Opossums are among the most common wildlife intruders to ever bother homeowners across the United States. They are the only marsupial in North America who actually carry their young in a special pouch (like kangaroos do), and can bear up to 13 young ones at a time. Meaning that if you’ve got an opossum living on your property, you’d do best to hurry, and remove them as soon as possible, or else you risk them starting a family inside your home.
Why are there opossums in the walls?
Of all the wild animals traditionally known to bother homeowners, opossums are the most likely to take up residence inside the walls. Why? Well, considering that it’s a fairly difficult space to crawl into, it provides them with protection from other predators (including you), and so it’s a good place for them to set up shop.
What are the signs of opossums in your walls?
If you’ve got opossums living on your property, you will begin seeing signs of their presence, sooner rather than later.
1. Messy Eaters.
To figure out whether or not you’ve got an opossum situation, consider first what might be attracting them. The number one reason why opossums bother human homes is, of course, food. They will feed on your leftovers, compost heaps, unsecured trash cans, and their particular favorite, pet food left out overnight. Which reminds us – always bring your pet food indoors, before going to bed!
Opossums tend not to have the cleanest of feeding habits, so they have been known to leave a mess behind them when they eat.
2. Claw marks.
If you find someone’s been eating your pet food, or bothering your trash cans, look for opossum tracks. These will be distinct thanks to their long fingers, and infamous thumb, which will stretch out towards the rear of the sign.
Interestingly enough, you can use these tracks as a guide, to also identify their entry point into the house, or their hiding space (should they be living elsewhere, like under your deck, or inside your shed).
Pro Tip: Read up on the creatures before they actually move in and become a bother. You can learn more about opossum control at opossumpestcontrol.com.
3. Opossum droppings.
A good way to know there are opossums (and not some other wild animal) wreaking havoc on your property is by their droppings. Remember that wild animal droppings are infectious, and could expose you to serious opossum diseases, so always wear gloves, and a face mask, when inspecting animal poop.
Opossum droppings tend to have an elongated shape, much like the droppings of a dog, and are a dark brown to black color. Typically, opossum droppings will be found on a bed of leaves, when outdoors, or in a space sheltered or walled on at least two sides, if indoors.
4. Noise in the walls.
Another tell-tale sign of an opossum infestation is noise in the walls. If you hear strange noises inside the walls, it might be time to call a professional wildlife removal service, such as norcalwildliferemoval.com.
While opossums aren’t the only animals who make noise in the walls (see bats or rats), theirs will be distinctive in the sense that they will sound a lot like scraping and shuffling. They will also be noisier during the daytime, rather than the night (since they usually go out to feed at that time).
5. Strange smell.
As is the case with most wild animals, opossums will be accompanied by a strange and unpleasant odor, which is caused by their urine. This can also be highly damaging and leave stains on your floors, rugs, or even your furniture, so keep your nose up.
What to do next?
If you’re reasonably certain that there are opossums living in your walls, you’ve got a couple of options. You can either attempt to trap them yourself, or call a professional wildlife removal service.
Unfortunately, trapping an animal from inside the wall can prove tricky, so might be best left to a professional.
Once the opossum(s) has been dealt with, you will want to focus on prevention, such as fixing the holes in your walls, and eliminating food sources.
