The JCS Wildlife Awesome Possum house is an example of our customer-focused design. We never dreamed that there was any need for a possum house. Heck, in our neck of the woods, and we do live back in the woods, possums are creatures that come out at night and forage around your yard, your deck, your porch, and in your flowerbeds. They are something for your dog to bark at when you go out for one last time before heading to bed and unfortunately, they often get into your trash and kindly spread leftover containers around the yard.
It was a cold, rainy day back in 2017, when we had a customer reach out to us to see if we could modify our squirrel house for her pet possum. After the laughter died down in the office, we began researching what possums needed for a satisfactory home and soon had our Awesome Possum House developed and ready for production. Because of the time it takes to develop and design products, we always make a minimum of 4 of any new designs. We knew we had sold one possum house, but we figured the other 3 would stay on the shelf indefinitely. Boy, were we wrong! These houses are a hit with the possum community and we keep having to make more and more.
It turns out that there is a love for possums out there. And if you want to understand why, just look at this picture below of a cute little possum baby. They are really cute, right? There are some people that even think the adult possum is adorable and while we don’t quite understand that thought around here, who are we to judge people’s taste in cuteness?
The possum is a very interesting animal. It is the only animal in North America that is a marsupial. Yes, just like the kangaroo of Australia, our possum has a pouch on it’s belly and that is where it raises its young. Once the little ones outgrow the pouch, which can hold up to 13 little ones, they can be seen riding along on their mother’s back, which is quite the sight.
The list of other unique characteristics of the possum include:
- A wide variety of diet. They will eat just about anything including ticks and other insects in your yard.
- They do not contract or spread rabies
- Their mouth contains the most teeth of any mammal in North America, 50
- Their back feet have opposable thumbs, so imagine a hand with 4 fingers and a thumb pointing to the side and down towards the bottom of the hand.
- They only live an average of 1-2 years
- They can use their tail to grasp or hold onto things and are often portrayed as hanging from branches.
- They aren’t made for cold weather as they have a hairless tail and exposed ears
- They are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and come out to forage at night.
- They play “dead”, which is their way of handling a stressful situation. They simply fall down and don’t move, leading any potential adversary to think they have died and so the predator moves on to find a live victim.
If you have possums around your yard, why not add an JCS Wildlife Awesome Possum house for them to nest in? Possums don’t build their own den or nest, instead they’ll take over whatever spot they can find around your house. A shed, an old car, your garage, under your deck, or any other suitable place can easily become their home and that may not be where you want them at all.
The possum is the size of a small cat and the possum house is designed to fit them and any of their brood that wants to join them. The unique house fits their need for a safe, secure home with a small entrance that can’t be easily accessed by predators. The entrance hole also has an awning to keep any daylight to a minimum, so they can get their beauty sleep during the day. The polywood (which will last for many, many years and won’t fade or crack) has small slits cut into it just below the entrance to make it easy for the possum to climb into the entrance. Vent holes cut just under the roof allow for fresh air to circulate through the house, but won’t let any rain or snow inside, so the possum stays comfortable and dry.
Most importantly, the words Awesome Possum House are engraved on the front so all of the other wildlife will know who’s home this really is and will stay out. Don’t your backyard neighbors deserve a home of their own?
