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Home » Opossum

Opossum: Warning Signs and Activity

Opossum - 101

Opossums are like the polite cousin of the raccoon. They’ll dig in your trash just the same as a raccoon, but they’re less messy once they get inside (no dangerous latrines to deal with) and slightly less destructive.

The Warning Signs
Signs Inside your Home
Signs Outside your Home
Keep your Home free from Opossum
OpossumLearn more about our Safe Wildlife Removal Service

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Opossums

Opossums are nighttime creepy crawlers that you are most likely to see sulking about outside of your home. What happens if an opossum gets inside the house? Smart Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex homeowners call Critter Stop. We are here to help you get opossums, rats, and other wildlife and pests out of your home and keep them gone. Whether you live in Trophy Club, Coppell, Euless, or other DFW Metro areas, our team of trained professionals will bring our expertise to your front door and help you and your family reclaim your home from invading wildlife. On this page, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to spot evidence of opossum activity on your property.. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the first sign that you have an unwanted visitor in your home. The sooner we get to work, the better!

Opossums Nuisance Problems

Opossums Noises

Opossums are nocturnal animals known for their unique range of vocalizations. Here are some common opossum noises:

  1. Hissing and Growling: Like many other animals, opossums hiss and growl as a defensive mechanism when they feel threatened. This noise is meant to intimidate potential predators and discourage them from approaching.

  2. Clicking or Chattering: Opossums often produce clicking or chattering sounds, especially when they are foraging for food or exploring their surroundings. This noise may serve as a form of communication between individuals or as a way to locate prey.

  3. Grumbling or Grunting: Opossums may emit low grumbling or grunting noises when they are feeling content or relaxed. This noise is typically heard when opossums are feeding or grooming themselves.

  4. Sneezing or Sniffling: Opossums may make sneezing or sniffling sounds, particularly when they are investigating new scents or allergens in their environment. This noise helps them to clear their nasal passages and gather information about their surroundings.

  5. Screeching or Hissing Screams: When opossums feel threatened or are in distress, they may emit loud screeching or hissing screams. This noise is often heard during territorial disputes or when opossums are fighting with other animals.

  6. Chirping or Chortling: Opossums sometimes produce chirping or chortling sounds, especially during social interactions with other opossums. This noise may serve as a form of communication or as a way to express excitement or curiosity.

  7. Grunting or Groaning: Opossums may grunt or groan when they are feeling stressed or in pain. This noise is a sign that the opossum is experiencing discomfort and may need medical attention.

It's important to note that while opossums may make a variety of vocalizations, they are generally not aggressive animals and prefer to avoid confrontations with humans or other animals. If you encounter an opossum in your yard or neighborhood, it's best to give them space and allow them to continue on their way.

What You'll See Inside the Home

Many homeowners think they have a raccoon in the house when it’s actually an opossum. Their droppings look very similar, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike raccoons, opossums do not create a “latrine” where their feces and urine will be concentrated. Instead, you will find droppings scattered randomly throughout your attic. Additionally, after they get in, opossums are much less destructive than raccoons. They are typically content to take advantage of the warm, dry home and are unlikely to do extensive damage to ducting, insulation, and other parts of the home. Finally, the opossum’s light sensitivity means they are truly nocturnal, and you will hear little to no activity during the day.

What You'll See Outside the Home

Like raccoons, opossums may be able to gain entry into the home via ventilation or chimneys, but if they need to get inside without an obvious entry point, they can do a lot of damage to get into the house. In addition to damage at their point of entry, you may notice some other outdoor indicators that an opossum has taken up residence in your home – opossums may root around in your trash cans or leave footprints or droppings around your house.

Our 4 Step Process

Critter Stop Inspection
1

Free Inspection

Critter Stop offers free in-home consultations to build custom solutions to your problems. We inspect your home thoroughly, inside and out, for signs of damage, animal entry, animal nesting, droppings, and more. Once we discuss the extent of the problem and what needs to be done to fix it, we’ll document a game plan together.

sealing home
2

Seal Your Home

Sealing your home immediately is our priority. The exclusion team will thoroughly patch up potential entry sites from the roof to the foundation and everywhere in between. Once we’re sure no other rodents are getting in, we’ll set our traps in those areas we suspect animal activity.

Raccoons inside your home
3

Remove The Critters

Our technicians will check in on your home several times throughout this process. If game cameras have been set up, we’ll review those with you to discuss the animal activity. Once the traps are cleared, we will reset them and re-evaluate all the sealed points of entry to ensure no critter has re-chewed a hole or found a new way into your property.

Restoring and Sanitizing rodent droppings
4

Restore & Sanitize

We don’t call it a job well done once the pest is gone. There’s more work to be done! We completely restore your affected area by pulling up and replacing damaged insulation. Additionally, we fog the affected area to disinfect and remove animal pheromones that can attract new pests in the future.

“I used Critter Stop due to rats and squirrels in my attic. They also chewed up siding on the house to get in. Critter Stop was able to remove the rodents and secure the entry points. Everyone I dealt with was very polite and professional. They were able to come out quickly, communicated well, and they always showed up on time. I would use them again.”

Jeff L. via Google

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Critter Stop's 4 Step Process to Keep Your Home Opossum Free

If you have an opossum move into your home, the Critter Stop team has you covered. Our unique four-step removal process is so effective that we offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our residential wildlife removal services. We get started by sealing up all of the possible access points. Then, we trap and humanely remove all opossums. Next, we sanitize any areas where they left waste and byproducts. Finally, we set up deterrents around your home. These outdoor deterrents will reduce the risk that opossums and other wildlife will re-enter the home.

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