How to deal with a possum in your backyard

Possums are unwanted animals which we do not take into consideration until they have done something unpardonable. They go into the garden and mess it up and they are a threat to our pets at home. Most of the time, their activities go unnoticed and we do not make moves to expel or get rid of them. One of the best ways of repelling the animal is by making our garden unattractive to the possums.

The less attractive they find the garden, the less frequently they visit it. We can make the garden less attractive by blocking every possible access to their food sources. They will only visit the garden if there is always something in the garden to feed upon. Another way is to make the garden inhabitable for the possum. This is done by total closure and blockage of places such as porches and spaces beneath garden sheds – these are places where they can dwell. In this article, we shall be taking a look at some possum basic facts and how to deal with them in your backyard.

Ways to expel possum from the backyard


Remove their source of food

Foods are one of the things that attract possums into one’s yard. In fact, the presence of possum in the garden implies that something had been done to attract them. Therefore, to stop their visitation everything that serves as their food source should be completely eliminated from the backyard.

 

Possums are animals that have a wide range of food-they can feed on compost, plants, fruits, vegetables, baby birds, rodents, insects, garbage and lots of others. To avoid the visitation of the possum, all fruits that dropped from the tree should be disposed and garbage should be put in a tight fitting garbage can. All composed should be properly covered and bird feeders used at night.

Remove their shelter

Possums are attracted to a place of shelter. They look for a place to hide anytime they visit a place for their evil operation. To keep the possums away from visitation, the door to the woodshed, garage and the boathouse must be properly and tightly locked. Also, brush piles and woodpiles should be kept in a tight shelter such as woodshed. The idea here is to make the place unattractive to possums.

Set traps for the Possum

One of the effective ways to eliminate possums from our surrounding is catching them with the use of traps. This can be done with the OxGord or Havahart opossum traps. Set bait for the opossum using smelly and attractive food like canned dog food, old fruit, old vegetable or canned cat food. When the trap catches the opossum, drive it far away from your house and set it free.

 

The use of Ammonia and Mothballs

One of the potent ways of driving possums out of the backyard Is the strategic placement of Ammonia and mothballs. The Ammonia and Mothball should be placed at the hiding locations of the possums. The pungent smell of the ammonia drives the possum away out of their hiding places. Ammonia is poured into a coffee can with an old rag or towel to help circulate the smell. It is advisable to do this everywhere that is suspected to be a potential habitation of the possums. This is important because the possum can look for another suitable dwelling place around.

Block their hiding places

Possums are animals that operate at night, therefore this operation can be done at night. Wait and watch them leave their hiding places which can be a porch, shed and any other suitable closure. Then, close and block every available entrance to the place. All possible entry to the place should be blocked with hardware cloth or chicken wire to prevent any possibility of re-entry.

Natural ways of controlling the opossum

The use of Motion activated sprinklers

One of the simplest Natural ways to send the possums running is the use of Scarecrow. Scarecrow is a type of motion activated sprinkler that are completing harmless. It is a funny way of sending the possums away

The use of Dog or cat hair

The smell of dog or cat hair is one of the potent natural ways of getting rid of possum. The smells to them are like that of a predator that is hiding nearby to devour them. The dog hairs are put in a small mesh bags. The mesh bags are hung around to scare away the animal.

The use of Crushed garlic

Like Ammonia, the pungent smell of garlic keeps the possums away.