Opossums are found all over the country and are just as at home in your garage or yard as they are in the wild. These skittish marsupials can obliterate your garden and yard in no time at all. They are opportunistic eaters that are omnivorous in nature. Because of this, they will consume most anything. They are just as happy eating your garden, raiding a bird’s nest, dumping over your trashcans or finishing your dog’s dinner. This means they can make mess of your yards and gardens in a short period of time. Because they have long sharp claws, they can do a lot of damage with their digging and sharp teeth that can tear things up. They are handy members of nature’s cleanup crew though. They enjoy carrion and keep rotting animal corpses from becoming health hazards. They also keep bug and snake populations under control. If you want to keep these shy creatures out of your yard, but do not necessarily want to kill them we have some useful tips.




• Use strips of Mylar, metallic ribbon, tin pie pans, pinwheels, or balloons hung around your yard to blow about in the wind and startle the possums away.
• Play music in your yard. The possums will be scared by the noise
• Put in motion sensor lights or sprinklers (or both). As they activate when the possums passes it will be frightened away.
• Try sprinkling chili powder or pepper flakes around your gardens. The taste and smell will put possums off
• Place rags soaked in ammonia or large predator urine around secluded spots in your yard where you have seen signs possums. They cannot stand the smell of ammonia and will want to move away from it. The predator urine will frighten them into leaving.

You can also try putting lightweight fencing around plants and gardens to keep possums out. Chicken wire at a height of about 3 feet should do the trick. The use of bird netting over crops and bushes will also dissuade them from feeding. Keep any compost or garbage in sealed containers, and do not leave pet food unattended. Keeping your yard free from opossums is an easy task that simply requires diligence and consistency for a week or so. If you are consistent with these techniques, the possums will leave. Once they are gone, a simple plan of prevention will make sure they do not return.

• Trapping, relocating or harming possums may be illegal in your area, so instead use scare tactics and repellents to keep them away.

Read the How to get rid of opossums page for helpful information and to learn more about How to scare a ‘possum away

How to scare a ‘possum away