Opossums are the only kind of marsupials living in North America. Though they originally made their homes in South America, they are now found everywhere in the Eastern as well as southern states of the USA.
It is not hard to recognize an opossum as it has a snow colored white face and brown and/or black body. It is an invasive kind of animal that is considered by most to be a nuisance. Here is a brief look at some tips to help you keep possums away from your property.
Prevention is better than cure
Prevention is always better than cure and nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of opossums. They are a real nuisance that will break anything and everything in order to get to a food supply. Thus, the best way to keep it away from your property is by removing all food sources from their reach and attention. This is easy to do because all that is required is for you to remove garbage cans and secure them inside your garage. Alternatively, you can secure your garbage cans in an airtight container.
Keep pet food inside the home
Second, you can keep opossums away from your property by ensuring that your pet’s food is kept inside your home and that any fruits or vegetables that are lying on the ground are removed. If you succeed in removing an opossum’s food source, you are taking an important first step in keeping it away from your property.
Erect a fence
Third, you can erect a fence around your property to ensure it cannot get in. the fence you erect should be placed around your yard or even around your home or garden. There are different types of fences that you can think about using including traditional picket fences and a wire mesh fence is also a good option.
However, you must make sure the fence is put into the ground to a depth of not less than one food and make sure the fence protrudes over the ground far enough to prevent an opossum from climbing over. As long as it cannot jump or climb over your fence, you won’t have any problem keeping opossums out of your property.
Trap them
Sometimes, the opossums may already be in your property and in such cases, the steps outlined above will only prevent new opossums from gaining entry to your property. For opossums that are already on your property, you may have to trap them and relocate them elsewhere. Repellents are not effective and so there is no point in wasting your time using them.
Your best bet is to find the right trap and place it where the opossum’s den is or where it enters your property. Use the right bait and then wait for it to be trapped in the cage. Once inside, you can remove the trap and take it somewhere far away where you can then release it and, in this way, get rid of the opossum once and for all.
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