Opossum Removal

If you have trouble with opossums and don’t know what to do, look no further! Here at Magic Touch Extermination and Wildlife Control, we provide raccoon removal services to all citizens of New York City and the Long Island area. Call us for an inspection, and we’ll get right to work!

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Why Opossums Need To Be Removed

Sooner or later in your life as a homeowner in America, chances are you’ll come face to face with an opossum. And you may be disgusted, or you may think to yourself how cute. Regardless, the next thing you’ll want to do is send that opossum as far away from your property as possible.

Why? Because opossums can wreak havoc in your backyard, garden, lawn, trash, and so on. These furry little intruders can cause quite a bit of damage to your property if they put their minds to it. So, your best bet would be to call in a professional opossum removal company as quickly as possible.

opossum control

How We Handle The Issue:

Where can opossums hide?

Much like any other wildlife pest, opossums are looking for food and shelter when they come to your property. So, you’re most likely to find them in areas of the property that offer at least one of these two things. This is why opossums can be found in:

  • Attics – with their secluded, sparsely inhabited nature, attics can be an ideal place for shelter;
  • Gardens – opossums love to feast on bugs, larvae, worms, and all those other critters disturbing your flower bed and garden. For this reason, opossums are sometimes considered a beneficial house guest, though you may not agree, because of the damage they’re prone to do;

But of course, an opossum can get in pretty much any room of your home, including your garage or shed. So you need to know the signs that tell you there’s an opossum on your property.

opossum removal

Signs of an opossum infestation

Before you can call someone, you first need to make sure you’ve got a problem in the first place. In order to do this, you’ll need to look out for some common tell-tale signs signaling the presence of an opossum on your property.

  • Scratching noises – opossums make these loud tearing and scratching noises as they prepare their nest and move about;
  • Vanishing pet food – all wildlife pests love pet food because it’s really just a ready meal up for grabs. If pet food and water is constantly disappearing mysteriously, it might be a sign you’ve got an opossum on your hands;
  • Bad odor – opossums are fairly chunky creatures and leave behind quite sizable droppings and quantities of urine, which give off a bad smell, and can, in time, damage your furniture and property;
  • Strange noises – opossums are known for their vocalizations (think lip-smacking, hissing, shrieking, etc.), so if you keep hearing these odd noises around your property, it could be a sign you’ve got multiple opossums on your property.

 

This is where a professional opossum removal service comes in…

A lot of people think they’ll save themselves some dollars and attempt to get rid of the opossum themselves. And while this can work well in some cases, it can also end up causing more harm than good. 

DIY opossum repellent and removal methods are largely ineffective. As for trapping, we wouldn’t suggest attempting it if you’ve never done it before or are squeamish by nature. Best to leave opossum removal to professional removers, instead.

opossum control

What does the removal process look like?

Naturally, the actual opossum removal process will vary from company to company, so there’s no one size fits all. But we’ll tell you what the general removal process looks like here at Magic Touch Exterminating and Wildlife Control. 

It all begins with an assessment visit from your local opossum removal service. Don’t worry, many removal professionals are also equipped to carry out the removal itself after the assessment is over, so you won’t need a follow-up visit.

Basically, during this assessment, the professional will check your property for signs of an opossum infestation. They will determine the location of the intruder, and also check to see how many opossums you’re dealing with.

Next comes the removal itself. This, again, will vary from company to company. Depending on personal preference, you could opt for traditional trapping and killing. However, this is cruel and unnecessary, especially when live trapping is a perfectly acceptable alternative. This means that the opossum will be secured, and then safely transported to a safe location, where it can’t bother you anymore.

Lastly, we’ve got the repair and future prevention stage. If we notice that the opossum has caused damage to your property, we will clean and repair it, restoring your property to its former glory. Our thorough cleaning service will remove any pathogens and potential dangers (feces, urine) to you and your family. 

How to Keep Opossums Out Of The Attic

Opossums are a serious concern for homeowners all across the United States. They are notorious scavengers, which is why they are classified as a pest species. This also refers to the fact that they can be responsible for quite extensive damage to your property as they look around for food and shelter. This is why most homeowners will want to get rid of opossums on their property as quickly as possible, and with as little damage as they can manage. To learn more visit opossumattic.com.

