In the serene evenings when gardens glow with the dim light of the setting sun, opossums might seem like harmless wanderers. However, these curious creatures can become quite a nuisance if they decide to make your property their home. This guide is tailored for homeowners, gardeners, and property managers who wish to keep their spaces free from these nocturnal visitors. Whether you’re concerned about garden damage or the mess they can create, we’re here to provide practical tips on how to keep opossums away.

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Opossum Control Starts with Understanding Possum Behavior

Before you can effectively deter opossums, it’s essential to understand what attracts them to your property. Opossums are opportunistic feeders, meaning they’ll eat almost anything they find. This includes fruits, vegetables, small animals, and even garbage. Their keen sense of smell draws them to gardens and compost piles, and they often seek shelter in attics, under decks, or in sheds.

Common signs of opossum presence include overturned trash cans, scattered garden debris, and droppings. They might also leave scratch marks on fences or walls as they climb. If you notice these signs, it’s a cue that opossums are visiting your property, and it’s time to take action.

Understanding these behaviors is the first step to implementing effective opossum control. By removing food sources and potential shelters, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of these critters taking up residence on your property.

Natural Opossum Deterrents

One of the most Eco-friendly ways to keep opossums at bay is through natural deterrents. Certain plants, like lavender and garlic, are known to repel these animals due to their strong scents. Planting these around your garden can serve as a natural barrier against opossum intrusion.

Additionally, consider modifying your habitat to make your property less inviting. Trimming tree branches that hang close to your home can prevent opossums from climbing onto your roof. Keeping your garden tidy by removing fallen fruits and vegetables will also make it less enticing for these scavengers.

Modifying your property’s environment can be both an effective and sustainable way to manage opossum presence. Not only does this approach protect your garden, but it also promotes biodiversity by using plants as natural opossum repellents.

Physical Barriers for Possums

Establishing physical barriers is another reliable method to protect your property from opossums. Installing fences with buried bases can prevent these animals from digging underneath. Fences should be at least four feet high and built from materials like metal or wire mesh that opossums cannot easily climb.

Netting can also be used to protect specific areas of your garden or yard. Covering fruit trees or vegetable patches with netting can help keep opossums from feasting on your hard-earned produce. Additionally, sealing openings under decks or sheds with wire mesh can prevent them from making these areas their home.

Physical barriers are crucial in effective opossum control. By blocking entry routes and protecting vulnerable areas, you create a fortress that ensures your property remains opossum-free.

Opossum Repellents

Both commercial and homemade repellents can be effective in keeping opossums away. Commercial opossum repellents often contain natural ingredients like peppermint oil or capsaicin, which irritate the senses of these animals. Spraying these around your property can create an invisible barrier that deters opossums.

Homemade solutions, such as a mixture of water and vinegar or garlic spray, can also work wonders. These solutions are not only cost-effective but also easy to prepare. Simply spray them around entry points, gardens, and other areas you wish to protect.

Repellents offer a flexible solution for opossum control. By experimenting with different repellent options, you can find the one that works best for your specific situation and keep those pesky opossums at bay.

Professional Wildlife Removal and Control

While many deterrents can be effective at keeping opossums at bay, there are times when professional wildlife control help becomes essential. Opossums are nocturnal creatures that can adapt to various environments, making them difficult to manage with simple DIY solutions. If you have a persistent opossum problem that seems to defy typical prevention strategies, or if you spot a dead opossum on your property, it’s wise to contact a Tennessee wildlife removal and control company. These experts possess the necessary expertise and specialized tools to safely and humanely remove nuisance opossums without causing harm to the animals or your property.

Moreover, professionals can offer valuable advice and additional wildlife control tips tailored to your specific situation to prevent future infestations. They can conduct a comprehensive assessment of your property, identifying potential vulnerabilities such as open trash cans, pet food left outside, or openings in your home’s structure that could serve as entry points. Following this assessment, they can provide tailored solutions to reinforce these weak spots and implement strategies like securing food sources and blocking potential nesting sites to keep opossums away for good.

Engaging with professionals not only addresses the immediate problem but also ensures you are taking proactive steps to protect your property from future opossum issues. Regular consultations and follow-up visits can help maintain a comprehensive wildlife management plan, offering peace of mind and preserving the safety and integrity of your home environment.

