Tips for Removing Opossums From Your Home
Expansion of living environments has affected wildlife habitat, which means that more and more wild animals, including opossums, have been found venturing into residential neighborhoods and taking up residence in foundations, attics, rooftops and trees. If you are in South Carolina you are no exception. Opossums are everywhere in SC.
Opossums are nocturnal, so their nighttime activities can cause disturbance for human residents, especially when they howl and screech well into the night. They also turn over garbage bins and leave traces of their urine when they mark their territory.
In some cases, homeowners are surprised to find opossums living on their roofs, with no idea how to get the pesky animals down and away from homes.
In this article, we provide a few DIY solutions for getting rid of opossums from your home. But, you must know that opossums do carry disease; therefore, we always recommend getting professional help so as not to put people and pets at risk.
Removing Opossums The DIY Way
Remove Entry Points
Opossums can get into the home through a variety of entry points, but the most common are crevices or gaps in the roof tiles. If you have holes in the walls, they could get in through this way too. Spotting opossum entry points is essential.
Sprinkle flour near entry points and see what kind of animal leaves its prints. If you see opossum footprints and the hole is big enough for a cat to pass through, there’s a good chance you have one making its home in your roof. Patch up any holes after making sure that the opossum is out of your home or patch it and then place a trap inside near the hole so you can catch the opossum and release it.
Use solid sheeting or timber when patching up the hole because opossums can scratch through thin barriers with ease.
Build a Nesting Box
Actual opossum removal can be tricky, but it can be done.
Make sure that you have a nesting box ready for the opossum once you get it out of the house. Place the box up a tree about four meters from the ground. A tree located around your house is an ideal location for a new opossum house which will attract your furry friend once you have placed its nest inside.
Locate the opossum nest, which is likely in your roof or in your attic and place that in your box. You can use pieces of fruit placed near or in the box to draw the opossum into the nest.
As this type of DIY can be done by a homeowner, one must be extremely careful not to inhale or touch the nest without the proper protection and gloves. The opossum’s excretion and deposition of urine and feces in the nest and surrounding area can put your health at risk.
Additional Opossum Deterrents
- There are a number of opossum deterrents such as sprays that can be found in nurseries and hardware stores. These can be tried but are not always successful in keeping these pesky critters away for good.
- Trim unruly tree branches that opossums can use to gain access to your roof.
- Install bright lights. Opossums hate bright lights and will stay away from brightly-lit areas around the home.
- Quassia chips and naphthalene balls are also effective possum deterrents that can be sprinkled near the entry points. These are useful if you cannot seal off the holes and crevices right away.
- Use chicken wire or wood planks nailed across the holes to remove any access to the entry point.
Get Professional Help For Removing Opossums
Finding an opossum anywhere in your home can be unsettling and even downright scary. These DIY tips are doable, easy and affordable but not always the best way for removing them.
As mentioned earlier opossums can transmit disease. They drop waste materials such as urine and feces which can bring on a foul odor and disease.
The Precision Predator Removal company is here to assist you in removing opossums in a humane and safe way for all. We can help you successfully get rid of them and prevent them from coming back in the future.
Contact us today for help removing opossums and any other type of wildlife animal that may be on your property.
