So you think that you may have an opossum problem? If you haven’t actually seen one but think that there is one hanging around… there are signs and noises that you can look for that might clue you in that it is, indeed, an opossum — and not a raccoon or even the neighborhood dog being let out at night off leash.
Signs of a Pest:
1. Disappearing Food
Though it could be any number of animals, one of the first things that you may notice is disappearing pet food. Assuming that it’s not simply your neighbor’s dog making himself at home with the kibbles, opossums are more likely to have a late night dinner on dry or wet dog and cat food. From a young opossum to old ones, they love the stuff and can chow down quite a bit of the food in one sitting.
2. Damage to Home Exterior
Opossums love to climb. They’re exceptional at it. You may see damage to your siding, roof and shingles, and gutters. They’re heavier than they look and while they climb very well, they’re not exactly nimble and can tear things up pretty easily.
3. The Smell
Though opossums groom themselves their natural smell is fairly unpleasant. The musk of an opossum is unpleasant but their urine and feces is downright disgusting smelling. It’s very strong and nearly worse than a male cat spraying. If you have an opossum that’s decided to move in, you may notice a decidedly unpleasant aroma where they’ve decided to stay. This will undoubtedly seep into the wood and other areas of your home.
4. Scratching
When an opossum starts to nest they tend to make a lot of noise in the process. They really don’t care about the noise that they make like some other stealthy wildlife. They make themselves at home and roam much wider from the nesting area than a rat or mouse. Basically, if it sounds like a 14-pound mouse, it’s likely an opossum setting up camp and making a huge mess in doing so. They’re incredibly messy creatures.
5. Animal Noises
Opossums can make quite a few noises that, if you know what to listen for, will tell you that it’s actually an opossum and not something else. With raccoons, you hear a purring chitter while opossums hiss, shriek, and a noise that mother opossums use to call to their babies. This noise is more like the clicking noise that you can make by drawing a little air between the inside of your cheek and your teeth.
Babies will, likewise, make this noise back but on a quieter scale. If you hear that noise then you can count on there being a serious issue in your home because you’re dealing with not just one opossum, but many.
They’re marsupials and carry their babies around in a pouch until they’re too big to fit in there so if a mother opossum moves in and has a pouch full of babies, things are going to get interesting. The babies also run the risk of getting stuck between the walls and dying which is no good for the mom, the babies, or you.
What to do?
Call An Animal Extraction Company!
If you think that you may have an opossum or even an opossum family taking up residence in your home or garage; call Palmetto Wildlife Extractors. While opossums rarely carry rabies, they do carry many other diseases and can, when cornered, become aggressive.
They can do damage to homes and can even injure pets and, if very ill or scared, injure you or your loved ones. Don’t try and catch them or remove them yourself. Call in the experts to get the job done.
Not only do we set up live traps, we do everything that we can to move them to an area where they can go about their lives like normal. Contact us for our opossum removal services today!