Common Wildlife Control Mistakes

Even with the best intentions, certain mistakes can inadvertently attract opossums to your property. Leaving pet food outdoors, for example, is an open invitation for these creatures to visit. Similarly, unsecured garbage bins or uncleaned barbecue grills can become feeding grounds for opossums. Feeding animals around your house doesn’t help either.

Ignoring minor signs of opossum presence can lead to bigger problems down the line. It’s crucial to address any potential attractants promptly and consistently check for new signs of activity. Regular maintenance and vigilance are key in ensuring your property remains unattractive to opossums.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you’re taking proactive steps toward effective opossum deterrence. Simple changes in habits can make a significant difference in keeping your property opossum-free.

Conclusion

Keeping opossums away requires a combination of understanding their behavior, implementing deterrents, and maintaining vigilance. By utilizing natural methods, installing physical barriers, and exploring repellent options, you’re well on your way to creating an opossum-proof environment.

Remember, the key to successful opossum removal is consistency and adaptation. Continuously monitor your property and adjust your strategies as needed. Whether you’re a homeowner, gardener, or property manager, taking these steps will protect your space and ensure peace of mind.

For those seeking additional guidance or facing persistent issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to professionals. With their expertise, you can gain further insights and tailor solutions to keep nuisance opossums at bay.

Ready to keep opossums at bay for good? With professional help, you can enhance your property protection and enjoy your opossum-free space. Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for TWRA licensed and insured opossum removal and control in Nashville, Tennessee and beyond. We also work with many other types of wildlife.

Opossums are wonderful creatures of the Earth. They help protect our gardens by eating up all the snails, slugs, and plant-eating insects, plus they keep our farming lots clean and clear by eating up all the fallen fruit that has spoiled. They are even known to be great rodent control! But aside from these few and simple benefits bestowed to us by possums, it is important to remember just how destructive they are. If you are noticing an increase in possum activity in or around your yard, it is wise to take action and defend your property against nuisance opossum tampering.

Continue below to learn some effective tips on how to safely get rid of opossums in the yard, including who to trust in the Smoky Mountain region for humane critter control solutions at an affordable price.

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Why Opossums are a Bother

Opossums are up to a lot more than just playing possum when they are existing in or around your property. Although these North American marsupials are non-aggressive and unlikely to attack or carry Rabies, they are massively destructive, and they usually commit their offenses while we are asleep. You see, opossums are nocturnal, which means they are active from dusk till dawn. During the late evening and early morning hours are when you are most likely to spot an opossum.

Additionally, they are well-equipped with long, sharp claws and teeth, which helps them dig up lawns, gardens, and flowerbeds, plus pillage trashcans, pet feeders, dumpsters, and more. After a big night of opossum tampering, you could wake up to a front or backyard that looks more like a detonated mine field! Needless to say, you really don’t want opossums visiting your property on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are plenty of safe and humane ways to get rid of opossums.

Tips for Getting Rid of Possums

There are 3 chief methods to getting rid of possums. These are animal repellent, environmental modification, and professional animal trapping.

As for repellents, you can purchase them at local garden or home improvement stores, or you can make your own, non-toxic version for a fraction of the cost. Simply get yourself a clean, plastic spray bottle, preferably 16 to 32 ounces, and fill it with clean water and all the fixings that opossums hate. Recommended opossum repellent ingredients include putrescent egg, capsaicin, and menthol.

To modify your environment, simply block off or remove all things that attract opossums to your property. This includes exposed pet food, feeders, trashcans, and fallen fruit from trees or shrubs. You might even install a fencing system around important assets, like gardens, compost piles, fruit crops, Koi ponds, and even chicken coups. Homeowners have been successful with automatic, motion-sensing lighting, too. Be sure to also block off den-like areas, such as under the porch.

Professional animal trapping and control is the best approach to get rid of an opossum problem, especially if you are a commercial site. They have the proper tools, training, resources, and permits to extract nuisance opossums and prevent their return. Just be sure to choose a TWRA licensed critter control company that adheres to all state and EPA regulations for animal trapping and removal.

Are you dealing with a nuisance possum problem on your property and need to get rid of opossums fast? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for prompt and professional opossum removal and control in Nashville, Tennessee and Clarksville, TN. We serve commercial clients, as well.

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