Opossum
Opossums (commonly referred to as possums) are infamous for their strange, grimy appearance and defense of playing dead to avoid predators. The unique marsupials are the biggest wildlife consumer of ticks, with a single creature eating up to 5,000 ticks in a single season. Trust Wildlife X Team® Fort Worth for opossum control. Regardless of the benefits these marsupials can provide for the environment as a whole, opossums in your yard can be dangerous to your family. Trust Wildlife X Team® Fort Worth for the quickest and best opossum removal and trapping in Fort Worth—call today!
Opossum Removal
The primary method of opossum removal the team at Wildlife X Team® Fort Worth implements is live trapping, but habitat modifications and opossum-proofing also work in tandem with possum removal to ensure an opossum-free property.
Common Opossum Problems
Getting Into Buildings
Opossums will build their den anywhere it’s safe and dry. Common places to find opossums are outbuildings, barns and similar buildings, but opossums sometimes get into your house, too. They fill their home with dried grasses and leaves and any other insulating materials. If you have these critters in your home, the team at Wildlife X Team® Fort Worth can help with opossum removal.
Aggression Toward and Potential Attacks
Opossums usually keep to themselves when it comes to interacting with humans. Unless you startle them, opossums usually leave humans alone. Livestock and domestic pets, however, are a different story. It's best to be cautious if you have these creatures on your property that you don't let animals roam unsupervised.
Searching for Food
Opossums eat nearly anything (including ticks, which is helpful). Their primary diet includes rodents, birds, insects, carrion, berries and more. They also dig small holes on your property and on the edge of foundations in search of such food sources.
A fun fact about opossums is their heightened calcium requirement. They're often seen taking advantage of the skeletons of dead animals to get adequate calcium.
To keep opossums off your property, ensure you lock up any compost. Opossums have an excellent sense of smell, so ensure you’re taking measures to combat this. Use metal trashcans with extra security on them to seal away food, and don’t leave any other treats outside for them such as dog food.
Disease Transmission Between Opossums and Humans
As a wildlife creature, opossums have their own share of wildlife diseases they can carry and transmit. Though they're known to carry rabies, this is actually untrue—opossums' body temperature is too low to carry the virus. They can, however, carry illnesses such as toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis, leptospirosis, tularemia and more. They can be transmitted to humans through indirect exposure to opossum urine and feces.
Opossum Removal
You should keep a safe distance from any wild animal; opossums included. They are carriers of potentially fatal diseases like leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis. Wildlife X Team® Fort Worth can help—we offer easy and fast opossum removal services, and we can even repair opossum damage! If you happen to have a dead opossum in your home, we can remove that as well.
Keep opossums out of your Fort Worth yard. Call 817.857.4803 today!