Opossums are common animals in Florida and Georgia, and you’ll most often see them near wooded areas and they come out frequently after heavy rain to find their favorite food items. While opossums are great for controlling local pests like venomous snakes, ticks, beetles, and many other insects, they can also be problematic when they burrow under structures, get into trash, and spread diseases and parasites to your pets. For safe and humane removal, it’s best to call professional pest exterminators in Johns Creek.
Keep reading to learn how to remove opossums from your property and keep them from coming back.
Key Takeaways
- Opossums are widespread across Florida and Georgia due to mild winters, storms, and food access.
- Common signs include overturned trash, scratching sounds at night, droppings, and nesting under decks or in crawlspaces.
- Humane methods like one-way exits, live traps (where legal), and habitat cleanup offer fast, effective solutions.
- Long-term success depends on sealing entry points and removing attractants like pet food and fallen fruit.
- DIY deterrents may help, but persistent or indoor problems are best handled by licensed wildlife professionals.
Why Opossums Become a Problem in Southern Yards
If you live in Florida or Georgia, you probably already know that opossums aren’t just passing through. They are active throughout the year and can cause all sorts of problems for home and business owners, no matter what time of year it is.
Opossums have an omnivorous diet that includes fruit, insects, eggs, garbage, compost, and leftover pet food. When they find a place that provides them with an ample food supply, they often create burrows in nearby forested areas, under hedges and other dense foliage, in attics, or beneath man-made structures like patios, decks, sidewalks, and foundations. They do this so they can be as close as possible to whichever food source they have discovered.
Another common reason for opossums to seek out shelter is exposure to harsh weather and hurricanes. The harsh winds and heavy rainfall drive them into areas that provide better shelter. Once hidden away, opossums often go unnoticed for a long time, because they are much quieter than other pest animals like raccoons and rats.
While many might see opossum infestations as a big problem, these animals can cause serious property damage and introduce several potentially dangerous pathogens to anyone who comes into contact with them. For example, opossums are known carriers of diseases like leptospirosis and tularemia, as well as parasitic pests like ticks and fleas.
Signs You Have an Opossum Problem
If you know you have wild animals lurking around, but you don’t know what kind they are, here are a few signs to help you confirm that your property has indeed been infested with opossums.
| Sign | Description |
| Opossum Sightings | The most obvious sign is seeing the animals walking around your property. Opossums are nocturnal but may also appear at dusk or dawn, especially nursing mothers. |
| Trash Disturbance | Like raccoons, opossums search for food in trash. They may knock over bins or dig through the contents inside. |
| Tracks | Opossums have five fingers. Their tracks look like short, open hands with spread-out fingers, while raccoon tracks appear longer and more narrow. |
| Droppings | Their droppings are 1 to 2 inches long with tapered ends. These are often found near feeding spots, garden beds, or nesting areas. |
| Nesting Debris | Look for piles of leaves, torn insulation, or bits of cardboard tucked into corners. These are common signs of an opossum nest on your property. |
| Nocturnal Sounds | You might hear scratching or rustling noises between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., especially from attics, crawl spaces, or under floors and porches. |
| Strong Odors | A foul, musky smell—similar to a skunk—often comes from hidden nesting areas, especially if they are enclosed or poorly ventilated. |
How to Get Rid of Opossums Fast
Once you have confirmed that you have opossums living on your property, the next step is to make a removal plan. Opossum removal requires a multi-pronged approach, including trapping, exclusion, and habitat modification. At every step of the process, it is important to keep local wildlife laws in mind and always wear gloves while handling opossums, as they can be dangerous when cornered.
Here are the main steps to follow to get rid of opossums fast.
Step 1: Confirm the Location
Before you can implement any of the trapping or exclusion methods listed below, you’ll need to locate all of the opossums on your property. You might have just one opossum, a single group hidden away in one location, or possibly several opossums sharing the property. It all depends on the type of property you have and if the opossums can find enough food and shelter to sustain themselves.
To locate the opossums on your property, you can either install trailcams to monitor high-risk areas or scatter flour on the ground to search for footprints indicating active dens.
Step 2a: Install One-Way Exits
When you know where the opossums are nesting and how they are getting in and out of their hiding places, installing funnel-style barriers can be very effective. These devices allow opossums to exit their dens, but they cannot get back in. This forces opossums to seek out new nesting areas.
An important note about installing one-way exits is that you always want to be sure that there are no young opossums left behind in the nest. Not only is it inhumane to trap them inside without their mother, but you will also end up with opossum carcasses that need proper disposal.