Opossums are mostly attracted to the attic, although the garage or the basement can also be quite compelling areas. Generally, wild animals will tend towards areas of your home that are less inhabited, since this diminishes their chances of being discovered, and potentially harmed.

You’ll usually become aware of an opossum in the attic when you hear noise up there, like something moving about. Another tell-tale sign of opossum infestation is the large number of droppings they leave behind. Lastly, some opossums may die while on your property, which will rapidly cause an intense stench.

So what can you do to keep opossums out of your attic?

In this article, we’ll talk you through some of the most common prevention methods that will decrease your chances of attracting opossums (as well as some other wild animal intruders) to your property, specifically your attic.

Consider what’s attracting them.

Common attractors for opossums include any food source and clutter. And since many people use attics as a storage space, this makes it ideal for opossum nests. Among your things, the opossums (often females) will find a warm, cozy space to raise and feed their brood.

So consider what in your attic might be attractive to opossums, and then do your best to remove it. For clutter, we recommend conducting regular cleanings, and disposing of unnecessary stored items, so as to eliminate potential nesting spots.

Check for loose boards, holes, etc.

Remember that any wild animal needs space to get in through before it can become a problem. A common reason why wild animals like opossums are flocking to human properties is damage that creates entry points. This is one big reason why you’ll want to check your roof and attic regularly for any missing or loose boards, cracks, gaps, and so on, that may allow entry to your property.

Whenever you find such a potential entry point, you’ll probably want to seal it promptly using material that’s difficult to chew or claw through (like wire mesh, for example, or caulk).

You can try natural repellents.

Although there is some debate as to how effective natural repellents really are, you can always try using them. It can’t hurt. It’s said that opossums are repelled by strong scents, like ammonia, garlic, molasses, hot mustard, etc., so you can try using these scents in your attic, to keep opossums away.

You might want to look into predator urine.

If opossums turn out to be a persistent problem, you might want to purchase some predator urine (fox urine often works well against opossums), to delicately tell them to back off. By leaving urine-soaked rags in your attics, you’re signaling the presence of a predator, and so telling opossums to keep away.

If all else fails, call a professional.

Calling a professional wildlife removal company like Magic Touch Exterminating and Wildlife Control can be a costly option, but also a highly effective one. The wildlife removal professional will identify what’s attracting opossums to your property in the first place, and implement future prevention methods, as well, so you’d definitely be getting your money’s worth! 

How to Remove Opossums Under The Porch

Save for the diseases they carry, possums are generally harmless. When terrified or threatened, an opossum will play dead by appearing and smelling dead. It closes its lips, saliva collects around its mouth, and its anal glands release a foul-smelling substance. 

This is only a temporary reaction, and it will get up as soon as the threat goes away. If an opossum has taken up residence under your deck, it may be that they are only passing through for a brief period of time. When dealing with possums, trapping should be your very last choice because removing these animals isn’t difficult.

If you’re looking for effective ways of removing possums under the porch, here are some tips to help you.

Store garbage properly

Remove anything that attracts possums from under your deck to encourage them to go. Food and potential shelter often attract opossums to a region. Garbage and pet food that has been left outside should be removed. Clip or eliminate overgrown shrubs or vegetation that conceal them under your deck. Clear any fallen fruit from the trees, as well as wood heaps and other potential hiding spots near your deck.

Seal access points

Search for any entry holes or damaged areas where it could have gotten under your porch. Fill the hole with scrunched-up paper and a slight sprinkling of flour around any openings where the opossums may have gotten in. After dusk, opossums will emerge from their hiding place in search of food, so keep an eye on the area. 

You will be able to tell that the animal is gone if you detect possum tracks on the flour moving away from the opening and the cardboard has been pushed away. To make sure the hole is empty, shine a flashlight beneath it. Possums birth their young between October and December, therefore you have to make sure beneath the porch unoccupied before proceeding to seal it off. Doing this prevents you from mistakenly trapping pups inside.

