Bath Opossum Removal

Description and Appearance

Opossums are the only marsupial in North America and these nocturnal marsupials will eat anything that they have available to them. They will eat snakes, garbage, rotten fruit, insects, and grass.

Their range spans east of the Rocky Mountains in wooded and suburban areas of this range. They will hiss and show their teeth in an attempt to defend themselves. They are also notorious for playing dead by curling up on their backs, sticking out their tongues, and staring off into space when they are faced with a threat or cornered.

Their fur is grayish in color and they have more teeth than any other mammal in the United States. Their size is equal to that of a cat or small dog with narrow snouts, small eyes, and a prehensile, hairless tail. This tail serves as a fifth limb as they are climbing in the trees.

Habitat and Entry

Opossums are solitary forest and wetland animals; this solitary life is only interrupted when they are raising their young (known as joeys). They like to nest in tree cavities and the old burrows of other animals, but they are not opposed to attics, sheds, and garages. Their scavenging lifestyle has made them an animal that has adapted to the presence of people and the food sources that people can provide for them.

These marsupials have an interesting reproductive life cycle. Their mothers give birth to babies that are the size of a honey bee. These babies make their way into the mother’s pouch until they grow to be too big for her pouch. Once they reach this size, they will ride on the back of their mom while she forages and scavenges for food.

These creatures create their nests out of twigs, grass, and cloth scraps for a comfortable place to sleep during the day. Their need for a secure nesting site will bring them into attics, garages, and sheds. Once nighttime comes, they venture out into the environment to look for food. This venture for food will occasionally cause them to dump over garbage cans, raid gardens, and eat pet food left outdoors.

Damage

The majority of their damage will come from their search for food. These creatures will ravage gardens, devour pet food, dump over the garbage cans, and even rummage through the compost piles. It is not past for them to enter a chicken coop to go after the birds and their eggs. They are not an animal that will attack people, they will play dead to confuse their predators.

Dangers that these creatures do present are the diseases and parasites that they carry. These animals are known to carry a multitude of diseases like tuberculosis, tularemia, toxoplasmosis, and Chagas disease. The fleas, ticks, lice, and mites are also carried around on them as well.

Control and Removal

The first step for a home or property owner is to make sure all possible entry points into a building are sealed up. Gaps in walls, areas around doors and windows, and vents should all be well-maintained or repaired when damaged to make sure that they do not have entry access.

Although these animals are not prone to aggression, it is possible. They should be removed by trained professionals because they understand how to deal with these animals in the safest possible way. An untrained person can put themselves in harm’s way when dealing with these animals.

Other Services Offered

• BAT EXCLUSION
• BEAVER TRAPPING
• BIRD CONTROL
• GROUNDHOG TRAPPING
• MOLE TRAPPING
• SNAKE EXCLUSION

Animal Control Specialists, LLC
New Franklin, OH
(330) 608-1718
Opossum Removal Services