Learn powerful, up-to-date methods from experts who stop opossums and get rid of them forever. If you`ve tried opossum exclusion on your own without getting the desired results, professional exclusion can often identify and resolve remaining challenges. This makes it possible to get rid of opossums permanently. Most individual owners are able to prevent possums on their own without professional help. Depending on your plan and what possums bring to your area, all you probably need is a few new products, limited craft skills, and a little time. Some wildlife control solutions for opossums are underway to keep them outdoors consistently, but this will not take long. In nature, opossums have a varied omnivorous diet. They eat plants such as berries and vegetables, usually from late summer to winter. In spring and early summer, they eat eggs, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, small mammals and animal remains. They also consume ticks, with the average opossum eating 5,000 ticks a year. Their consumption of small animals and leftovers makes opossums important for maintaining food webs and controlling pests in their local habitats. They also mitigate tick populations that can spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, two dangerous tick-borne diseases that are spread through tick bites. For these types of urgent issues, it is often best to hire a licensed and insured wildlife control expert for removal for safety and legal reasons.
Once you`ve confirmed or suspected that an opossum has a cave on your property or is regularly unauthorized, follow these steps to keep it outside: We can also answer your questions about opossum removal and prevention and help you through the process. Call us at (866) 811-0257 for 24-hour support. You can also fill out our contact form or chat with us. The relocation of opossums is suitable for rescues. Release the opossum in the shelter, away from the roads and where people live. On the contrary, a reputable wildlife control company will use live traps — commercial traps that hold the opossum without killing it — to catch the animal. This can be done by a bait trap, trap or by hand. Under state law, opossums fall into the category of animals that can be shipped without a license at any time. In most places, killing traps require a permit to operate and must humanely end the life of the opossum. Any prolongation of the death of these creatures or torture of any kind can result in a hefty fine or suspension of your licence to operate a wildlife removal service. Conversely, live traps are generally acceptable for the capture and removal of opossums or opossums, but laws regarding the release of captive animals can be very complicated and vary greatly from state to state.
Be sure to check your surroundings before engaging in any of these types of traps. Opossums often harbor parasites such as fleas and ticks and are more resistant to rabies than any other mammal, although they are not completely immune. The state`s wildlife managers are less willing to live and let live. According to them, opossums are notorious fighters with cats and dogs who inflict serious injuries with their 50 sharp and sharp teeth. They are infested with fleas, ticks, mites and lice. They are also implicated as carriers of leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, typhus, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, trichomoniasis and Chagas disease. Opossums are the ultimate opportunists. Although their natural habitat is forests, they can easily move to more urban areas where garbage, pet food, and human food provide them. This has led to an increase in the number of opossums that spend time or live in yards.
In 2008, Lorenzo Oliver and his son – then 12 years old – were arrested for abusing an opossum and detained for several hours at the Anaheim police station. The Olivers filed a lawsuit, a case that eventually went to the 9th century Court of Appeal. District after lower courts ruled in favor of the arresting officers. Opossums defend themselves against predators and threats by “playing opossum” and adopting the appearance of a dead or sick animal. Their lips retract to expose their teeth, they secrete an unpleasant odor and they faint. They remain in this state between a few minutes and four hours. This is a biological reaction, not a conscious choice, and it`s another reason why opossums are rarely dangerous. The Virginia opossum, colloquially referred to simply as the “opossum,” is the only species of this animal in the United States. It lives primarily in the Southern, Eastern, and Midwestern states, although it was introduced to the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s. Opossums are also expanding northward, likely taking advantage of rising winter temperatures.
For many years, small arms have been a mainstay of homeowners to kill domestic pests such as snakes, raccoons, squirrels, opossums and armadillos. A single bullet in the skull is considered human by most states and will end the lives of these creatures in seconds. Remove pet food, fruits and other foods that could attract opossums. Opossums eat bird food, so hang a bird feeder on a wire between trees or a confused pole to avoid raids. Reduce the amount of seed that falls to the ground by using one type of seed per feeder and using feeders that capture fallen seeds. Opossums are about the size of domestic cats, but can grow up to 40 inches long. However, in northern climates, the length of the tail may be shorter due to frostbite. Opossums can weigh up to 14 pounds, but the average weight is 4 to 12 pounds, with males generally larger than females. The face is long and pointed with a skull that is usually 3 to 4 inches long and contains 50 teeth, more than any other mammal in North America. Generally, an opossum in your garden stops just to eat and will soon be on its way. It can even help eliminate other pests such as snails, insects and small rodents in the area.
NOTE: One thing you need to keep in mind is that an opossum that looks dead may not be dead. Playing dead is the defense mechanism of this animal. Before putting an opossum in a bag or garbage can, give it a few hours to see if it shows signs of life, usually starting with trembling ears. The good news is that it`s not a difficult animal to remove from your garden and keep outside. The recommended way to treat an opossum in your garden is to let it be. In the next two or three days, he will probably move elsewhere. The exclusion for opossums has the added benefit of keeping other animals like raccoons, skunks, and even rodents if you target the smallest holes. Exclusion physically distances opossums from their homes. To also manage opossums in your garden, you can use the following methods: Opossums do not usually cause crop losses. In addition, they usually avoid pets and livestock.
Opossums can hunt chickens, ducks, pigeons and eggs. The opossum can carry the microorganism that causes equine protozoan myeloencephalitis (MPE) that kills horses. Protozoa are released into feces, so an opossum eaten or fed in stable areas can contaminate horses` feed and water. Those who are still looking for possums for DIY solutions or looking for a more immediate or hands-free approach to wildlife control should contact a wildlife control professional. With their knowledge and expertise, they often offer a guaranteed way to get rid of opossums forever, as long as you choose the right company. Opossums are opportunistic omnivores. They eat animals and plants, including insects, worms, snakes, lizards, mice, rats, herbs, fruits and vegetables. Opossums can feed on compost piles, garbage cans or pet food trays.
Opossums can be considered beneficial because they feed on insects, mice and rats. They willingly collect carrion and are often hit by vehicles while feeding on animals killed on the road. Keeping opossums off your property is beneficial for you and the animals in the long run. As a wildlife species, excessive consumption of human food, such as that found in garbage, negatively affects the health of an opossum. The low risk of disease or stroke is also a reason to reduce the likelihood of these animals in your garden. “Before you arrest someone, make sure it`s against the law,” said Newport Beach attorney Jerry Steering, who will help settle Lorenzo Oliver and his son. Oliver spent four hours in the Anaheim City jail in March 2008 while his family gathered a $20,000 bond for allegedly covering up the beating of an opossum by his then 12-year-old son. The boy, who denied hitting the animal with a shovel, was detained at the Anaheim police station. No criminal charges have been laid. Habitat management and exclusion are just as effective in a business as they are in a residential property and can be used anywhere. You can also catch opossums using the same methods.
Since wildlife in a business endangers customers and employees and often violates the health code, many business owners opt for professional wildlife control for animal removal. Most states stipulate in their animal extermination laws that the animal must be killed without prolonged suffering, torture or other inhumane treatment.