Opossums can be bad news for home owners with a beautiful vegetable garden, pet food, or unsupervised garbage bins. These annoying critters are known for being mischievous and can decimate a garden or empty out an entire bird feeder in one night if they are given the opportunity.
These unwanted visitors can make a mess of your garbage, make a home in your garage, and even gain access to your house and start to wreak havoc. Like rodents, opossums also have a habit of chewing through different materials such as wood, furniture, insulation, and much more.
While opossums have beneficial purposes around the backyard, such as getting rid of other pests and smaller rodents, the image of these rat-like creatures roaming in your yard at night might not please you. When we have provided opossum removal services, we have found that they are anything but clean and can leave their droppings allover your yard giving you a terrible mess to clean up. It’s important to note the droppings opossums leave behind have the potential to transmit harmful diseases that can take a toll on the health of any pet that it may come into contact with.
At Critter Stop we have provided hundreds of removal services in the Dallas- Fort Worth area, and we can affirm that most opossums don't stick around too long unless a female opossum finds a place inside your house to raise her offspring. Under normal circumstances, opossums will only visit your yard to look for food and water.
Opossums can get into your house through various entry points, typically entering through the roof of your home. Once inside, opossums are capable of getting into almost every part of your house including the walls and attic. Once inside there is no telling how much damage they can cause to your property.
Once you know about their common entry points, it will be easy for you to put a stop to any future opossum infestations. Some of the common entry points of opossums are:
Opossums are great climbers. Houses that are close to trees or woodland areas will have more opossum traffic. Most of the time, opossums gain access to your house through roofs or attics.
Opossums are tree-dwelling creatures, so if your home is close to trees there is a good chance opossum are using the surrounding greenery to gain access to your attic. To prevent opossum infestation in your attic, make sure to keep an eye out for any displaced shingles or holes in your roof that opossums can use to gain access. Sealing these entry points means one less entrance for opossums and other critters like raccoons and squirrels.
Another common entry point for opossums is of course the chimney. The chimney is not only an amazing gateway for these critters to enter your home, it's also a great place for the female opossums to nurse their babies. Most opossums use chimneys for their shelter and protection against their predators.
Once inside the chimney, opossums can easily access the inside of your home in search of food and water.
Another common way opossums get into your house is through your pet door, especially if a pet food bowl is placed near it. The food's smell is enough for them to push through the pet door and get inside the house. So, if you want to stop opossums from entering your house, make sure to secure the pet door at night.
If you have opossum infestation in your house or yard you should be able to spot or hear these creatures, as opossums tend to be fairly loud and active at night. If you ever second guess yourself, look for these common signs that you have an opossum getting comfortable in your home.
Opossums usually enter your house through climbing, so you will most likely notice some exterior damage to your home. This damage can commonly be found on the roof of your home, so keep an eye out for any damaged vents or out of place shingles.
Opossums love easy meals. This means leaving food out for your pets can quickly turn into a free meal for a hungry opossum. If you notice that your pet food bowls are emptying more quickly than usual it may mean you may need opossum removal services.
Opossums can be pretty noisy animals, so if they have infested your home, you may have already heard them scratching or moving around your house. Opossums typically make smacking or sneezing noises when they are communicating with other members of their species. Keep a ear out for these smacking noises as this may be a sign you have more than one intruder to deal with.
One of the most evident signs of opossum infestation is foul odors lingering all around your house. Opossums, because of their large size, produce large size droppings. If these pests have infested your home, it’s only a matter of time before it starts to smell like a zoo. Also, how can we not mention it here – when opossums “play possum” and pretend to be dead they release a foul-smelling anal fluid. This might be great for repelling predators but it’s a terrible new smell for your living room.
You can try to get rid of an opossum on your own but it’s better to call the professionals for a variety to reasons. If you do want to DIY opossum removal, you must pay extra attention to areas where opossums like to nest and hide. As opossum removal experts, we have prepared a short list with methods that can be used individually or in combination with other removal methods:
A yard full of vegetables, fruits, or small animals can seem attractive to opossums. Also, if you have a shed or other covering on your property, they can use this as a place to build their den. So, if you want to get rid of opossums from your house, you must remove these attractants or make sure they have no easy access points.
Trapping is an effective method to get rid of opossums from your house. To trap an opossum, you will need to install the trap near suspected areas and bait the traps with fish, fruits, or leftovers. It may be tempting to use poisonous bait to stop your opossum problem for good, but removing dead opossums is a hassle you don’t want to deal with.
Keep in mind, once you have successfully trapped an opossum, it’s up to you to relocate it to a safe location. Trapping might take few days as you will have to wait for the opossum to enter the trap.
Another effective and hassle-free opossum removal method is to use natural opossum repellents. There are many repellents available in the market that are made with all-natural ingredients.
