Opossum Control in Mobile

Opossums are not aggressive towards humans and prefer to avoid contact with people. They are rarely seen since they are nocturnal and typically only den in one area for a few days before moving to a new place. Like other mammals, opossums need food, water, and shelter to survive. They will stay in one location until that location no longer meets their needs.

Opossums benefit the ecosystem by consuming thousands of ticks and other bugs, mice, snakes, slugs, and more yearly. However, they can also be a nuisance if they live under your house, deck, or shed

Signs of an Opossum Infestation

Opossums, like many of the creatures we encounter, are nocturnal. Unless you see an opossum, it may be difficult to discern whether the critters in your attic or yard are opossums, raccoons, squirrels, or rodents. But, you know something’s causing damage or keeping you awake at night with its scampering and vocalizations.

Here are some signs to look out for:

• Exterior Home Damage: Opossums will get into an attic by climbing up the side of a house or jumping onto a roof from a tree limb or power line. Their sharp claws can damage roof and siding shingles.
• Strange Noises: Opossums are quite vocal and utilize a wide range of sounds to communicate, including hissing, growling, clicking, and screeching.
• Musky Smell: Opossums secrete a musky smell to mark their territory.
• Gnaw Marks: If in your attic, under a porch, or in a shed, you might see gnawed wood and wires.
• Feces: Opossum feces are about one to two inches in length, smooth on the sides, and curled on the ends. Older feces can be covered in a white or yellowish mold.
• Disappearing Pet Food and Toppled Garbage Cans: Opossums will eagerly feast on trash and pet food that is easily accessible.
• Tracks: Opossum tracks look similar to human handprints because they have five toes on each foot.

Where to Look for an Opossum Infestation

• Under your deck
• Under a shed
• Crawlspace
• Attics

Opossum Removal

While opossums are not naturally aggressive animals, they do cause costly damage and pose health and safety issues to you, your family, and your pets. Before they dig up your garden or gnaw through electrical wires in your attic, it is time to conduct opossum removal.

Many people don’t realize there is a difference between opossum removal and opossum extermination. Both rid your home and yard of unwanted opossums. The methods used are quite different. Wildlife removal or control is a more humane option where wildlife is removed with minimum stress and harm to the animal. Extermination is a method that uses chemicals to kill the offending animal. Once the offending animal is gone, an exterminator’s job is done. However, a wildlife control specialist will use exclusion methods that keep future infestations at bay and offer repair and sanitation services to restore the infested area.

When an opossum is living in your attic, under your deck, or in your shed, it is not advisable to try getting rid of opossums on your own. An opossum can become aggressive if cornered and can bite and scratch. Plus, they carry parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to people and pets.

Critter Control is a wildlife removal service with over 40 years of experience in humane and effective opossum removal, exclusion, and repair. Critter Control specialists arrive with the proper equipment, know all local, state, and federal ordinances, and will guarantee their work.

How to Keep Opossums Out of Your Yard

Opossum control is the most effective way to keep opossums out of your yard and home. It is a process by which you remove the resources and conditions that make the area attractive to them. Add these practices to your home and landscape maintenance to keep opossums out:

• Keep trash cans tightly sealed.
• Bring pet food indoors.
• Clean up brush piles and leaves from the yard.
• Clean up fallen fruit from around trees.
• Fence in your garden.
• Add mesh around your deck, porch, and shed foundations.
• Scrub grills after you use them.