The Ultimate Guide to Opossum Removal: Keep Your Home Safe

Posted on March 29, 2024 by smokywildlife

Opossums, also known as possums, might not be the first animal that comes to mind when thinking about wildlife in urban or suburban settings, but these creatures have increasingly become a concern for homeowners. Their unique adaptability and scavenging nature often lead them directly into our communities and, at times, our homes. Understanding opossum behavior and knowing how to effectively control their presence is vital for safeguarding your property.

Call 615-610-0962 For TWRA Licensed Opossum Removal in Nashville & Clarksville Tennessee

Understanding Opossum Behavior and Habits

Before formulating a control strategy, it’s crucial to understand the animal you’re dealing with. Opossums are solitary, nocturnal creatures that prefer to make their homes in dark, secure areas. They are omnivores with a diet that includes carrion, insects, rodents, birds, eggs, plants, fruits, and even garbage. This wide range in diet is one reason they can thrive in various habitats, including your backyard.

Habitat and Behavior

Opossums typically use abandoned burrows, tree cavities, and brush piles for shelter but have been known to create dens under porches, storage sheds, and in attics. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, which grants them access to yards with varying landscapes.

Attractants to Residential Areas

Opossums are opportunistic feeders attracted by the scent of food and garbage. Pet food left outside, accessible bird feeders, and uncovered trash cans are common attractants. Additionally, the warmth and darkness of sheltered spaces in or around homes can be an attractive nesting option.

Signs of Opossum Activity

Identifying opossum intrusion early is the first step in effective control. Opossums leave behind several signs that can alert homeowners to their presence.

Physical Traces

Look for opossum tracks, scat, and chew marks indicating their feeding activity. Tracks will be hand-like and include an opposable “thumb,” unique to opossums. Their scat resembles that of domestic cats or dogs and is often found in or around their nest or feeding spots.

Behavioral Clues

Opossums are known for “playing dead” as a defensive mechanism, so a seemingly lifeless opossum may actually be alive. Other behaviors include hissing and baring teeth when provoked or threatened, and they often trail after a family of young.

Effective Opossum Control Methods

Once you’ve identified opossum activity, it’s time to take action. There are several effective opossum control methods ranging from deterring opossums in the first place to safely removing them if they’ve already made themselves at home.

Prevention Techniques

Preventing opossum access is key. This includes securing outdoor pet food, covering garbage cans with tight-fitting lids, and removing brush or debris that could serve as shelter. Fencing can also be an effective barrier if properly installed. You can also apply a homemade, non-toxic animal repellent.

Safe Removal Strategies

If opossums have already taken up residence in your home or yard, it’s important to remove them safely and humanely. Trapping is a common method, but it’s essential to check local regulations and ensure you’re using a trap designed for wildlife, and that you release the captured opossum at least a few miles away.

Long-Term Property Protection

Eliminating existing opossums is just the first step. You must also focus on long-term protection to prevent a future infestation.

Ongoing Preventative Measures

Continue with the preventative techniques that deter opossums, such as securing food sources and regular yard maintenance. Regularly inspect your property for any signs of new opossum activity.

Property Modifications

Structural modifications to your home, such as sealing off entry points to basements and attics, and installing one-way exclusion devices can prevent opossums from finding a way back in.

Enhancing Your Property’s Security Against Wildlife

In addition to opossum-specific strategies, enhancing your property’s security against all types of wildlife can provide overall protection.

General Wildlife Deterrents

Utilize motion-activated lights, sprinklers, or sound devices to startle and keep wildlife away. Consider natural repellents like ammonia-soaked rags or predator urine.

Property Maintenance

Regular maintenance of your property includes keeping trees and bushes trimmed, fencing in good repair, and excluding access to potential shelter spots. A well-maintained property is less likely to attract opossums or any other wildlife.

