Opossum Repellents Effectiveness – Humane Wildlife Removal

Are Opossum Repellents Effective?

While opossums are known for being immune to rabies and are a great way to get rid of ticks, they can still be quite a nuisance. These marsupials carry plenty of diseases and are known for being stinky. That’s why you might want to try out some repellents to get rid of
them.

Mothballs

Mothballs are a great way of getting rid of (you guessed it) moths. Unfortunately, plenty of people make the mistake of thinking that they can also use it to get rid of a whole host of different animals like raccoons and opossums. The reason these aren’t as effective is because of a substance called naphthalene. This chemical induces headaches and a whole slew of other symptoms when inhaled. However, mothballs only have a small dosage of naphthalene – enough to get rid of moths – so it’s nowhere near as effective when used on bigger animals like opossums.

Molasses

Plenty of people recommend mixing molasses with water and spraying it on your plants to prevent opossums from tearing up your garden. Unfortunately, there’s very little evidence to support this claim. In fact, molasses is sometimes mixed with other ingredients to make animal feed or bait. As a result, you should probably treat this home-made repellent with some skepticism.

Hot Sauce

Hot sauce and other spicy products are frequently used to try and deter wild animals and with good reason. The burning sensation you feel when you eat something spicy is caused by a chemical called capsaicin, and humans are one of only a handful of mammals who eat it. Most other mammals, like opossums, are irritated by the taste and will quickly stop eating spicy food. That’s why this is a great solution if you want them to stop eating something specific, but it does very little to repel them.

Ammonia

Another popular home-made solution is ammonia. While this toxic material can be effective in repelling opossums, it’s far from ideal. Not only does it have a strong smell that most don’t like, but it can also produce a poisonous gas that could harm you and your loved ones. As a result, it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid the use of ammonia.

Predator Urine

Many people claim that predator urine is the way to go. By using fox or coyote urine (purchased from stores) you can use the opossum’s natural instincts against it. The scent of the urine will make the opossum think a predator is nearby, which will make it flee the scene for fear of being killed. While this sounds good in theory, some experts claim that the smell can actually attract opossums instead.

Automated Garden Equipment

Many recommend the use of motion detected sprinklers and spotlights in your garden. The idea behind using these is that the sudden noise, light, and motion caused by these devices will send the opossum into a fright, and they’ll quickly back off out of fear.

Sound Deterrents

Human ingenuity is a great thing. Through the use of science and engineering, people have been able to make devices that emit sounds to repel specific animals without causing any alarm to people or your pets. These devices rely on the use of an animal’s natural hearing frequency and will emit sounds that only the animal can hear. If you purchase one of these and use them to repel opossums, you can quickly irritate them into leaving.

Do They Work?

There are plenty of methods out there that claim to get rid of opossums, yet none are as effective as they claim. Some, like the use of mothballs and molasses, don’t work. Others, like hot sauce, are very situational. Yet others, like ammonia, are too dangerous to be considered. Then we have a few man-made devices designed to get rid of opossums, but even those fall flat sometimes. Why? The truth is that opossums are just out there looking for a source of food and shelter. Once they find somewhere like your home, there’s very little that could make them give up the comfort and safety that comes with it. That’s why the best way to get rid of an opossum is by getting the help of wildlife removal professionals.