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Question:  Can I keep an opossum as a pet? 

Question: Can I raise a baby opossum and release it back into the wild myself?

Question:  I have been raising an opossum since it was a baby. Now it can’t walk. What is wrong?

Question:  There is an opossum in my yard.  What do I do?

Question:  There is an opossum in my house or garage. What do I do?

Answer: First contact your local animal shelter to determine if an officer will assist you. Always make sure the opossum will not be trapped and killed!

An opossum can safely be trapped by leaning an empty, tall kitchen trash can at approximately a 30-45º angle against something the opossum can climb onto such as a stack of books. 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 be unable to climb or jump out. Immediately take the trash can outside. Tip the can on its side and the opossum will leave when it feels it is safe to do so. This is best done at dusk. If it has to be done during the day then tip the opening towards a dense shrub where the opossum can hide until nightfall.

You can also try to leave a trail of pet food leading to an open door. Observe quietly at a distance. Once it leaves, shut the door. Do not try to push the opossum with a broom. The frightened animal will freeze and not move.

Question:  How do I keep the opossums out of my home and garage?

Question:  There is an opossum in my attic or under my house or deck. What do I do?

Answer:  Do not trap! Opossums are normally transient animals, staying only 2-3 days in an area before moving on. Removal is neither necessary nor desirable. If opossums were eliminated from an area, the population of roof rats and other pests would proliferate. Opossums serve an important role by controlling the unwanted, harmful pest population around our neighborhoods. So now we should ask you a question. After learning about the benefits opossums provide, why would you want to trap and remove an opossum?

Trapping and relocating does not work.  If you are determined to remove an opossum then encourage it to do so on its own by removing whatever is attracting it to your area.  You must determine what is attracting the opossum to your area and remove the attractants or other opossums and animals will come and fill the vacated niche. Opossums are usually attracted by pet food left outside and dense shrubs to hide under. 

·       Do not leave pet food out at night

·       Do not leave garage doors, pet doors or unscreened windows open at night.

·       Do pick up fruit that has fallen from trees.

·       Do cover garbage cans at night.

·       Do clear dense bushes, woodpiles and other hiding places.

If you are determined to trap then please contact a humane trapper. Make sure the opossum will be trapped safely in a humane trap AND released unharmed. Please do not trap during the spring to fall baby season or animals may become orphaned and die. In California; Los Angeles, Ventura and parts of Orange county refer to Humane Control.com

For a nationwide list of humane trappers, refer to Wildlife Removal.com

Answer:  Give the opossum the benefit of the doubt. It may not be dead! Many opossums will “play ‘possum” when extremely frightened. They will appear dead. If found then leave the area, put dogs in the house and give the opossum a chance to recover. It may take anywhere from a few minutes up to 4 hours. Generally, the ears will start to wiggle when the opossum is about to revive. Please do not immediately place the opossum in a plastic bag or garbage can. If after 4 hours there is no movement or signs of life then contact animal control for disposal. For more information or to see an actual photo of an opossum “playing ‘possum” read the “Opossum Defense Mechanisms” section.

Answer:  Many opossums fall into a pool as they attempt to drink water. If unable to climb out then the opossums will drown. There are several things you can do to prevent drownings. If possible, keep swimming pools and hot tubs covered at night. Also, try placing a bowl of water nearby so that the opossum will not be tempted to drink from the pool and fall in.

Make “opossum pool ladders” by draping 12 inch wide small mesh netting, towels, or other easy to grip item over the side of the pool. Attach these items to the top of the pool by tying to a pool ladder, tree or other firmly anchored item or clamp to the side of the pool. Sinkers or a weighted object will help hold the opposite end of lightweight mesh netting under water. Place several “opossum pool ladders” around the pool, at least 1 every 3 feet. You can also place 2 inch by 4 inch planks of wood in the pool, leaning out onto the side of the pool. Styrofoam kick boards or rafts can also be placed in the pool. The opossum may be able to climb on one and float until found.

Answer:  A dog will bark at anything it sees or hears. The best thing you can do for the opossum AND your neighbors is to train the dog or keep the dog indoors at night. This will prevent the dog from injuring or killing the opossum. If not possible then confine to the garage or a run. Also, read the answer below.

Answer:  An opossum won't poop all over the yard, it will poop in a secluded area (they don't like to be out in the open at all) surrounded by at least two shields.

 They like to poop in piles of leaves or other rotting foliage, they also tend to poop right after they eat or drink, so if there's a food or water source left out in your backyard all night, they would be attracted to it.  Keep your yard clean of leaves and debris.

Keep the opossum from entering your yard at all. Keep all trees and shrubbery trimmed away from the fence.  Don't leave out any food source or fallen fruit from trees.  Make sure your sprinklers come on just after dawn (optimum time for plant absorption anyway) so that no water is pooled up around the sprinkler head for opossums to use as a water source.

Some people have suggested placing mothballs around, mothballs are toxic and if left outside will seep into the soil and into the ground water system, polluting the environment.

I have heard of people having success leaving “predator feces” along their fence line, so opossums will not enter their yard.  Visit your local zoo or animal exhibit and ask for a small amount of fox, coyote, mountain, bobcat, etc. feces to strategically place in access points to your yard.

Answer:  Keep the dog indoors at night. This way the dog will not be able to injure or kill the opossums. Take the dog outside on a leash to do his “business”. If not possible to keep the dog indoors, then confine the dog to the garage or a run from dusk to dawn.  If again not possible, then place a few large PVC pipes (8 inch diameter, 5-6 feet in length) in the yard. This will provide the opossum with a place to escape, should an attack occur. Remove pet food and other attractants from your yard to encourage opossums to move on.

