Opossums are common throughout the Pacific Northwest and are often found around homes and businesses looking for food, water, and sheltered places to rest. Although these nocturnal animals are generally not aggressive, they can become a nuisance when they take up residence under decks, in crawl spaces, garages, attics, or other areas around a property. Once an opossum finds a reliable source of food or shelter, it may continue returning to the same property.
If you have noticed an opossum around your home or suspect one has gotten inside, Deep Roots Pest and Wildlife Innovations, LLC can help. Our professional wildlife specialists can identify signs of opossum activity, determine how the animal is accessing your property, and provide effective opossum removal and control solutions for homeowners throughout Vancouver WA and Portland OR.
Recognizing an Opossum Problem
Because opossums are active mainly at night, you may notice evidence of their presence without ever seeing them. They often take advantage of accessible food and sheltered areas around homes. Watch for these signs of opossum activity:
- Nighttime Noises: Scratching, rustling, thumping, or other sounds beneath decks, inside crawl spaces, or around attics can indicate wildlife activity.
- Disturbed Garbage: Opossums may investigate unsecured garbage, compost, pet food, or other accessible food sources.
- Droppings or Odors: Droppings, urine, or a strong animal odor may be noticeable in areas where an opossum has been spending time.
- Nesting Materials: Leaves, grass, and other materials may be gathered in sheltered locations to create a temporary resting or nesting area.
- Tracks or Sightings: Opossums have distinctive five-toed tracks and may occasionally be seen traveling through yards, along fences, or around buildings at night.
An occasional opossum sighting around your property is not necessarily cause for concern. But if you are seeing them regularly or notice signs of one entering a structure, professional wildlife control may be appropriate.
Are Opossums Dangerous?
Opossums are generally solitary animals that prefer to avoid confrontation. If threatened or cornered, however, they may hiss, bare their teeth, or bite to defend themselves. They can also carry parasites such as fleas and ticks, while opossums entering enclosed areas may contaminate them with droppings, urine, or other biological material.
If you encounter an opossum, keep your distance and do not attempt to handle, corner, or chase it. Allow the animal to leave on its own, and contact a wildlife control professional if it becomes trapped inside your home or repeatedly returns to your property.
You may also hear an opossum called a “possum.” While the terms are often used interchangeably, opossum is the appropriate name for the Virginia opossum found throughout much of the United States. Possums are a different group of marsupials found primarily in Australia and nearby regions.
What Attracts Opossums to Your Property?
Opossums are opportunistic feeders and will take advantage of readily available food, water, and shelter. Certain conditions around your property can make it more appealing to these nocturnal animals, including:
- Accessible Garbage: Unsecured trash and food waste can provide an easy source of food for hungry opossums.
- Pet Food: Leaving pet food or water outdoors overnight can attract opossums and other wildlife to your property.
- Fallen Fruit: Fruit that falls from trees and remains on the ground can provide an easy meal.
- Compost and Birdseed: Accessible compost piles, birdseed, and other outdoor food sources may attract opossums looking for something to eat.
- Sheltered Areas: Opossums may seek quiet, protected spaces beneath decks and porches, inside crawl spaces, around sheds, or under other structures.
Reducing these attractants can make your property less appealing to opossums. However, removing food sources alone may not solve the problem if an animal has already discovered a way into your home or another protected area.
Preventing Opossums From Getting Inside
Opossum removal is only part of the solution. Preventing future wildlife from accessing the same areas is essential for long-term control. Check your home’s exterior for openings around the foundation, crawl spaces, vents, decks, roofline, and other potential entry points. A few simple measures can also help make your property less attractive to opossums:
- Keep garbage containers securely closed.
- Bring pet food indoors rather than leaving it outside overnight.
- Pick up fallen fruit and other food sources from your yard.
- Reduce brush, debris, and other sheltered areas around structures.
- Inspect for gaps and openings that wildlife could use to enter your home.
Wildlife exclusion is an important part of preventing recurring opossum problems. Our team can identify potential entry points, determine how an opossum is getting onto your property or into your home, and recommend effective exclusion measures.
Why Choose Deep Roots Pest and Wildlife Innovations, LLC?
When you call Deep Roots Pest and Wildlife Innovations, LLC, it’s because you want the opossum problem resolved. We understand that, and we take that responsibility seriously. To provide a comprehensive opossum control solution, our approach focuses on three important steps:
- Inspection: Effective opossum removal starts with understanding the problem. Our wildlife specialists can inspect your property for signs of activity, identify areas where opossums may be hiding or gaining access, and determine what may be attracting them to your home. This helps us understand the situation and develop an appropriate plan.
- Removal: Once we understand the problem, we can determine the appropriate approach for removing the opossum from your property. Our goal is to address the immediate wildlife concern while taking the circumstances of your property into account.
- Prevention: Removing an opossum is only part of the solution if the conditions that attracted it or allowed it to enter remain. We can recommend practical steps to reduce attractants and identify potential entry points that may need to be addressed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Opossums
Dealing with an opossum around your home can raise plenty of questions. We’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions about opossum behavior, what attracts them, signs of activity, and how to prevent them from getting inside.
Still have questions or need professional help? Contact us today!
An opossum may leave on its own if it does not have a reliable source of food or shelter. However, if it has found a protected area or easy access to food, it may continue returning. Professional opossum control can help address the conditions contributing to repeated activity.
Opossums are opportunistic feeders with a varied diet. They may eat insects, fruits, small animals, carrion, pet food, garbage, and other readily available foods. Accessible food around a home can encourage them to visit a property repeatedly.
Yes. Opossums may use crawl spaces, attics, areas beneath decks, garages, sheds, and other protected locations for shelter. Openings around foundations, vents, roofs, and other areas can provide access to these spaces.
It is best to avoid handling, cornering, or chasing an opossum. Although they generally prefer to avoid people, they may become defensive if they feel threatened. If an opossum is trapped inside your home or another structure, contacting a wildlife professional is the better approach.
Consider professional opossum removal if an opossum gets inside your home, repeatedly returns to your property, or is using an attic, crawl space, garage, or other enclosed area for shelter. A wildlife professional can identify how it is getting in and recommend appropriate removal and exclusion measures.
Professional Opossum Removal Is Just a Call Away
When an opossum becomes a problem around your home or gets inside, our wildlife professionals can help. At Deep Roots Pest and Wildlife Innovations, we provide professional opossum control and removal services designed to address unwanted wildlife and help protect your property. Our approach focuses on resolving the immediate problem while helping you reduce the potential for future activity.
Contact Deep Roots Pest and Wildlife Innovations, LLC today to learn more about professional opossum removal in Vancouver WA and Portland OR.