Most of us in the southern US have seen opossums, usually along the roadside. Most people think that the opossum is an ugly pest; however, it is in fact a great animal to use as a pest remover. Of course, you do not want to get too close to the opossum, but if it lives in your yard it will eat snakes, insects, snails, slugs and mice. However, it would be wise to try to avoid any opossums as much as possible. They just like any other wild animal are known to carry diseases, such as leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia and spotted fever. Therefore, if you discover one in your home, you will want to call in a professional to remove it at once.

Trapping:
The best route to take in opossum removal is trapping. This technique may not work with many other pests, but it seems to work for them. They are fairly easy to catch. However, you may want to call in an expert’s help. They will know your state’s laws on opossum trapping and how to properly set the possum trap. Most opossums look fierce and aggressive, especially with all those teeth and sharp claws. However, they are not particularly aggressive, but like any other wild animal, if they are cornered or feel threatened, they will defend themselves. This could end very badly for you because like we mentioned before all the teeth and claws, so you may just want to leave the opossum handling to an expert.

Prevention:
If you do not want to deal with an opossum the best way to eliminate the problem is through preventing the problem in the first place. You need to always keep your yard clean. You also need to make sure there are no holes in your house that an opossum could use an entryway. If you find any holes, you need to seal them, but you need to ensure that there are no animals trapped inside first. You can secure the area under your deck, all your house eaves and chimney access points with a sturdy metal mesh wire to keep out any unwanted opossums. Once you have sealed your house, you can take away their food source by making sure your garbage cans are securely sealed, keeping your pet’s food inside and if you have a garden keeping all the fruits and vegetables off the ground.

The reason we consider opossums pests may be because of how they look and that they will do and break into almost anything to score their next meal. Once an opossum discovers that there is an easy meal ticket at your house, you can be sure that it will keep coming. If you are too late to prevent any opossums from taking up residence and do not want them too near you, your best bet would be to call in the professionals. Even though opossums are usually harmless, you do not want to take any chances when handling a wild animal.