Even though they are usually not aggressive, opossums can cause painful injuries if they get frightened and bite. They can also carry illnesses such as typhus and can spread parasites, such as ticks, fleas, and roundworms.
How Opossums Cause a Nuisance
Opossums often seek out shelter and a place to give birth in attics and garages. Opossums can be a nuisance if they get into a house. They can make noise when they move around and leave droppings everywhere. Females can give birth, and the babies sometimes fall down walls and get trapped. The smell of a dead opossum can be overwhelming. If opossums are living in or around your house, here are some tips to help you get rid of them.
Identify Entry Points
The first thing you will need to do is find out how the opossums are getting into your house. You can search the area around the outside of your house during the daytime to look for holes. If you find a hole, sprinkle some flour in front of it. When the opossums leave the den at night to look for food, they will leave footprints in the flour, which will confirm that that is the entry point they are using. If you are confident that all of the opossums have left, you can seal off the entry point and keep them from coming back.
Opossums also often make their homes under garages, sheds, and decks. You can sprinkle flour in front of a suspected entry point, look for footprints, and then seal off the entry point after all of the animals have left.
Stop Opossums from Climbing onto Your Roof
Opossums often use trees to climb onto a roof and get into an attic. They can also climb up bird feeders. You can stop opossums from climbing your trees by putting a 2-foot-wide piece of roof flashing or another type of flexible sheet metal around any trees or poles they could use to climb onto your roof. You can also trim tree branches so they do not touch your roof.
Encourage Opossums to Leave
You can harass opossums and remove things that would attract them to get them to leave. Cover your trash cans tightly and remove any outdoor pet food before it gets dark to avoid attracting opossums. You can install motion-activated lights and sprinklers to chase away opossums. Setting a radio near the den and turning it up loud can also scare away opossums. If opossums are living in your garden and eating your vegetables or eating fruit from trees, you can soak an old nylon stocking in liquid seaweed and hang it nearby. Opossums dislike the smell of seaweed.
If These Methods Fail, Call Anderson Wildlife Control
If opossums are living in your attic or garage or under a shed and you have tried to get rid of them without success, contact Anderson Wildlife Control. We will live-trap and remove the opossums from your home and seal off the entry point they used to get in to prevent them from coming back. You should not try to trap or handle opossums yourself because there is a danger that you could get bitten. Call the professionals at Anderson Wildlife Control.
