Virginia Opossum

What Virginia opossums look like

The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to North America, and it looks unlike anything else in an Ontario backyard. Adults weigh roughly 1.8 to 6.3 kg and are about the size of a house cat, with a grizzled grey coat, a white face and throat, and dark rounded ears with thin papery edges. The snout is long and pointed, ending in a pink nose, and the mouth holds fifty teeth, more than any other land mammal here. The tail is long, scaly and nearly hairless, and it is used for balance and for gripping. The feet are pink with an opposable toe on each hind foot that leaves a distinctive print. Females carry young in a pouch and later on the back. Opossums are mainly nocturnal, they move slowly, and they climb well.

Signs you have opossums

• Night noise. Slow, heavy shuffling under a deck, in a crawl space or overhead in a garage or shed, usually after dark rather than at dawn.
• Droppings. Tubular droppings about 5 cm long, often smeared, left near a den entrance or along a travel route.
• Tracks. Star shaped prints with five spread toes and a thumb-like mark on the hind foot, showing in snow, mud or dust.
• Raided food. Tipped compost, opened green bins, emptied pet bowls and scattered birdseed, with less shredding than a raccoon leaves behind.
• Den openings. A flattened gap under a shed, deck or porch with coarse grey hairs caught on the edge of the opening.
• Odour. A stale musty smell near a den, or a strong smell if an animal has died in a confined space.

Opossums are wanderers, so several nights of the same signs point to a den rather than a passing animal.

Why opossums turn up around Ottawa and Toronto properties

The Virginia opossum has been extending its range north for decades, and it is now well established in the Toronto GTA, the Niagara area and Hamilton, with animals turning up in the Ottawa region as well. They do not dig their own dens. Instead they take over whatever shelter is already open, which is why decks, porches, sheds, garages, crawl spaces and woodpiles suit them so well. Food is the other draw. Opossums eat almost anything, including fallen fruit, compost scraps, pet food, garbage, insects, slugs, grubs and carrion, so a yard with an open green bin or a bowl left out on the step is a reliable stop. Milder winters and warm urban conditions help them survive, and they often use the same run of yards night after night, moving along fence lines, hedges and hydro corridors between feeding spots.

Are opossums dangerous?

Opossums are among the least dangerous wild animals you will find near a home. They are not aggressive. When threatened they hiss, drool and show their teeth, and if that fails they may fall into an involuntary shock state that looks like death. Bites are rare and almost always the result of someone trying to grab one. Rabies is very uncommon in opossums, partly because of their low body temperature, and they eat large numbers of ticks, slugs and insects. That said, they can carry fleas, ticks and mites, and their droppings should not be handled without gloves and a mask. The property side is where the nuisance lies. Denning animals foul insulation and crawl spaces, tear ductwork and vapour barrier, raid bins and compost, and an animal that dies in a wall or under a floor creates an odour problem that takes work to clear.

How to keep opossums away

• Close the openings under decks, porches, sheds and stairs with buried galvanized mesh so there is nowhere to shelter.
• Use bins with locking or weighted lids, and keep green bins in a garage or shed until collection morning.
• Stop feeding pets outdoors, and bring bowls and water dishes in each evening.
• Keep compost in a sealed unit, and leave meat, dairy and cooked food out of it.
• Pick up windfall fruit, clear spilled birdseed and tidy woodpiles that sit directly on the ground.
• Trim branches that overhang a roof or deck, and repair loose soffit, vents and garage door seals.

Take away the easy food and the open shelter, and most opossums simply move along.

How GO! Pest Control handles opossums

• Inspection. We identify the den, confirm the animal is an opossum rather than a raccoon or skunk, and check for young before anything else is done.
• Removal. We use humane, hands-off methods wherever possible, including one-way doors that let the animal leave on its own. Nothing cruel, and no poison.
• Exclusion. We seal and screen the den entry and the other weak points nearby, with mesh carried into the ground where digging is a factor.
• Follow-up. We come back to verify the space is empty and secure, and we watch for any new entry attempt along the same wall.
• Advice. We go through bins, compost, pet feeding and yard storage with you so the property stops offering a nightly meal.

We are licensed, insured and bonded, and we work in homes, apartments, condos and businesses across the Toronto GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton.

Common questions about opossums