Opossum Treatment
How Do I Identify An Opossum Problem?
Appearance - Opossums are typically about 2 - 3 feet long from nose to tail tip, weighing anywhere from 4- 15 pounds (about the size of a large house cat). Opossums have gray bodies and white faces, with pointed snouts. They have long, hairless tails that are used to wrap around tree branches.
Behavior - opossums are marsupials that thrive in both wooded and suburban areas. They will eat almost anything, adding to their ability to flourish and reproduce in suburban areas successfully. There is a reason why these creatures have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.
Roadkill, grass, fruit, garbage, insects, birds and snakes are just a few items that comprise their diet. As a survival mechanism, they often play dead by curling up on their backs. They're also well known for baring their teeth and hissing. This behavior is often mistaken for rabies. Opossum sightings will most likely occur at night since they are nocturnal animals.
You may not see an opossum right away and may instead find your garbage can tipped over and eaten, or find birds or snakes dead in your yard. If you are outside at night, you might see one scurry away after finding a meal. These are both ways to identify if you have an opossum problem on your property.
Why Could I Have Opossums?
Since opossums do not discriminate when it comes to diet, there are a few things that homeowners can do to discourage opossums from frequenting your property.
Most importantly, do not leave trash outside your home, especially at night, and always make sure your trash bins are completely closed up. If you have fruit trees on your property or a garden, your property may be more likely to be targeted by these creatures.
Why Should I Treat My Opossum Problem Immediately?
Opossums can be great assets to any property as they are only of the only species that feeds on tIcks, but cannot contract any tick-related diseases. Other than this small fact, having opossums on your property can be a nuisance, and they need to be moved promptly.
Although it is a common misconception that opossums spread rabies, they are actually less likely to spread this disease than other animals such as raccoons and household pets.
However, more commonly, opossums in are notorious for spreading fleas. Fleas are a major problem, and an infestation can break out very quickly. Because opossums will bite and claw if they feel threatened, it is important that property owners do not take removal into their own hands.
A professional wildlife removal technician is trained in humanely and efficiently handling opossum removal.
How to Get Rid of Opossums
Opossums are the only marsupials living in the United States, and their territory extends almost the entire area of the country. In small numbers, opossums are not a bad animal to have around. They eat all kinds of pests. These include mice, rats, cockroaches, snails, slugs, and ticks. Their ability to eat around 4,000 ticks per week makes them extremely helpful.
Unfortunately, opossums don't just eat pests. They can be a pest themselves if they invade in large numbers. They occasionally raid trash cans and can be aggressive. If you have a lot of opossums in your yard, then you likely want to get rid of them.
How Do I Spot an Opossum Problem?
Opossums are nocturnal animals. Their nighttime activity can make them hard to spot. However, especially if the population is high, seeing an opossum is not impossible. The following signs will tell you that this occasionally helpful animal has become a problem.
- Spotting an opossum, especially multiple opossums is a clear sign of a problem.
Opossums have dark grey bodies and white faces. They also have very long tails. They usually weigh between six and fifteen pounds and range from 24 to 33 inches in length. Female opossums carry their young on their back. Seeing a family of opossums can indicate an issue, as the babies may not leave when they get older. - Finding a den. Opossums live in dens.
If you find an opossum den in your yard, you have a problem. Do not approach the den yourself. Opossums are famous for playing dead, so even if they are not moving that doesn't mean they are safe to approach. - Having overturned trash cans or raided compost bins.
Opossums are scavengers. They are more than happy to get their food from humans. That includes raiding out compost bins and trash cans. Raccoons have this behavior as well, but neither pest should be allowed to stay on your property.
How Do I Get Rid of Opossums?
For all their helpful eating habits, opossums do have some drawbacks. They can make a mess of our yards. Plus, they can also transmit diseases like leptospirosis, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. They can be aggressive when cornered as well. Do not approach an opossum to remove it. Instead, try the following tips to get rid of your opossum problem.
- Trap the opossum.
If you are familiar with trapping live animals safely, you can try to trap the opossum. You will want to leave the trap near the den or food source. Once the animal is trapped, make sure you know where t take it to ensure it doesn't just return to your yard. - Secure food sources.
Make sure you have locking trash cans. If you compost, you will want a bin with a lid as well. Removing easy access to food will make your yard much less attractive to opossums. - Contact professional opossum removal services.
Opossums can be dangerous. By far the safest removal option is to have a professional handle it. You will need an exterminator that specializes in opossum removal. At GoLocal Pest Control, we can help you find the best options in your location. Contact us today to learn more.
How to Prevent Opossums
Opossums are an interesting pest because they can actually be very helpful to have around. They are opportunistic eaters, which means they eat a lot of other pests that bother humans. Perhaps most importantly, opossums are great tick eaters. They can eat thousands of ticks a day.
The problem becomes when too many opossums live nearby. These pests can also cause problems by turning over trash cans or raiding compost piles. If opossums are an issue in your yard, you need to prevent them. Here are a few of the best ways to do just that.
Why Do I Have Opossums?
Opossums are opportunistic eaters. If there is a food source available in your yard, they will show up. However, there are a few other reasons why you may have an opossum problem.
- There is shelter.
Opossums like dark, secluded locations to build their nests. Under porches or in garages are often preferred locations. If you have lots of sheltered areas on your property, you may end up with an opossum problem. - There are the right scents.
Certain scents will attract opossums to your yard. They are especially attracted to the scent of cinnamon. Many people will even use cinnamon to trick opossums into baits. So, a scent of cinnamon in the air will definitely attract opossums. - You have fruit trees.
Opossums love eating the rotting fruit under fruit trees. So, if you have fruit trees on your property, you may have opossums. The risk increases if you leave the fallen fruit to rot under the tree. This is an ideal scenario for the opossum.
