PK-W02 · Nuisance wildlife
How to get rid of Virginia opossums
Didelphis virginiana
Opossums are the hissing, play-dead marsupials under decks. They eat ticks, garbage, and pet food. They can den under a porch and seed fleas. They are generally less a rabies headline than raccoons (still a wild mammal bite is medical). Control is exclusion of the deck with buried mesh after confirming no young in a pouch season, and securing garbage. Do not grab a “dead” opossum. They are not possums of Australia (Phalangeriformes) — different animals, different laws.
How to identify Virginia opossum
- White face, prehensile tail, tracks with a thumb-like hind toe.
- Den under decks and in brush piles. Nocturnal.
Signs of an infestation
- A hissing animal in a garage.
- Flea problems after wildlife under a porch.
- Raided cat food.
Biology and why they show up
Marsupial, many young. Short life, high roadkill. They eat almost anything, including carrion and ticks — ecology is mixed, not a cartoon villain.
Health and property risk
Bites if handled, fleas, messy dens. Rabies is less common than in raccoons but not zero. Murine typhus in some southern cities involves opossums and fleas — local health departments.
Proven control sequence
Work in this order. Skipping inspection or exclusion is why most “treatments” bounce back in a week.
- Skirt the deck after young are independent. Hardware cloth buried in an L. Same as groundhogs, different animal.
- Secure food. Pet food and garbage. Compost lids.
- Do not handle. Play-dead is real. Bites are medical.
Matching tools for these steps can be bought on Amazon. Buy the field kit.
Tools for opossums under decks
Hardware cloth on the skirt after the animal is out. Leave a check door until you are sure.
As an Amazon Associate, Pest Kill earns from qualifying purchases. The EPA label is the law for any pesticide. These links match the sequence on this page — they are not a shopping list instead of identification. Details: advertising disclosure. Browse the full tools catalog.
Hardware
1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth
Cut patches for vents, soffits, and the gaps foam cannot hold. Quarter-inch mesh stops mice; rats need a heavier gauge and no loose edges. Fasten to wood or masonry, then seal the rim.
Hardware
Headlamp or flashlight for inspections
German cockroaches, rodent runways, and bed-bug harborages are night-shift jobs. A light you can point into a hinge beats another can of spray.
Prevention that actually sticks
- Close crawlspace doors.
- No bowl on the porch overnight.
When to hire a licensed professional
When they occupy a structure or a HOA forbids DIY trapping. Flea follow-up with a vet for pets.
United States and Tier 1 notes
Expanding north with milder winters. West Coast suburbs included. Not native to the UK.
Common questions
Do they really eat 5,000 ticks?
They eat ticks; the viral number is marketing. Still not a reason to keep one under a deck next to a sandbox. Exclude.