How To Keep Opossums Off Of Your Memphis, TN Yard

12/30/2021

Opossums are the only marsupial in the United States. Other marsupials around the world include possums, kangaroos, koalas, and wombats. But luckily, you only have to worry about opossums, which are about the size of a house cat. Opossums have a long, narrow face, whitish-gray fur, and a hairless tail, which they use to grip. Like other marsupials, opossums have a pouch on their stomach where they keep their young.

While wildlife in Memphis like opossums might not be the most common home-invading pests, they can still be a problem for many Memphis, Tennessee homeowners. This is why you should know more about this pest, including the dangers they pose, why they are attracted to your home, and how to keep them away.

The Dangers Of Opossums In Memphis

Opossums prefer to avoid conflict, and “playing possum” is one way they try to protect themselves. You should never approach an opossum, even if they appear to be dead, because they may not be. If an opossum feels threatened or cornered, it will bite.

While opossums may bare their teeth and foam at the mouth, this is another protective instinct and not a sign of rabies. But the truth is that opossums are not known to carry rabies. However, they do carry a variety of other diseases they are capable of spreading. These diseases include but are not limited to leptospirosis, tularemia, spotted fever, and tuberculosis.

Although it may not seem as severe as the spreading of diseases, this pest can also cause property damage, including digging up lawns and ruining gardens. Like other wildlife, opossums are opportunistic and will squeeze through holes they find in your home, causing more problems once they are inside.

Because of their opportunistic nature, it is best to keep opossums from your property in the first place, and you can do this by removing the factors that attract them.

What Is Attracting Opossums To Memphis Homes

Again, like other wildlife, opossums are attracted to residential properties for access to food and the safety they can provide from natural predators. You can make your property less appealing to hungry opossums by doing the following:

• Use garbage cans and compost bins with secure lids that cannot be easily knocked over
• Remove bird feeders from your yard, and don’t leave pet food out overnight
• Pick vegetables from gardens before they over-ripen and pick up fallen fruit from your yard
• Use wire mesh fencing around your
• Clean up outdoor eating areas
• Cut tree branches, so they don’t touch your home
• Use chimney caps and vent covers
• Use mesh wire to keep animals from getting underneath decks and sheds
• Replace damaged screens on windows and doors
• Fill in holes around the exterior of your home, including along the roofline
• Keep windows and doors to your home, garage, shed, and other outbuildings closed when possible 

While you should implement these tips around your Memphis home, you may still struggle with wildlife around the property. Unfortunately, this is normal due to the nature of these animals that live so close to people.

Professional Opossum Removal For Memphis Homes

The safest way to deal with opossums hanging around your property is with professional assistance. If you live in the Memphis area, you should contact Dart Pest, Lawn & Wildlife for help with opossums and other wildlife. Our humane wildlife control services will keep you and your family safe while doing right by these critters who are only going about their lives. Give us a call today to learn more and how to get started with our wildlife control services.

Tags: wildlife control | opossums in memphis | opossum attractants