When living in close proximity to wildlife, regular clashes are a common occurrence. Having an opossum as a pest can be a great nuisance for a homeowner trying to create a healthy, safe, and clean environment for their family.
It is not easy to prevent opossums from passing by and taking a look now and then. These animals are scavengers and often cover a very large territory while breeding in large numbers. A single female opossum can give birth up to three times a year, with each litter having between 18 and 25 babies.
As such, any method you employ to help keep opossums away has to be a very good one. If you allow this critter to get comfortable in your backyard, removal in the future may become very difficult and expensive.
Pro-trap is a top-rated wildlife control and pest management company that provides humane ways to get rid of possums in your home. If you need effective pest control services, call 226-350-7378 right now, and a technician will be dispatched to your location.
How to Tell You Have an Opossum Around Your Yard
Unlike many other small rodents and burrowing animals, opossums do not dig their own dens. As such, do not expect to wake up in the morning to the tell-tale signs of excavation. They simply move into existing burrows or make a home for themselves in compost heaps, brush piles, or neglected trash.
Opossums are very active at night, so the most common way to detect their presence is to hear them rummaging around after dark. You may also bump into one outside its den or notice a foul odour from its urine and feces.
Are Opossums Dangerous?
Opossums are not particularly dangerous in the sense that their first instinct is to run away or play dead when caught unawares rather than attack. Also, despite popular opinion, opossums are highly resistant to rabies and will not likely pass this disease on to you, your family, or your pet.
Having said that, their scavenging activities, vicious-looking appearance, and foul odours when they defecate or play dead mean that having a family of them around the yard can be quite unpleasant. Their urine also carries bacteria that can infect humans and pets with leptospirosis.
They will also not get along well with your dogs, meaning it is better to keep them away rather than attempt to co-exist.
Five Ways to Get Rid of Opossums
Knowing what kind of food opossums like, where they prefer to live, and what environmental conditions they cannot stand is the first step in your quest to deter this critter from returning to your home.
The following are five effective ways to keep opossums and similar pests, such as the raccoon, away from your yard:
1. Keep Garbage Can Lids Secured
Usually, the smell of decaying kitchen trash is one of the things that will attract opossums to your yard. That is why when you first encounter them, they are usually in and around the garbage bin area. As such, if you want to discourage opossums from entering your yard and home, this is the best place to start.
Some of the most effective control methods require you to keep your trash bins securely closed and to dispose of any garbage regularly. Opossums are omnivorous, so whatever you throw away from your kitchen, they will try to eat. As such, you need to deter opossums by cutting off their main source of food.
2. Light up the Yard
Bright lights are very effective at keeping opossums away from your home. They prefer dark hiding places during the day and will move around in the shadows at night. Using a motion-activated light in the problem areas you have identified is a very effective deterrent.
3. Remove Open Food Sources
If opossums fail to find food in your trash cans, they will try to steal pet food or whatever crumbs you may be leaving in bird feeders. As such, you need to make sure to keep dog bowls and feeders empty after your pets have eaten their fill. Dealing with an opossum requires a meticulous level of cleanliness when it comes to food scraps and leftovers.
4. Seal Points of Entry
Another method you can use to try and keep your home and yard free from opossums is to seal off any entry points you can identify. However, this is easier said than done since opossums are skilled climbers who will try to go over any fence that you erect around your yard.
Here, you may have better success if you simply want to prevent entry directly into your home. You can close any gaps with chicken wire that is at least 4 feet high. Make sure there is no space under the fence, or the opossum will simply crawl its way through.
5. Add Scents and Traps to Your Yard
Opossums hate the smell of ammonia or mothballs, so either of these can be used as an effective repellent. If you have a garden and want to deter any opossums in your yard, you can mix some peppermint oil with water and use a sprinkler to distribute the solution around your home.
Other smells that opossums hate include onion, garlic, vinegar, and camphor. If all else fails, you can set traps around the yard to capture the critters when they come out to scavenge.
A Good Animal Removal Company Can Help
The best way to keep opossums from returning to your yard is to hire one of your local wildlife removal and control companies. Only a pest management professional can assess the situation and determine the best opossum control methods to use.
If you visit the Pro Trap website, you can learn how to get rid of a wide range of pests in your yard. Simply hit the “Contact Us” button, and help will be on the way. Get in touch with the top-rated animal removal company in Ontario today, and get rid of opossums once and for all.