Answer:  Whether it is an opossum, a dog or a cat this is animal abuse and is illegal. Please report the incident to your local animal control, police and your state’s department of wildlife. Follow up. Be persistent if you have to. OSUS will be happy to assist you. However, the initial complaint must be filed by you, the witness. 

Answer:  Opossums are very opportunistic animals. If food is available, they will eat. We receive numerous pictures of opossums sharing a bowl of cat food with an outdoor cat. Adult cats and opossums seem to tolerate each other. Feeding wildlife is not recommended. 

Answer:  It is more likely that a dog will injure or kill an opossum. A cat may attack and kill young rat-sized opossums. Adult opossums and cats seem to have a mutual respect and leave each other alone. In general, opossums are docile, non-aggressive animals and will not attack your pets. They prefer to escape and avoid confrontations, if possible. If not, the threatened opossum may “play ‘possum”, show its teeth, or bite in self-defense, as any animal would.

Answer:  Children should be taught not to attempt to feed or touch a wild animal. Opossums are nocturnal, that is they sleep during the day and come out at night, so the chance that a small child will come into contact with an opossum is slim. Opossums prefer to sleep in dark, secluded places. If your children play in this type of an area then there is greater danger of being bitten by a poisonous spider or snake.

Answer:  Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disorder caused by a parasite. The opossum and a parasite called Sarcocystis neurona have been implicated although current research suggests other hosts and other parasites may be involved in disease transmission. The infective form of the parasite is passed in the feces. If a horse eats contaminated feces then it could develop neurological signs. It should be noted that the majority of opossums are probably not shedding the infective parasite and that of the horses exposed to the parasite, very few will develop EPM.

There are steps you can take to reduce the risk of EPM. Keeping all animals away from horses is advised. Do not kill or trap opossums. This will not work. Unless you remove what is attracting opossums and other animals to your yard then more animals will come. The best thing to do is to encourage animals to leave the area on their own by removing the attractants. This is usually food. Do not leave food outside. Do not leave food for the barn cats at night. Feed cats during the day. Cover garbage cans. Pick up fallen fruit. Cover horse’s feed and grain bins. Do not allow horse to feed off the ground. Place feed in troughs above the ground. Change water frequently. Remove animal hiding places such as dense shrubs and woodpiles.

Answer:  Opossums prefer to eat the rotting fruit that has fallen to the ground. Keep opossums out of fruit trees by cutting branches away from the ground, fences and roof. Cover the trunk with heavy plastic sheets or thin metal sheets obtained at hardware stores and secure with duct tape. This will prevent the opossum from climbing. A cut-up plastic trash can will work.

Answer:  The damage is not likely to be caused by opossums. Opossums have soft, delicate hands with nails that are easily ripped out. They are not capable of doing a lot of digging. Other animals are more likely to be causing the damage. Opossums are very opportunistic animals and will often move into a hole created by another animal. The opossum is often the animal observed and assumed to be the cause of the holes.  Please see our Opossum Paws page for pictures and more information.

Answer:  There are a number of reasons for opossum sightings during the day. If it is winter in an extremely cold area, usually covered with snow, then the opossum may be hungry. It is often difficult for an opossum to find food in extremely cold, snowy areas. During sever weather the opossum may stay in a den a few days until hunger drives it out of hiding. The opossum may have to forage for food during the day, often while it is warmer.  During the spring or summer months a female opossum laden with young must spend more time foraging for food and may be seen during the day. Also, an opossum’s daytime hiding area may be disturbed, often by the presence of a dog or children throwing a ball into a bush. The frightened animal will run out and search for a new hiding place. Other possibilities include a blind opossum or a sick or injured opossum. If you suspect the opossum is not healthy then contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.

Answer: Opossums make few sounds. You may hear a “choo choo” or a sneezing sound. These are sounds made by the young when separated from the mother. The mother will make “clicking” sounds with her tongue in response to the calls made by the young. Also, male opossums will make the same “clicking” sound primarily during mating season. In addition, when an opossum is threatened it can make some low growling or hissing sounds. Sometimes you may a lot of growling and hissing and see one opossum is biting another or on top of another. They are probably not fighting. They may be mating.

Answer: Any mammal can get rabies. However, the chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum’s body.

Answer:  A zoonotic disease is a diseased passed between animals and humans.  There are diseases you can get from any animal, including pets. As long as you exercise common sense then the chance of getting a disease from an opossum is slim. Do not attempt to pet or get too close to the opossum. As mentioned in the question and answer above, rabies is extremely rare in the opossum.

Answer:  EVERY email is answered! Your comments and questions are important to us. Most emails are answered within 24 hours. If you have an emergency situation regarding an orphaned or injured opossum then please do not wait for us to get back to you. Contact a local wildlife rehabilitator immediately. If you have waited several days without a response then the problem may have been an error with the email network. Occasionally answered emails are returned to us undeliverable. Please try again and make sure you have no email blocks. We are a volunteer organization so occasionally there may be delays in responses. Your patience is appreciated.

Please understand that we can not accept email attachments due to the risk of a virus. If you would like to send photos or other items please do!  Send to:

O.S.U.S.
P.O. Box 16724
Irvine, CA 92623

Answer:  If interested in becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator then contact your state’s department of wildlife for information about requirements and obtaining permits. Rules and requirements vary by state. Make sure you have the financial means, space, time and dedication before making the commitment to enter the wildlife rehabilitation profession. Gain valuable hands-on experience and knowledge by volunteering with a local wildlife organization or individual wildlife rehabilitator.

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