How Do I Prevent Opossums?
An occasional opossum in your yard is not a bad thing. But you do not want it to live in one of your buildings. They can carry diseases like rabies, so an opossum resident is a health hazard. Follow these tips to prevent opossums from setting up shop in your yard.
- Secure any ideal locations for opossum nests.
Since opossums like to nest under porches and in similar locations, do not let them get to those areas. You can install wire mesh to block off openings. You can also use wood or siding to completely seal those areas. Without a nesting location, opossums are much more likely to move on. - Clean up all trash and food.
It can be hard to remove all sources of opossum food. However, you don't have to make it easy for them. Make sure all your trash cans have fitted, lockable lids. Don't leave food, including pet food, outside at night. Keep your yard picked up and neat. These actions will help to prevent opossums. - Close all doors and pet doors before dusk.
Sometimes opossums can make their way into your home. Because these animals are nocturnal, you can prevent them from getting in by closing all doors and windows before dusk. You should also close and lock any pet doors, as opossums are small enough to fit through them. - Contact an exterminator.
If opossums are a problem, you need to contact your local exterminator. At GoLocal Pest Control, we can help you find the top company near you. Contact us today to learn more about our process.
What Do Opossums Look Like?
Opossums are the only marsupial in North America. They often get a bad reputation as pests because they are scavengers. And, yes, opossums can definitely be a pest. They can ransack trash cans and compost heap. Although they are not aggressive, you don't want an opossum living in your yard. They can spread diseases like leptospirosis, tuberculosis, spotted fever, tularemia, and coccidiosis.
Just because you don't want opossums in your yard, that doesn't mean they are always harmful. In fact, a major food source of the opossum is the tick. Opossums can eat up to 5,000 ticks per season. With the rise in ticks throughout the country, having an opossum around is not a bad thing, especially if you live in a rural area. Those in urban environments need to be a little more careful about opossums.
The best way to protect against opossums is to be able to spot them quickly. To do that you need to know what they look like.
How Many Species of Opossum Are There?
Modern opossums are not as old as people used to think. In fact, they only date to about 20 million years ago. That is much younger than the "living fossils" they are sometimes described as being.
Opossums evolved in South America. That is where most of the sixty-five species of this animal live. In North America, there is only one opossum species, the Virginia opossum. Its Latin name is Didelphis virginiana. It is native to North America.
Opossums are New World mammals. In the United States, they are often called possums. However, this is a misnomer. Possums are separate animals native to Australia and New Guinea. Both are marsupials, but they come from completely different families.
What Do Opossums Look Like?
Because there is only one native North America opossum, we will focus our description on that species.
The Virginia opossums are about the size of a cat. That means it will grow to be about 24-26 inches long. It weighs between six and twelve pounds. The fifty teeth in the opossum's jaw give it its ferocious appearance. However, opossums are actually non-aggressive. It may hiss and show its teeth in self-defense, but is unlikely to attack unless its life is threatened.
Virginia opossums are gray or grayish-white. They have a long and pointy snout. Their ears and tail are hairless. The tail makes up about a third of the opossum's length.
All opossums are marsupials. This means the females have a pouch for putting their young to continue gestation about they are born. Their paws and tails are prehensile, which means they are adapted for grasping. Opossum tails are prehensile because the pest spends a lot of its time in trees.
Opossums have a cool history and do provide some benefits. However, they are dangerous enough that you don't want them living near you or your family. Contact a good opossum removal service to keep them out of your yard. At GoLocal Pest Control, we can help you find the top company near you.
How to Find an Exterminator to Help with Opossums
Opossums are ugly animals. They are scavengers, so, like raccoons, you are likely to find them rummaging through your trash or compost pile. The good news about opossums is that they eat thousands of ticks every season. However, the negatives of an opossum in your yard may outweigh that benefit.
If you are tired of opossums in your trashcans, you need to find a good exterminator. They can help you get rid of your opossum problem.
What Should I Look for in an Opossum Exterminator?
Opossums are a fairly common wildlife pest. It should not be hard to find an exterminator that will remove them, especially depending on your location. However, you still need to find the right company. A good exterminator will ensure now new opossums invasions occur. They will not just remove the current opossum population.
To find a great opossum exterminator, you should ask the following questions.
- What are the laws about opossum removal in my area?
- Tell me about your last opossum removal job.
- What does your opossum removal procedure look like?
- What happens if the opossums come back?
- Do I need to remove the opossums from my yard?
- How long will it take for the opossums to be removed?
What Should I Expect from Opossum Exterminators?
Once you have the answers to your questions, and you have found the right exterminator, it is time for the opossum extermination. Knowing what to expect is important.
All pest control visits begin with an inspection. This allows the technician to determine where the pest, in this case, the opossum, lives. It will also tell the technician how many opossums are living and feeding in your yard.
After the exterminator has gone over the results of their inspection with you, it is time to schedule the opossum removal. The most common opossum treatment is trapping. This allows the exterminator to physically remove the opossum from your home or yard. It may take a few days for the opossum to be caught in the trap.
Once the opossum is trapped, it will be removed from your property. The technician may also use insecticides and recommend lifestyle changes so that the opossum's food sources are removed. The less appealing your yard is, the better.
How Do I Find an Exterminator to Help with Opossums?
To successfully stop an opossum infestation, the exterminator needs to have experience trapping. This is the most crucial part of opossum treatments. It doesn't have to be a full-time job finding an exterminator with the right qualifications, though. Just use the location finder on the GoLocal Pest Control website.
When you input your zip code, the location finder will provide the names of the top pest control companies in your area. It is that easy. All of the results will be pre-screen, quality, and qualified. You can learn more about our process here. No matter where you live, we have the opossum solution for you.