How to Protect Your California Home From Opossums

California is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including the opossum. As the only marsupials native to North America, opossums are a unique breed. Their pointed head, pink nose, pointy ears, and opposable thumbs are all fascinating features of the opossum. But despite the essential role they play in the ecosystem, opossums can cause severe problems for California homeowners.

Have you dealt with an opossum infestation in the past? Or do you intend never to deal with one? Here are some tips world-class professionals at All Star Animal Trapping recommend to protect your California home from opossums.

Tip 1: Remove attractants

If there’s anything to remember, it’s this: make your property unattractive to opossums! How? There are two significant opossums attractants: food and shelter.

In the wild, opossums feed on fruits, grains, and insects. However, they can also eat out of garbage cans, pet foods, and compost piles. Hence, if there’s easy access to food on your property, do not be surprised if you have this unwanted guest visit you. Here are some tips to eliminate easy food on your property:

Opossums den in dry, sheltered, and safe places in the wild. Examples include burrows dug by other mammals, woodpiles, and rock crevices. However, they have adapted to live near humans, especially in spaces under buildings and other hiding spots around the property. To protect your home from opossums, you must eliminate all potential hiding spots. Some tips to bear in mind include:

Tip 2: Secure entry points to your home; block access to chimneys, vents, holes, and gaps.

Entry points provide easy access to opossums. Once inside your property, they attack chicken coops, leave waste behind, or tear off the insulation and air ducts in the attic. To prevent these, you must seal up all potential entry holes. Some holes that serve as vulnerable spots can be closed up with caulk. Larger holes can be sealed with hardware cloth.

What’s more, fix broken vents and foundation cracks. Keep an eye on pet doors as opossums can take advantage of them. Cut off tree branches overhanging your roof and chimney. Install a chimney cap, etc.

Tip 3: Apply repellents

When you learn methods for possum pest control at opossumpestcontrol.com, you’ll notice a strong emphasis on repellents. Repellents are substances that make your property discomforting to opossums.

Examples include:

Opossums hate to interact with dogs and cats. Littering your property with your pet’s furs can help keep possums away. This method is excellent because it prevents your actual pet from interacting with opossums, which can be aggressive when push comes to shove.

You can get chemical repellents in your local stores or an online store. Chemical repellents typically come in spray or granular form. They work by emitting a foul smell that opossums find offensive and try to stay away from.

Tip 4: Fencing

Fencing is a great foolproof way to protect your property from opossums if you can afford it. However, the fence must be properly constructed to be effective. The fence should be at least 4 feet high – with the top extending outwards to make climbing difficult – to deter possums and other critters. It should also go deep into the soil so opossums cannot burrow under it. You can also install wire mesh in areas like underneath porches, crawlspaces, and stairways to deny opossums access to under your house.

Tip 5: Trapping

If all fails and you have a stubborn opossum on your property, you may need to trap and relocate the animal. Choose a wildlife company that adopts only humane trapping and relocation to get rid of nuisance opossums from your property.

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