Conclusion: Take a Proactive Approach

The presence of opossums on your property doesn’t have to be a lengthy or frustrating issue. By recognizing the signs of their activity, implementing effective control methods, and taking long-term protective measures, you can safeguard your home from these nocturnal creatures. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the task of opossum control, reach out to professional wildlife control services. They can provide expert help tailored to your specific situation and local wildlife regulations.

By staying informed and taking action, you ensure the comfort and safety of your home and family. With these measures, you can enjoy your property without unwanted visitors disrupting your peace of mind. Remember that when it comes to managing wildlife, taking a proactive stance will always be your best strategy.

Are you tired of dealing with the nuisance opossum activity on your property? Are they causing your landscape all sorts of grief? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for TWRA licensed and insured opossum removal and control in Nashville and Clarksville, Tennessee and beyond. We also work with many other types of wildlife and serve both residential and commercial clients.

How to Safely Get Rid of Opossums in the Yard

Posted on May 26, 2022 by smokywildlife

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.

Opossum Removal Nashville Clarksville Tennessee 615-610-0962

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.

Frequently Asked Questions About Opossums in Tennessee

Posted on September 16, 2021 by smokywildlife

When you spot an opossum sneaking around your backyard, driveway, or front porch, you might get a little creeped out. Opossums are funny looking creatures, and the nighttime light reflects off their eyes in a way that makes them look almost possessed. This leaves many homeowners asking, “what’s the deal with opossums?”

Continue reading to review some frequently asked questions about opossums, including how to get rid of opossums in Nashville when they become a nuisance around your property.

Nashville Tennessee Opossum Removal 615-610-0962

Opossum FAQS You Need to Know

Whether you are experiencing heightened level of opossum activity around your property lately, or you have a passel of opossums taking shelter somewhere within your premises, you should be immediately motivated to get rid of opossums as fast as possible. Not only can they be highly destructive, but they are also common carriers of several transmissible diseases that can affect both people and pets.

Hopefully these frequently asked questions about opossums can help you quickly resolve a nuisance opossum problem, safely and humanely.

What Type of Animal is an Opossum?

An opossum is a marsupial, similar to a kangaroo. In fact, they are the only marsupial here in North America. They even carry their babies in a little pouch on their bellies. After 65 days or so, babies leave their mother’s pouch and climb onto her back, where they will take a free ride until they are old enough to fend for themselves.

Where Do Opossums Live?

The most common habitat for opossums here in Tennessee includes hollowed trees, abandoned animal dens, wide rock crevices, beneath porches, under decks, and even in dumpsters.

Do Opossums Use Their Tail to Hang Upside Down?

Due to media and cartoons, many people wrongly assume that opossums hang upside down from their tails. But this is not true. Opossums do use their long, rat-like tails for other reasons, such as balancing and climbing.

Our Opossums Dangerous?

Opossums are considered dangerous in the wild because they are known carriers of several transmissible diseases, such as rabies virus, leptospirosis, bacterial infections, and more. These types of diseases can be transmitted through saliva, blood, or even air. It is important to keep your pets accident all times against such diseases.

Will An Opossum Attack Me?

Although opossums are deemed dangerous, they are not aggressive animals. In fact, they are quite peaceful and docile, only likely to attack if they feel provoked, threatened, or if they are protecting their young. You have likely heard the phrase playing possum, which is derived from the opossum’s primitive instinct to drop and pretend they are dead in the presence of perceived danger.

How Do I Get Rid of Opossums?

The best way to get rid of opossums is to remove or obstruct access to the things they want on your property. This includes shelter, water sources, and food sources. Speak with a professional Nashville Tennessee critic control company for professional advice on getting rid of opossums, safely.

Are you experiencing heightened opossum activity in or around your Tennessee property? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for safe and affordable opossum removal in Nashville, TN and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial clients.

You Should Also Read:

Why You Should Not Feed the Wild Animals Around Your House
What is Tunneling and Digging Under My Lawn?
FAQS About Animal Damages and Clean Up

Smoky Wildlife Control

Free Animal Removal Estimates 615-610-0962

Tag Archives: Opossum trapping