Possom in and on our Grill on the Deck ! Now what ?

[brin]

Our dog , a Brittany, was having a fit today on our deck and when my Mrs. went to see what he was barking at she saw the heavy lid on our Grill bouncing and a bushy tail...She came and got me....I opened the grill lid with a broom handle...never know what could jump out So there on the grill sat a Juvenile...like a teen age Possum eating crumbs off the grill rack....I tried to shoo him with the broom and he just looked at me...no hissing...just looked and ignored me.. I left him there with the lid open sitting on the grate while I took a shower....when I came back he was gone...

Now my wife wants to buy new grates for the grill since the possum was eating off of them....they were scraped clean so he could not have gotten anything but some oil or the taste....still the Mrs. does not believe I can ever get it sterile enough for her to eat off of....I think the possom will return....and I see no way to keep him out....I already had hardware cloth at the bottom of the grill where there were some openings...he got around those...sharp teeth and claws....he will do it again...so I will have to keep buying new grates....I don't think so....these grates are too big for the dishwasher...Any ideas on super cleaning them except Heat and soap and hot water...? Is that enough...soap , hot water and then burn them off good on the grill ? What would you guys do ? Don't want to catch any diseases from a possum...especially rabies...:confused2:

 

[lockhaven]

turn the grill on and cook the possum, "thats good suff"

 

[Western]

"Opossums have a remarkably robust immune system, and show partial or total immunity to the venom of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and other pit vipers.[4][5] Opossums are about eight times less likely to carry rabies than wild dogs, and about one in eight hundred opossums are infected with this virus.[6]" Quote from Opossum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd fire up the grill and burn it off, likely more bacteria gets in from fly's or other bugs. Possums don't live very long,(a couple of years), so waiting him out isnt a good option Trap him and "relocate", they are easy to catch.

 

[creekbend]

Since you previously stated that the opossum didn't hiss at you and ignored you, it seems doubtful that the animal was affected with the rabies virus. It would seem reasonable that after a thorough cleaning with bleach and then firing up the grill would eradicate any germs. www.vetinfo.com/crabies.html

 

[schoolsout]

Weren't you just talking about opossum jerky yesterday?

 

[Truro411]

What does your wife think happens to the bacteria and, quite frankly, sh*t that's on the chicken and burgers you cook on that grill? I'm going to guess she has at least two jugs of Purell within easy reach at all times. =-)

Just fire it up...burn it a bit and carry on. No bleach, no chemicals, just the good old 500F temps that "sterilize" your food normally will take care of the issue.

 

[RobertBrown]

What does your wife think happens to the bacteria and, quite frankly, sh*t that's on the chicken and burgers you cook on that grill? I'm going to guess she has at least two jugs of Purell within easy reach at all times. =-)

Just fire it up...burn it a bit and carry on. No bleach, no chemicals, just the good old 500F temps that "sterilize" your food normally will take care of the issue.

That's what I do everytime anyway. It's likely that this isn't the first visitor to your grill grate. Rats leave a urine trail everywhere they go and I'm pretty sure some have visited my grill, however I don't think they can get on top of the grate/ cooking surface, only access the pan that catches the grease. They keep the pan nice and clean


I agree, don't worry about it, just tell your wife you'll pick up the new grate next time your out, hopefuly she will forget. Next time, forget to mention any possum incidents. They will be back. Since you said it was a juvenile you probably have a hole neighborhood nearby.

The virginia opossum has a very low body temperature which makes it a poor incubator, it's very unlikely that they can even contract rabies.
They can and do eat and hang around in some very nasty places however.
I have trappped and relocated many and otherwise disposed of several more. They are easy to trap. I use canned cat food for bait.

 

[CBW1999]

Burn off everything, sweep out the ashes or unburnt stuff then spray with a bleach solution to sanitize. rinse after 10-15 minutes so nothing corrodes.

I chase mice off mine all the time, I always let it crank up to 550-600 anyway to burn off any remaining food remnants before I cook. So far so good, except i have noticed an increase in my desire to nibble on cheese.

 

[heviduty]

Three things:
1) Clean your grill every time before you use it by setting it on high for 15 minutes, then scrub off the ashes of whatever was on your grates with a wire brush.
2) Possums are slow. Catch or trap him and put him in a cage.
3) Possums are scavengers. Feed him corn for 3-4 days to clean him out before you eat him.:licking:

 

[k0ua]

Brin I don't think anything could stand an hour of gas grill burning time.. I know you can melt lead on the grill, and that is at about 750 degrees. I say clean the grill good, turn on the gas and let it cook for a while maybe an hour, and there just isn't going to be any microbes on that thing. As others have pointed out.

James K0UA