What does an opossum look like?
- An opossum is a whitish or grayish mammal about the size of a house cat.
- Its face is long and pointed, its ears rounded and hairless.Get Rid of Opossum | Opossum Removal
- The ratlike tail is slightly less than half the total length.
- Opossums may weigh as much as 14 pounds, while females average 4 pounds.
How do you know if you have an opossum?
- Tracks of both front and hind feet look as if they were made by little hands with widely spread fingers.
- They may be distinguished from raccoon tracks, in which hind prints appear to be made by little feet. The hind foot of an opossum looks like a distorted hand.
Are opossums found in New York?
- Opossums are found in eastern, central, and west coast states.
- Opossum habitats are diverse, ranging from arid to moist, wooded to open fields.
- Opossums prefer environments near streams or swamps.
- Opossums take shelter in burrows of other animals, tree cavities, brush piles, and other cover.
- They sometimes den in attics and garages where they may make a messy nest.
What type of food do opossums prefer?
- Opossums prefer are animal matter, mainly insects or carrion.
- Opossums also eat considerable amounts of vegetable matter, especially fruits and grains.
- Opossums living near people may visit compost piles, garbage cans, or food dishes intended for dogs, cats, and other pets.
What is the behavior of a opossums:
- Opossums usually live alone, having a home range of 10 to 50 acres.
- Opossums are usually active only at night.
- The mating season is January to July in warmer parts of the range but may start a month later and end a month earlier in northern areas.
- Opossums may raise 2, rarely 3, litters per year with an average of 7 young.
- The opossum is a marsupial, young develop in a pouch. They are born 13 days after mating and only 1/2 inch long staying in the ouch for 7 to 8 weeks.
- The maximum age in the wild is about 7 years.
- Although opossums have a top running speed of only 7 miles per hour, they are well equipped to escape enemies escaping into burrows or climbing tress.
- When threatened, an opossum may bare its teeth, growl, hiss, bite, screech, and exude a smelly, greenish fluid from its anal glands.
- If these defenses are not successful, an opossum may play dead.
- When captured or surprised during daylight, opossums appear stupid and inhibited. They are surprisingly intelligent.
What type of damage can an opossum cause?
- Opossums may be a nuisance near homes where they may get into garbage, bird feeders, or pet food.
- Opossums may also destroy poultry, game birds, and their nests.
How do you prevent opossums and other wildlife?
- Prevent nuisance animals from entering structures by closing openings to cages and pens that house poultry.
- Opossums can be prevented from getting inside structures by sealing entry points.
- Fasten garbage can lids with a rubber strap.
- Make sure pet food is not kept outdoors.
Wildlife removal is not a “do it yourself” task. Getting rid of wildlife animals is dangerous. Wildlife can bite, carry and spread disease, so it best to contact a professional wildlife removal specialist to get rid of animals like opossums. Wildlife can quickly take over a structure to shelter themselves from the outdoor elements. Contact your Albany wildlife removal company to prevent any damages before they can begin. The Clifton Park wildlife removal experts at Thomas Pest Services can help you today with a free inspection to get rid of opossums!
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