Opossums are one of the greatest nuisances you can find in your yard. They usually will not try to harm you or your family, but they can spread disease or trash your home while they are looking for food. But, how do you keep possums out of yard? The first step to keeping opossums out of your house is keeping them out of your yard. Here’s how:
1. Eliminate Food Sources
Possums will be attracted to your yard if they can easily find a source of food in it. If you take away the source of food, opossums won't have much incentive to stick around. This source can be pet food that is stored outside, unsealed trash cans, or even fruit that has fallen to the ground from your fruit trees. For some easy, DIY wildlife control, store your pet food inside the house or a sturdy, sealed container, keep your trash in a bin with a tight-fitting lid and pick fruit up off the ground soon after it falls.
What Do Possums Eat?
Opossums are omnivorous animals and eat a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, insects, small animals, and carrion. Their diet can vary depending on their habitat and the availability of food. Opossums are known to eat insects such as beetles, cockroaches, and crickets, as well as small animals like rodents, snakes, and birds. They also consume fruits and vegetables such as apples, berries, and corn. Opossums are opportunistic feeders and will scavenge for food, including carrion and garbage. In urban areas, they may eat pet food left outside or raid compost bins.
Overall, opossums have a flexible diet and will eat whatever food sources are available to them. By being proactive about making food less easily available to these critters, you should see a reduction in their presence on your property.
2. Strategically Use Scents
If you are trying to figure out how to get rid of possums, know that they are attracted to many smells you find distasteful, there are some nasty smells that even they hate. These include ammonia and mothballs. To safely perform this kind of wildlife control, pour some ammonia or place some mothballs in a coffee can and leave it in your yard. If you do not have outside pets, this should be a safe solution, but if you do have pets, you might want to try a different wildlife control method.
What Other Smells Do Possums Hate?
There are certain smells that opossums find unpleasant and may avoid. In addition to ammonia and mothballs, possums will also steer clear of odors of vinegar, garlic, onion, peppermint, and camphor. These strong scents are often used as natural repellents to keep opossums away from gardens, trash cans, and other areas where they may be unwanted. However, it's important to note that while these smells may be effective in deterring opossums, they are not foolproof and may not work in all situations. Additionally, using strong-smelling substances as repellents can also be unpleasant for humans and other animals, so it's important to use them in a responsible and safe manner.
3. Get Rid of Shelter
An opossum will come to your yard if they find food there, but they will only stay there if they are able to find shelter. Opossums can find shelter in piles of firewood or brush, or even within your porch or storage shed. To remedy this wildlife control issue, store your firewood indoors, clean up brush piles quickly, and seal off all the entrances to your storage shed and under your porch.
4. Seal Points of Entry
Even worse than finding an opossum living in your yard is finding one living in your home. If you already have an opossum living in your home, it is a smart idea to call a wildlife control professional to remove it instead of attempting it yourself. Yet, if you are simply looking to do some preventative measures, you can fairly easily seal off any points of entry. Close off any gaps with chicken wire or hardware cloth, and be sure it is strong enough to deter the opossums.
5. Call A Professional
The easiest and most effective way you can keep opossums out of your yard is to call McCauley Services. We can come out to your home and set humane traps for the opossums. Once the possums are trapped, your wildlife removal professional can relocate them to a new habitat that is far away from you.