothing a down quilt won't fix once the sun disappears entirely. Ahhhh, the farm life.

Hope you have a fantastic week and don't run into to many more visitors, mind you they make awesome subjects for photos. :-)

darlin said...

Well look at what you found, the slideshow and it looks fascinating!

Anonymous said...

YIKES! That thing was in your attic? Lord have mercy... glad ya'll caught it & are getting rid of it!

Julia said...

Hola,
J´aime beaucoup la troisiéme foto celle du paisage elle a des belles couleurs quand a la premiére et la deuxieme je ne sais pas comment s' appele cet animal, mais ils ont l air sympathique bien que cela me fait un peu de pene les voir en cage.Je suppose qu il y une bonne raison pour cela, de plus mon englais est faible, et mon français un peu oublier,
Un saludo.

Rick said...

@Barefoot from Heaven - hey, you have a little house guest too !! ;-) I would put a mousetrap in a dark quiet corner - put lots of pindakaas on it - they luv that and you'll have him in no time ! btw - that varmint in the cage is a possum. Thanks Dag, and good luck !

@Leovi - I'm glad the mice aren't THAT big Leovi ;-) It's actually a possum - and they belong outdoors. Thanks for stopping by.

@darlin - yep, in a cage or anywhere BUT inside the house, they can be cute. I'd never seen one up close and personal before either. As for the sunset shot, it was fairly warm at the time - I had to pull over (coming home from a kitchen shoot) when I saw this. Hope you make it to the farm soon. btw - I didn't understand the comment about the slide show (?)

Julia said...

Did you name your new pet? He/she looks really cute! Nice sunset yet again.

Rick said...

@Tricia - want it ? as a pet ? ;-)

@Julia - merci Julia; this animal is called a possum - I've never seen one before - we had to have it trapped to keep it out of the house; it was relocated. Thank you for stopping by.

@julia - mom wanted to keep it but I said no (LOL ;-) Thanks Jules.

Katherine said...

Hey Rick!! I am guessing that your little furry guest is a breed of possum. It is different looking to the possums we have here in Queensland. We also have possums frequent our roof tops but fortunately have not yet nested in our ceilings. They just use our roof to move around from one yard to another. Roof Hoppers!!!
I think he is a little cutie but I don't think I'd want him scratching in the ceiling whilst I'm trying to get my beauty sleep!!

Katherine said...

Woops!!! I forgot to say that I think your sunset photo is just beautiful. I love how the sun rays are filtering through the trees...Magical stuff Rick!!

darlin said...

Rick, look at the bottom of your blog site, below all of these comments, under where it says Links to this post and there's a slideshow. It appears to be generic photos and none of yours that I've seen here, you're photos are awesome but these ones don't seem to be your style of photos. For example a Christmas ball that says Bus Drivers are Angels on Wheels, there's one photo of a Calgary Stampede belt buckle from 2001 I think and other photos as well. They might be yours but like I mentioned, none that I've ever seen you post.

Rick said...

@Katherine - ha ha, yes that's a possum all right - I think he's part of the welcome committee down here ;-) And we don't want him INside either ! Thanks for your nice comments Katherine !

@darlin - LOL - I thought you might be referring to that slideshow - it's been there all along, and the photos are all mine. If you go back to my very first posts - starting in Dec. 2009 - you'll see them (there's an archive on the right side of the blog). btw - I drove school bus for 3 years after I was 'retired'.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Oh my! That would scare me if I saw him in my house!!! Cute little guy though. :)

Rick said...

Thank goodness this one was caught outdoors, Elizabeth. He must have got out and then got caught. Cute - but only outside ;-)