What to do if an opossum is in my house
There are a variety of different ways in which an opossum can end up getting into your home. No matter if it gets through by finding a hole in your wall or by sneaking in through an open door, dealing with one when it actually gets inside of your home can be very troublesome. If you are struggling with an opossum inside of your house or even inside of a building on your property, you will likely be able to recognize it instantly. After all, opossums are extremely noisy and they don’t necessarily follow the same nocturnal sleeping schedules that other rodents do. Because of this, you will be able to spot them throughout the day and they won’t be very sneaky about it. If you are dealing with an opossum infestation, you will likely notice some of the following signs.
1. Opossum Damage
These critters typically get through the building at night. As a result, you may notice damage from them climbing on your home’s exterior. A lot of the times these pests will tear up your shingles, rip off your roof, and do a lot of other things that can be very noticeable.
2. Pet Food Seemingly Disappears
Believe it or not, opossums are very drawn towards cat food. Because of this, if you are leaving your cat food out for your cat during the day or at night, you will likely notice that their food begins to disappear even without your cat eating it. This is due to the fact that they will steal your cat’s food when your cat isn’t around. Because they aren’t afraid of confrontation, they may even attack your cat. Therefore, you should be taking measures to protect your cats from an infestation.
3. Animal Vocalizations
Opossums have a variety of different vocalizations including but not limited to shrieking and hissing. As far as mother opossums go, they tend to make a lot of unique sounds including smacking sounds in order to communicate with their young ones. Therefore, if you are noticing any of these noises on your property, you are likely dealing with an infestation of some sort.
4. Scratching Noises
Another common thing that you are going to want to be on the lookout for would be scratching noises. As they nest, they will tend to make a lot of different scratching noises which you may even confuse with rats. However, the noises are going to be much louder simply because the opossum is a much larger animal. Along with this, you may even notice scratching throughout a much wider area when you have an infestation because they aren’t afraid to move around throughout your home. Whereas, mice and rats may stick to the edges of your home.
5. Unpleasant Scent
This is easily one of the most distinguishable things that you are likely going to notice when you have an infestation. Unfortunately, these animals smell very bad. What’s worse, they defecate a lot more than a lot of other pests and mammals.
Since they are fairly big, you can expect their feces to be fairly large. The droppings that they leave behind everywhere can end up causing a lot of issues including damaging the floorboards and other building materials. You may even have a case where an opossum gets trapped underneath the floors, in your walls, or elsewhere causing the smell of decay from dying and rotting in it.
One of the main things that you want to keep in mind when you are dealing with one of these animals is that you should not be going after it on your own with your bare hands. These are animals that are not afraid to attack when you confront them. Also, they are likely to attack if they don’t see any other way to get out of the situation and they are being threatened.
Always wear adequate protection when attempting to get rid of one of these pests including thick gardening gloves, safety glasses, and potentially even a facemask. When you are looking to get it to go outside, you can stick to using something with a long reach like a broomstick. That way, you can attempt to guide and encourage the opossum to go outside. A snare pole is another good option that you can use that can keep yourself at a safe distance. That way, you don’t have to come into physical contact with the animal which can be dangerous.
When You Should Call a Professional
The truth is, if you have an infestation in your home, you should call a professional. A professional technician will be better suited to remove the animal from your home. Unfortunately, opossums can carry all kinds of dangerous and even deadly diseases ranging from leptospirosis to tuberculosis. Even more, they can carry around a lot of other dangerous parasites like ticks, mites, and fleas. Because of this, you want to get rid of them as quickly yet safely as possible. Call a professional to help you do just that.
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