When I worked for animal control, the head of it told me that possums do not get rabies, so it was safe to reach out and catch them. Possums are not stubborn or beligerent; they merely have horrible eye sight (rely on their sense of smell) and are very shy which is why they turn and try to hide in a corner. We caught one in our yard and put it in a cage to take out to the country and let go. While in the cage, I scratched behind its ear, and it snuggled up to the side of the cage and acted just like a cat, only more shy. The hardest part of getting it out of the cage was that it was so scared that it wrapped its tail around one end of the cage and refused to let go. We put the end of the cage in water, and it swam out and ran to safety. Please don't be mean and beat them to death with a broom (I've seen many do this). Once you get them out of the attic, be sure to seal off all holes so they aren't able to find their way in again.
Get a large live cage, place a peanut butter sandwich inside for they love peanut butter and wait. Soon you can deposit them free in a environment right for them.
My parents had a raccoon infestation in their roof a few years ago. They tried everything, moth balls, live traps, legs trap, sitting outside with a gun even. There has always been a opossum problem with the cat food left outside for the various strays.
The only thing that worked, for either of them (even the giant bull mastiff left outside didn't scare them!) was a clock radio turn up all the way to a talk radio station, it has to be speech or obnoxious music, no classical or something easy to ignore. It was placed in the attic and left on all the time, it was a plug in type, not battery operated. When placed at the other end of the house from the bedroom you couldn't hear it until you go to the other end of the house. However it scared off the wild life, didn't hurt anyone, and the cats would put up with the sound.
So try putting some sort of radio with speakers near the problem area. They were able to remove the radio for a year before the raccoons decided to try again, but they live out in the country so the raccoons didn't have many options.
P.S. It's important to get them out of your roof as soon as possible. Once they find a good nest they'll continue to come back. They will also use your roof as a potty, and it soaks through drywall eventually, causing holes for them to look through into your house, very scary! Also, they mess up the insulation so you loose heat and spend just that much more money because of them.
I live in Houston and while I've never had 'possum problems i am reminded of the time that the golf course behind our condo had to call Texas Wildlife Commission to come get the 8 foot gators out of the water hazards. Why don't you try them? They might even come and get them since 'possums are wild. BTW they didn't kill the gators, just carted them off someplace.
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Request: Getting Rid Of Opossums
Archived on 02/09/2008
Do you have any advice in getting rid of mommy opossum and her litter? She has been around off and on for years, but now she has a family and now they come to feed with our cat! I don't want to try to catch her or her litter, very nasty.
Kathryn from Houston, TX
Answers:
RE: Getting Rid Of Opossums
My hubby and I fed the possums and raccoons over a couple of winters in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. The winters were very harsh there and the animals really suffered. We had a feeding platform and camera and folks could log on and see the animals. They were cute but can be ferocious fighters. We bought cheap cat food in bags and fed scraps. One of our greatest memories is when the mama possum "parked" all the babies in a rhododendrun bush and went on about her business. They hung from their tails and waited for her to come back. My advice is that if you want to get rid of them is to not have trash outdoors, don't toss out scraps and change the place where you feed the cat so they can't have access to the food. They will go away if the food source dries up. (09/08/2007)
You could ask around at your church, and borrow a humane cage trap, then have a friend take them out into the country. and yes, the other poster is right, they will not come any more when there is no food. (09/10/2007)
I just sent this to my sister since she is having problems with groundhogs. I don't know if this will work for opossums but it won't hurt to try.
Natural Groundhog Control
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator of over 25 years, I am
always explaining natural, non-lethal methods of controlling
various wildlife.
Groundhogs (aka woodchucks) are shy burrowers with multiple
entrances to their dens. They dislike strange movement, which
can indicate predators. If the area you want them out of is
enclosed (fenced), place a few inflated beach balls in it.
Wind will cause random movement of the balls. You can also put
two or three Mylar balloons on about a 3' long tether, tied to
a brick or other heavy object, and place them near known den
openings to create movement there. They won't necessarily
leave the area, but will discontinue using that burrow
opening.
To keep them out of a garden, fencing must be placed both
above and underground. Otherwise, they'll simply dig under a
fence. The underground portion should be bent into the shape
of a backwards "L" with the bent section down at least a foot
deep. The above ground portion must be at least 3' high. Or
you can use one strand of electric fence, placed 6" above
ground to ensure contact.
Trapping and relocating does not work. Other groundhogs will
simply move into the empty burrows. Also, trapping may be
illegal or can leave babies to starve to death if mom is
removed.
Linda
more suggestions on natural groundhog control at
(09/11/2007)
By Laura
RE: Getting Rid Of Opossums
We had a similar problem. A family of possums entered thru our pet door late one fall, probably enticed by our cats' food (we had seven) and we couldn't get rid of them. A friend was manager of the local zoo and lent us the Hav-a-hart traps. He was amazed that the possums would enter where cats lived, but they all got along just fine! We didn't catch any possums, but we did catch 7 cats! We then placed the cats' food dishes behind closed doors and the possums finally left. So the advice to keep food sources away from them is wise. Good luck. (09/11/2007)
Why? they eat up all the wood roaches & other insects that used to invade our garage. Opossums get my vote. (09/17/2007)
By Judy M
RE: Getting Rid Of Opossums
IT WORKED!
I saw this on the "Getting Rid of Possums" thread ...
(i)"If an opossum gets into your house or garage, it can be safely trapped by leaning an empty, tall kitchen trash can at a 30-45 degree angle against something the opossum can climb onto. Place cat food or ripe fruit at the bottom of the trash can. The opossum will be able to climb into the trash can but will not be able to get out."(/i)
I gave it a try to get rid of the possum that has been getting under our house every night at 10:30 for the last 2 weeks. This morning at 5am, the unmistakable sound of claws on plastic woke me up. The flashlight confirmed my catch! I set the trash can upright and put a heavy lid on it. Later this morning I will drive him out to some woods far away from the house and turn him loose. Since I don't have a cat, I will give him some more of the cat food I bought for this purpose as a starter meal in his new surroundings. (11/11/2007)
