Opossums are nocturnal.Ĭall Now for Wildlife Removal Contact Urban Jungle for Opossum Removal Noises at night: If you have an opossum in your attic, you’ll likely hear it scurrying around at night.Feces may help you identify your visitor. Opossum feces: Opossums poop along the trails they frequent.Toppled trash cans: As they search for food, opossums will knock over trash cans and damage other property.These fingers are positioned away from the others at a right angle or more. Footprints: Opossums have very distinct rear footprints because of their opposable thumbs.If an opossum has gotten into your home or business, you may notice the following signs: They’re also a host for parasites like fleas. While their body temperature is too low to support rabies, opossums can carry dangerous diseases like tuberculosis, tularemia and Chagas disease. Joeys remain with their mother for 4-5 months. When they are ready to leave the pouch, they crawl out and cling to their mother’s back. Opossums are marsupials, which means their mothers carry them in pouches for several months. While the average litter is 8-9 joeys, infant mortality is incredibly high and only 1 in 10 offspring survive to adulthood. Female opossums can have up to three litters per year. When they are frightened, opossums can release a putrid green fluid to repel predators.īreeding season for Virginia opossums starts between December and October and most litters are born between February and June. The opossum will enter a self-induced coma and lay on the ground with an open mouth to convince predators it is already dead once the predator leaves they wake up. Their most famous characteristic is their tendency to play dead when threatened.
In nature, opossums seek shelter in abandoned trees and logs, but in populated areas, opossums will make their homes in backyards under porches and decks or in the garages and attics of homes. Opossums are well-adapted to humans and can thrive in urban and suburban areas. Their diet varies widely depending on what’s available, but they’ve been known to eat small rodents, snakes, pet food, carrion, eggs, fruit and any discarded human foods. Opossums are opportunistic omnivores - they’ll eat anything that looks like food. Babies will make soft “choo choo” noises. Their tails, along with the opposable thumbs and fingers on their hind feet, make them excellent climbers.Īdult opossums hiss, growl and click to communicate and appear threatening to predators. They have long, hairless prehensile tails that they can use to grab branches and carry small objects. Their fur is dull gray, with white around their long snouts and pink noses and feet.
They are generally about the size of a domestic cat, though their size varies depending on location and food availability. Virginia opossums are the only marsupial and the only species of opossums that reside in North America.
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