The Virginia opossum, often called a possum, is North America’s only native marsupial and has successfully adapted to suburban environments. These nocturnal scavengers can cause noticeable damage to residential yards primarily through persistent foraging. While generally non-aggressive and beneficial for controlling garden pests, their habits can lead to property disturbances. Understanding the distinct signs of their presence is the first step toward managing their visits.
Identifying the Signs of Opossum Foraging
The damage caused by an opossum often looks like shallow, patchy disturbances across a lawn or garden area. They seek invertebrates like grubs, slugs, and earthworms just beneath the soil’s surface. The resulting holes are small and scattered, measuring only about one to three inches across, which is distinct from the larger, destructive rooting behavior of a raccoon.
When searching for insects, the opossum uses its snout to poke and gently root in the lawn, leaving small, circular divots. Beyond the lawn, opossums may disturb low-hanging garden produce, leaving fruits or vegetables partially consumed or knocked to the ground. They are also known for overturning accessible garbage cans or leaving a mess around outdoor pet feeding stations.
What Attracts Opossums to Residential Areas
The driving force behind an opossum’s presence is its opportunistic and omnivorous diet. As generalists, they consume nearly anything available, making human-populated areas rich with potential food sources. A prime attractant is the abundance of lawn grubs and insects, which they easily access in suburban landscapes.
Opossums are also drawn to fallen fruits, berry bushes, and accessible garden vegetables. Outdoor pet food is a high-calorie lure, and unsecured garbage cans or exposed compost piles offer easy, reliable meals. Beyond food, opossums seek sheltered, dark spaces for temporary dens, such as under decks, porches, or sheds. While they are transient, a consistent food source will keep them in rotation.
Effective Methods for Exclusion and Deterrence
Managing opossum visits requires removing the primary attractants that draw them into the yard in the first place. Securing all outdoor food sources is the most immediate and effective action a homeowner can take. This includes ensuring all trash cans have tightly fitting, animal-proof lids, often secured with bungee cords, and bringing all pet food and water bowls indoors before nightfall.
For homeowners with fruit trees, promptly picking up any fallen fruit is necessary to eliminate a major food source. Modifying the habitat by sealing potential den sites can also deter them from staying. Openings underneath sheds, decks, or porches should be covered with heavy-gauge wire mesh, such as hardware cloth, burying the mesh a minimum of six inches into the soil to prevent digging underneath.
To discourage travel across the yard, motion-activated devices can be highly effective against these nocturnal animals. Motion-sensing lights or sprinklers will startle an opossum without causing harm, encouraging it to seek forage elsewhere. While some chemical repellents and scent deterrents are available, they require frequent reapplication and often have mixed success.