When you have verified that all the opossums have been removed, you want to seal off any entry points to the den area. You can use galvanized mesh or flashing, but be sure to bury the mesh at least 6 to 12 inches deep to prevent digging.
Step 2b: Live Trap Deployment
In some cases, live traps can be a good idea, but there are many wildlife laws in Georgia and Florida that dictate how you can trap live animals and what you can do with them once they have been caught.
In Florida, live-trapped opossums must be released or euthanized within 24 hours. You can only move opossums within the same county that they were caught in, and the property that you release them in must be at least 40 continuous acres. Furthermore, you can only release opossums on someone’s land if you have written permission from them.
In Georgia, opossum relocation is a bit easier. As long as the receiving landowner has given permission to have the opossums released on their property, you are allowed to relocate them there.
Step 3: Remove Attractants From Property
Opossums are opportunistic eaters, and they will inhabit any area that provides them with the food, water, and shelter they need. After removing opossums and sealing off dens, it is a good idea to remove attractants from the property to keep them from coming back.
First, make sure that all of the trash cans on your property are properly sealed with lids that latch onto the bin. You’ll also want to make sure that your pet food bins are secured in a similar way. If you have any fruit trees on your property, it is also a good idea to regularly clean up fruit that falls to the ground.
Lastly, you want to make sure the opossums can’t access water on your property. It’s hard to reduce water on your property if you have a pool, fountain, or other water feature. But if you don’t have water features on your property, you can check for water pooling in the ground, plant pot saucers, bird baths, leaky hoses, and faulty sprinkler systems.
Step 4: Apply Repellents
Another thing you can do to keep opossums from coming back is to apply repellents. There are many types of opossum repellent that you can try, and they each have varying degrees of effectiveness, depending on how and where they are used.
People have reported positive results using concentrated garlic oil, ammonia-soaked rags, and commercial sprays with capsaicin or predator scents. These treatments are usually applied near potential nesting sites and around the perimeter of the home or business.
Targeted Opossum Control and Prevention by Area
When considering the best control methods, it is good to think about where the opossums are. Each area requires different strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your opossum removal efforts.
Here are a few key areas and how opossum control could be carried out.
- Crawlspaces & Decks: The best ways to deal with opossums inside crawl spaces and under decks are mechanical exclusion devices like lattice and galvanized mesh and a thorough burrow inspection. It’s also important to remove debris that can become shelter for future opossum infestations.
- Garages & Sheds: For garages and sheds, it is always recommended to keep doors closed, especially at night. Opossums explore at night, and an open garage or shed is an invitation that is difficult to resist. It is also helpful to install motion sensors and lights to discourage the shy animals from spending too much time in or around your structures at night.
- Attics (Rare): While it is less common, opossums can inhabit attics when there is easy access to them. They usually gain access by walking across branches that touch the rooftop. Live traps and one-way funnels are effective near attic access points.
- Gardens: In gardens, angled fencing is an effective deterrent for opossums because it makes it very difficult for the animals to access the garden. Capsaicin-based sprays are also helpful, but they have to be reapplied regularly.
When to Call a Wildlife Removal Professional
When opossum infestations are small, it is possible to remove them by yourself as long as you understand the risks and challenges that come with it. In most situations, it is easier to call a wildlife removal expert to handle the problem for you.
That is especially true if young opossums are present. It is not advisable to try to raise baby opossums by yourself, as they have very specific needs. A wildlife removal company is licensed to handle wildlife and many have access to state-licensed wildlife rehabbers who can do a much better job providing for the animals.
A professional company like Nextgen Pest Solutions also provides a pest control service guarantee that ensures your property will remain opossum-free for the long term.
Nextgen Pest Solutions provides expert, humane wildlife removal across Florida and Georgia. Whether you’re dealing with a backyard den or an opossum in the attic, our licensed team is here 24/7 to help. Call (866) 811-0257 or fill out our contact form for immediate support.
FAQs
Are possum and opossum different?
Opossums and possums are different animals. Opossums are native to the Americas, while possums come from Australasia. Opossums have a hairless, scaly tail and rough grayish fur, whereas possums usually have a furry tail and softer, thicker fur.
Are there possums in Florida?
The term “possum” is often used informally in the U.S. to refer to the Virginia opossum, but true possums like the ones with furry tails and found in Australia do not live in Georgia or anywhere else in North America.
Are there possums in Georgia?
Yes, there are possums in Georgia, but to be accurate, opossum in Georgia. They are Virginia opossums, the only marsupial native to North America.
While many people in Georgia and across the U.S. commonly call them “possums,” the correct name is opossum. These animals are widespread throughout Georgia and can be found in forests, suburbs, farmlands, and even urban areas.
