Coexisting with Wildlife

Opossums are known for getting into garbage cans, eating some agricultural crops, and creating dens in houses. These shy animals are usually unlikely to get into confrontations with humans or companion animals and would choose to run away over attacking. That said, there have been instances of opossums and dogs or cats injuring one another, usually if the opossum is cornered without an easy escape route.

Unlike raccoons, there is less concern about baby opossums being left by mom in a den as she carries them with her until they are old enough to be independent of her.

Garbage cans with lockable lids are available and are the best solution to exclude raccoons. However, these cans may cost in the hundreds of dollars and might not be accepted by local refuse collection service providers. If lockable cans are not used, Garbage cans can be secured by fastening lids with rope, bungee cords, or chains and tying the handle to a stake driven into the ground.

Ensure that access points to crawl space under your home are securely blocked.

Don’t leave dog or cat food outside.

Fence off garden areas with the fence buried under the ground.

Use repellents such as capsaicin (hot sauce) to deter opossums, who have a particularly sensitive sense of smell.

Close chickens in at night and surround the coop with fencing that extends 6 to 8 inches underground.

Motion-detecting water sprayers or sprinklers can scare wildlife away.

Despite best efforts, it may be that opossums find their way into your home. opossums are excellent diggers and can damage infrastructure including using insulation to make dens, interfering with electrical cables in particular, and finding their way into wall spaces. This is not just an annoyance but could cost you significant amounts of money to fix.

opossums can be safely removed from your home using humane traps:

• Traps designed to catch feral cats, which are cages with doors that close securely when the animal treads on a trigger plate, are ideal size for opossums. Traps costs range from around $25 – $50. The cheaper traps work well for occasional use, whereas the more expensive traps can be used more regularly over a longer time. Once captured, opossums can be either released or taken to a local wildlife rescue.
• Traps can be baited using cat food or dog kibble. Always ensure that you check traps as a minimum every 4 hours to ensure that animals are not left in traps for prolonged periods of time. In inclement weather conditions (heat or cold) traps should be checked hourly. Remember that being contained in this way is both stressful and potentially dangerous for the animals if it persists for a long period.
• Please ensure that you consult with your local Fish and Wildlife Service to check the legality of both trapping and release of opossums laws differ from state to state. Some may prohibit trap and release and others may require a permit.
• If your state prohibits trapping and safe release, contact your local wildlife rescue to seek advice.
• Do not remove the opossum from the trap to transport them as you could be bitten, scratched, or sprayed. Use sturdy gloves while handling the traps and do not hook fingers through the caging to carry the trap. Know that the traps are designed so that the animal cannot injure you while contained.
• When releasing, use gloves and simply open the trap to allow the opossum to leave. The traps are designed to allow you open them without coming into contact with the animal inside.
• Ensure that you know how to set and open the trap before you use it.
• Do not block entrance holes to potential den sites unless you are sure that there are no longer any animals present. You can check this by loosely blocking the entrance with hay, paper, or fabric. If it remains undisturbed for two to three nights, you can assume the den is empty.

Opossums help slow the spread of Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is contracted from ticks when they attach to your skin. Animals are very common hosts for ticks, including the opossum, but the difference is that opossums eat about 90 percent of ticks that attach to them. One opossum can consume 5,000 ticks per season. The more opossums you have living near you, the fewer ticks you may encounter.

Opossums have interesting and complicated reproductive systems. Female opossums have two vaginal tracts and uteri, while males have a forked penis. Female opossums also are only pregnant for no more than two weeks before giving birth, and newborn opossums are about the size of a bee when born.

A common misconception about opossums is that they are a vector for rabies. In fact, opossums rarely get rabies and the chances of being bitten by an opossum with the disease is highly unlikely. Since opossums are marsupials, they have lower body temperatures than placental mammals, so their body is not a suitable host for the rabies virus.

Opossums have an equivalent opposable thumb just like humans and other primates. Their hind paws have a big opposable toe, called a hallux, that looks similar to that of a human hand. This adaptation allows the opossum to have better gripping and climbing abilities. And the hallux is the only toe that does not have a claw.