Opossum Bait Techniques – Humane Wildlife Removal

What Bait Should I Use to Catch anOpossum?

They may not look the part, but opossums are some of the smartest creatures out there. They have an amazing sense of smell and a sharp memory to match. They’re able to recall a smell or a pathway a year after they were last there. While this is all incredible, the opossum’s intelligence can sometimes make it difficult to catch them. Thankfully, they still share a big weakness with all other animals; food.

Bait Type

With so many different animals out there, it’s hard to keep track of what they eat and what works as bait. To make matters worse, there are now dozens, if not more, types of manufactured bait for each of these animals. Yet to keep things simple, we’ll mainly be looking at things you might have lying around your home or can easily find at your local supermarket.

Fruits as Bait

Here’s a fun little fact: opossums are omnivores. That’s right, these small, furry marsupials aren’t picky eaters and will eat fruit, vegetables, and meat. This means you’re going to be spoiled for choice when it comes to picking bait.

Apples are some of the best fruits to use when trying to catch opossums. They smell good, have a nice crunch to them, and are pretty sweet. Even opossums have a hard time resisting them.

Oranges are another great fruit to use as bait. They have a strong citrusy smell that’ll quickly be caught up by opossums thanks to their great sense of smell. Once that happens, you’re pretty much all set.

There are plenty of other great fruits that can be used as bait, but apples and oranges are some of the most effective. If you want to have a better chance of catching an opossum with these, you can also wait for the fruit to start rotting before using it as bait. That’s because opossums love eating things that are on the verge of spoiling. The less edible it is for us, the tastier it is for them. Just be warned that this can attract fruit flies.

Meat as Bait

As mentioned before, opossums are omnivores, so they’re also willing to chow down on insects, rats, and just about any other type of meat.

What’s the stinkiest type of meat you can think of? If you answered fish, then you’d be right. Opossums have a hard time resisting smelly food, so something that overwhelms their senses as much as fish would make for great bait. Sardines and anchovies are two great fish for this job, thanks to their strong smell and their small size.

If you don’t feel like putting raw and unprocessed food around your home, you should consider using pet food. Both cat food and dog food have been successfully used to bait opossums into a trap.

Anyone trying to use meat as bait should keep in mind that plenty of wild animals – ranging from a wild cat all the way to coyotes – will be attracted to the food. That’s why you should be careful and should take the necessary precautions to keep your family and pets safe.

Aniseed Oil

Thanks to its strong smell and effectiveness, many claim that aniseed oil is a great way to bait opossums. It’s suggested that you should pour some over bread or crackers before leaving it as bait.

Poisonous Bait

While plenty of stores offer poisonous bait, they aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. While this type of bait does guarantee the animal dies, it gives them the chance to get away and die where they’re most comfortable, a small hole, or inside a wall. If this happens, finding and cleaning up the body afterward is going to be a complete nightmare, so it’s best to stay clear of these types of baits.

Tips on Trapping Opossums

Now that you have the bait, it’s time to start trapping. The most important tip when it comes to trapping any animal is to learn what paths they use. This is because animals stick to whatever route they know works, so they’ll rarely deviate from this. That’s why you have to activate your innate hunting and tracking skills to figure this out (or just look out for any holes that might seem cozy).
The next tip is to set up your bait at night. Opossums are nocturnal creatures, so they’re going to be getting up when the rest of us are about to go to bed.

You can use this to your advantage to maximize the chance of catching them, and to prevent other animals from falling into the trap by accident. Where you set up your bait is just as important as where your trap goes. That’s why it’s recommended you make a trail of bait that’ll lead opossums straight into your trap.

With all of that said and done, you should soon have yourself a trapped opossum.

What Bait Should I Use to Catch anOpossum?

Bait Type

Fruits as Bait

Meat as Bait

Aniseed Oil

Poisonous Bait

Tips on Trapping Opossums

Select Your Animal

Raccoons

Squirrel

Opossum

Skunks

Rats

Mouse

Bat

Bird

Snake

Beaver

Mole

Vole

Gopher

Rabbit

Woodchuck

Flying Squirrel

Chipmunk

Coyote

Fox

Wild Hog

Dead Animal