What if an Opossum Gets inside My House?

Opossums are opportunistic nocturnal animals and are also very good climbers, thanks to their tails and thumbs. They are always in search of food and they like to eat a large variety of foods, including leftovers from your pet or even a mess they find in your garbage. This is why opossums frequently present a problem to humans, as they tend to take advantage of any possible holes or openings to make it inside people's houses. So, if you happen to find an opossum inside your house, kitchen or even bedroom, don’t be surprised – it is most likely there because it has been attracted by food. However, although they are usually harmless, there are still plenty of reasons why people don’t want them around – or inside – their homes.



Get It out
If you have opossums in your house, you need to get them out and the best option for doing this is to trap the opossum. Once you trap the opossum, you need to remove it somewhere where it will be safe. Don’t worry, as opossums are quite easy to get scared, so once you trap and release it, the opossum will never come back to your home again. However, this doesn’t mean that other opossums won’t get into your home, though. Another good option for getting opossums out of your house without bringing any harm to the animal is to lure them out using baits. Since they are almost always looking for food, you can use any type of bait, such as fruits or vegetables, as anything will work on them. Make as much light as possible in the area where you found the opossums, as they don’t like light and it will scare them away.

Keep Opossums Away from Your House
Although it is relatively easy to get opossums out of your home, it is best to try to keep them away, which means that you need to prevent them from entering your home. For this, you can use these tips:

  • Remove all the debris and wood piles that might present a good shelter for opossums
  • Get rid of any food that they can find around your home or courtyard – such as pet leftovers or spilled bird seed
  • Close all garbage cans and ensure they are properly sealed
  • If you find the hiding places of opossums in your courtyard, watch for the moment when they are gone out and close up their entrance to the hiding place, so that they won’t be able to get back in that way again

Ending Thoughts
When you have opossums in your house, you can try to remove them on your own, as they are not harmful animals. If you prefer, you can look for a wildlife removal company in your area, to help you with this issue.

Go back to the How to get rid of opossums home page.

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