If there's one animal you don't want scavenging in your yard, it's the opossum. These critters can be dangerous if they're not dealt with correctly, but what should you do if you've got opossums taking over your yard? 

Here's what homeowners in the Sacramento region should know about dealing with opossums outside the house, what they eat, how dangerous they can be, and how pest control in the Sacramento region can help with nuisance wildlife removal and wildlife management. 

What To Do If There Is An Opossum Outside My House

You step out into your yard and spot an opossum – what now? Here's what to do if you find an opossum outside your house: 

  • Do not approach the opossum. In some cases, opossums can be dangerous, so you should never try to approach opossums or other wildlife or attempt to scare them out of your yard. 
  • Don't let pets chase after the opossum. If you've got dogs or outdoor cats, your pets may want to chase the opossums, but this isn't a good idea. Make sure you keep your pets inside while the opossum is in your yard, or take them to another area of your property for supervised outdoor time. 
  • Call a professional pest control service or professional wildlife removal service. Wildlife removal services and some pest control companies have the resources and training to deal with opossums and safely remove them from your yard. 
  • Make sure you're taking steps to deter opossums. Opossums tend to go where food is plentiful, so make sure you're taking steps not to attract more of these critters to your home in the future. 

Opossums can be dangerous pests. It's important to act quickly and have them removed from your property by an experienced pest control professional. 

opossum on grass outside

Opossums Love To Eat!

You may know what to do if you come across an opossum on your property, but why do these animals wander into your yard at all? While opossums can sometimes wander into yards by accident, the biggest thing that attracts them onto properties is food. 

As scavengers, opossums aren't picky about the kind of food they eat. They have plenty of sharp teeth, making it easy for them to eat everything from fruits, vegetables, fish, rodents, berries, and even canned cat or dog food. 

Yards that have compost piles or trash cans full of food tend to attract opossums the most. And, even if you regularly manage your compost piles and garbage, keeping canned pet food out for your pets may still bring in opossums. 

Besides the fact that they love to eat, here are a couple of other key facts to know about opossums: 

  • Opossums are the only marsupial in North America.
  • While they will eat just about anything they can get their hands on, opossums have a particular taste for sweets, including marshmallows and peanut butter.
  • Sweet-smelling scents, like cinnamon, may also attract opossums onto your property.
  • Opossums have about fifty teeth in their mouth, which is more than any other land mammal.

If they think there's a plentiful food source on your property, there's a good chance that the opossums will keep coming back. 

Opossums Can Be Dangerous

Although opossums have a reputation for laying down and "playing dead" when they sense a nearby threat, these marsupials can still be dangerous to you or your pets. Most opossums aren't aggressive by nature, but they will attack if they think you're a threat. 

This is especially true for opossums that are pregnant or new mothers. If the opossum in your yard is protecting her young, she is much more likely to attack out of self-defense. 

When it comes to wildlife trapping and wildlife removal in the Sacramento region, the safest way to deal with opossums is by calling the professionals at HomeShield Pest Control. 

Not only are we a locally-owned and trusted business that's been serving The Sacramento Region and surrounding areas for years, but we also prioritize using organic and eco-friendly pest control solutions. All of our service plans, including wildlife pest control, come with a complete satisfaction guarantee. 

If you've spotted opossums in your yard, there's only one way to safely handle these critters and keep them away for good. Contact us at HomeShield Pest Control to learn more about how our wildlife control and removal services work and how we can safely and quickly get opossums off your property.