Different Ways to Kill Opossums – Humane Wildlife Removal

What are the different ways to kill opossums?

Opossums are one of the less common pests in the US. They are outnumbered by rats, mice, raccoons, and other nuisance animals. Opossums, often mistaken as rodents, are actually marsupials or animals that have pouches. They are closely related to kangaroos. They are notorious for being great scavengers which makes them very hard to get rid of. If you are dealing with an opossum infestation on your property, there are many ways to solve this problem. There are exclusion and trapping techniques you can try. However, most people that had to deal with this dilemma have had to resort to killing the animal. This is because opossums are very persistent and strong survivalists. They won’t give up unless they’re permanently incapacitated or dead. So, a more permanent solution to a possum infestation is killing them. Here are the different ways to kill opossums:

Here are 4 ways to kill opossums:

#1 Lethal Traps

Size is one thing that you should definitely consider before going for the noose-trap method. Opossums can grow up to 14 to 37 inches and can weigh from 1.8 to 14 lbs. In order for a trap to be effective, it has to be big and strong enough to crush the animal.

You wouldn’t want to let the poor thing suffer a long and agonizing death. It is humane to make sure that whatever type of lethal trap you use will finish the job.

#2 Cage Traps

This method is highly recommended for bigger opossums or those that are more than 8 inches in length. It works by placing an open cage in a strategic location where opossums usually hang out on your property. Place a bait to make the animal go inside the cage. Once it’s inside, a trigger will automatically shut the door leaving the opossum trapped.

After capturing the animal, the humane way to deal with it is to either kill it with a lethal injection or put it in a carbon dioxide chamber.

#3 Poison

This method is not recommended as it is the least humane option on the list. Poison causes the animal to suffer a long and painful death.

You can buy poison for opossums at your local store. It’s very easy. However, the danger is when your pets or other animals you don’t intend to kill accidentally eat the poison. It might be too late before you can take action. Another danger of this method is that the opossum can die hours or even days after eating the poison and it will be hard to locate its body after it passes away. A dead body of an opossum can cause a foul smell, can transmit diseases, and can even attract predators inside your house.

#4 Shooting

Hunting opossums can be an exciting idea. It is very challenging to kill an opossum using a gun because their brain is very small which makes it easy to miss. If you aim for their head, there is a small chance you will kill the animal. You might injure its skull but it will take much more precision to actually kill a moving opossum.

Even for veteran hunters, opossums are still one of the hardest to take down.

How to dispose of a dead opossum's body?

Before anything else, you should know that opossums are deceitful creatures. One of their oldest tricks is to play dead. It is part of their defense mechanism to pretend that they’re dead to make the predator think that they’ve done the job and let their guard down. Make sure this doesn’t happen by checking to see if the animal is in fact dead.

Do not even come near the opossum if you are not wearing a mask and gloves. It is also recommended that you wear a long sleeved shirt to avoid any direct contact with the animal.

Pick up the opossum and put it inside a garbage bag. Seal it but do not push out the air from inside the bag as this air can contain airborne diseases. Re-bag it and seal it again so that there are two layers of garbage bags.

Certain states require for opossums to be incinerated to be permanently destroyed by burning. However, if this is not required in your state, you can just go ahead and throw the garbage bag in the trash bin or bury it at least 6 ft. below the ground.

How to prevent another possum infestation?

As mentioned earlier, opossums are strong survivalists. They are opportunistic scavengers who will not give up as long as they know they have a shot at a food source. The truth is, even if you kill the opossums that come to your property, it won’t permanently solve your problem unless you remove their food source.

Opossum food sources are usually unsealed garbage cans and pet food bowls. Tidy up your place and make sure that you are not giving opossums a reason to visit you. This is the best way for you to make sure that your opossum problem will not happen again.