Use noise and light

It’s possible that the animal you want to evict chose to live beneath your porch because it was secure and safe from both humans and other animals. If this is the case, putting a radio to blast for a few days under your porch can cause it to seek a more peaceful environment. 

Animals like to be alone and unbothered by humans, and they would flee at the sound of a human voice. Another effective deterrent is to place a strobe light or some flashy Holiday lights near the area the animal likes to frequent. Possums will avoid your deck if you use a radio with human voices and install very bright lighting.

Use chemical repellents

Once you’ve figured out the exact place the possum is dwelling beneath your porch, get some granular repellent to sprinkle around the area. A rag soaked in a strong-smelling solution, such as apple cider vinegar, is another option. Chemical repellent like ammonia is also a great alternative. Ammonia has an unpleasant odor and should be avoided by all living things. This foul-smelling substance will keep possums and raccoons away from your deck. To do so, soak a piece of rag in ammonia, place it in a plastic bag, puncture holes in it and place it beneath the porch.

Hire a professional

Consider hiring a professional pest removal firm like Magic Touch Exterminating and Wildlife Control if you’re having trouble evicting an animal on your own. We’ll make sure the animal is taken care of in a safe and humane way. With a team of duly licensed and experienced experts, we take care of your possums problems and make sure they never return.

opossum removal

How to Repel Possums Naturally

Opossums are a common home intruder across the South, East, and Midwest of the United States. They can cause homeowners quite a bit of trouble, since their omnivore diet allows them to thrive in a variety of different environments. 

Like many other wild critters that bother human homes, opossums are omnivores, which makes it all the more difficult to realize when you’re dealing with an infestation. Opossums are more than likely to tear up your garden patch and crops, ransack the trash bins, and secure a nest anywhere around (or even in) your home. 

As such, it’s no wonder you’d want to get rid of them. It’s worth mentioning, before we talk about natural opossum repellents, that the best way to actually get rid of them is to call a professional wildlife removal company. A professional is better equipped and skilled to take care of the problem for you, with minimal trouble to you or your family.

If you’re interested in DIY opossum removal, we recommend live trapping as the most efficient and most humane option. Caution: killing a possum on your property is actually illegal in many states, so we don’t recommend lethal traps or poisons.

But what can you do to naturally repel opossums, and stop them from bothering you?

  • Use your garden to your advantage.

Like many nuisance wildlife, opossums have a sensitive nose, and react strongly to pungent smells and tastes. So you can use this to your advantage, and start planting things like garlic, or hot peppers, since the smell and taste of these work well to repel wild animals.

Alternatively, you might also use the potency of garlic by placing crushed cloves around your garden, or wherever opossums are most active on your property. Last but not least, you might also make a special opossum garlic repellent, by mixing garlic or hot peppers with water, and spraying it around those trouble areas.

  • Get a pet.

Opossums are not confrontational animals, and are bound to avoid areas where they suspect there are predators. And since opossums and dogs and cats don’t mix well, simply getting one of these traditional pets may go a long way in protecting your property from the night time bandits.

If you’re looking for extra protection for a certain spot (like the garden patch), you can take discarded pet fur and sprinkle it around this area, to suggest the same danger.

  • Use ammonia.

Ammonia is what we use in mothballs to keep moths away, and while a mothball is far too small to inconvenience an opossum, it can be useful against them in the right quantity. Placing ammonia-soaked rags strategically around your property can help deter raccoons from bothering you. However, you will need to replace these rags regularly, so as to maintain the potency of the smell. 

Caution: you should be careful when handling ammonia directly, and avoid contact with your eyes, nose and mouth, as it can be toxic for you, also. Similarly, if you own pets, make sure to keep them away from the ammonia, for the same reasons.

  • Turn on the lights.

Since possums are nocturnal animals, they tend to dislike strong lights, which is understandable. You can use this to your advantage. By turning the porch light on, or even employing a specialty motion-activated light deterrent, to keep them off your property during the small hours.

  • Use a fence.

We left the most obvious one for last, but if you’re worried about opossums, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, or any other wild animals, the best thing you can do is put up a fence around your property.

If you live in New York City or the Long Island area and need extermination or wildlife services, call Magic Touch Extermination and Wildlife Control today!

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