These repellents have strong scents that irritate opossums instantly and force them to leave your house. Although if you want them to repel the opossums away effectively, you will need to regularly re-apply them in suspected areas.
If you have severe opossum infestation in your house, it will not be easy for you to get rid of them all by yourself. However, a professional opossum removal company will effectively remove them through trapping, exclusion, and other methods.
Also, they will thoroughly disinfect your house and completely dispose of all the mess your guest left behind.
Whether you have opossums in the attic, yard, or inside the garage, removing them all by yourself is not a good idea. At the end of the day, opossums are wild animals and may attack you if they feel frightened or threatened. Even worse, they might decide to “play possum” and release that terrible smell mentioned earlier.
It is a much wiser decision to take help from any professional opossum removal service-providing company. Some of the reasons why you should consider a professional opossum removal company are:
While opossums rarely can carry rabies, they still are carriers of many other harmful diseases. This means these unwanted visitors can pose a serious health hazard if you try to get rid of them without professional help.
Besides health hazards, opossum infestation usually happens in difficult to access area such as roof spaces, under sheds, and guttering. In that case, trying to remove them all by yourself means risking the safety of you and your loved ones.
A professional opossum removal company has many experts with knowledge, experience, and the right equipment to complete the job safely.
Even if you have successfully removed all the opossums, you may have forgotten to eliminate the problems that caused the infestation in the first place. So, if you want to make sure that these messy creatures never return, you must consult with opossum removal professionals.
They will help you get rid of opossums in the house and ensure that they don't ever return by sealing all their entry points. They will help you identify the causes, like open chimneys or broken roof vents, that gave these unwanted visitors access your house.
Apart from causing visible damage, opossums may cause a lot of structural damage to your house that might not be visible. Opossum removal professionals know how to spot the signs of any possible structural damage and repair them to help you avoid any long-term problems.
During the hottest months of the year your backyard full of vegetables and fruits can seem quite attractive to many pests and rodents. Opossums are probably one of those pests. Although it is not difficult to get rid of them, they still are capable of causing severe health issues to your family and pets.
From covering your yard in dirt to making holes in your walls, opossums can become a huge nuisance for homeowners. Critter Stop is a reliable company that provides critter removal services in The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. We use many effective opossum removal techniques such as trapping and fencing to make your house and yard opossum-free. Give us a call at (214) 234-2616 and let us take the critters away!
Opossums can be a nuisance when they make their home in or around your property. They often seek shelter under decks or inside houses, leading to potential health risks and property damage. At Critter Stop, we understand the challenges of dealing with opossums and offer professional, humane removal services. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you understand how to handle opossum issues effectively.
A: To get rid of opossums under your deck, start by sealing off any entry points they might use. Use sturdy materials like metal mesh or wood to close gaps. Installing motion-activated lights or sprinklers can also deter them. Additionally, removing food sources and keeping your yard clean will make the area less attractive to opossums.
A: If an opossum gets into your house, the first step is to stay calm and avoid cornering the animal. Open windows and doors to create an exit path, and use gentle guiding with a broom or similar tool to encourage it to leave. If the opossum does not exit on its own, contact a professional wildlife removal service like Critter Stop to handle the situation safely.
A: Yes, humane solutions include using live traps to catch and relocate the opossum. Ensure the trap is checked frequently to avoid unnecessary stress on the animal. Once captured, relocate the opossum to a suitable habitat far from residential areas. Additionally, using deterrents like noise machines can help encourage opossums to leave on their own.
A: The best way to remove an opossum from your house without causing damage is to create an easy escape route. Open windows and doors leading outside, turn off the lights, and minimize noise to avoid scaring the opossum. If the opossum is hidden, using a humane trap baited with food can lure it out safely. Always avoid using harmful chemicals or aggressive methods.
A: Preventing future opossum problems involves making your property less appealing to them. Secure trash cans with tight lids, remove pet food left outside, and clean up fallen fruits from trees. Regularly inspect and repair any holes or gaps under your deck and around your home. Installing barriers like mesh or fencing can also prevent access to potential shelters.
A: When dealing with an opossum in your house, the first step is to assess the situation without panicking. Determine the opossum's location and observe its behavior. Ensure pets and children are kept away to avoid any confrontations. Then, gently guide the opossum toward an exit or set up a humane trap to capture and relocate it safely.
A: While DIY methods can be effective, professional services are recommended for ensuring the safe and humane removal of opossums. Professionals have the experience and tools to handle wildlife situations without harm to the animal or property. Critter Stop offers expert removal services, ensuring that opossums are relocated humanely and preventive measures are put in place to avoid future issues.
For more information on opossum removal or to schedule a service, contact Critter Stop at (214) 234-2616. Our team is ready to help you handle any wildlife issues with professionalism and care.
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