Mount Dora is a beautiful town on the west coast of Florida, complete with gorgeous homes and prospering businesses. With a small population, Mount Dora enjoys a tight-knit community. However, residents of this peaceful town may also end up sharing space with wild opossums.
Although they appear cute and furry, opossums are wild animals that do not belong on your Mount Dora property. They can cause a range of health hazards and damage that costs time and money in the short and long term. Continue reading for signs of an opossum infestation, the subsequent damage, and the steps to safe and effective removal.
Signs of an Opossum Infestation
Recognizing the signs of an infestation will allow you to be proactive in opossum removal. Opossums can enter your property through an unsecured dog or cat entrance, a tiny hole in the wall, or an open door or window. They typically reside in certain places on your property that are dark, secluded, safe from predators, and close to food sources. And their nests often consist of items like twigs, cloth scraps, and grass.
The main signs of an opossum infestation include tracks, noise, and droppings. Opossum tracks have features similar to those of an infant child’s foot and a human thumb. The tracks are followed by drag marks made by opossums’ tails. Noises from an opossum can include clicking to attract mates, hissing or growling to intimidate predators, scratching or shuffling to escape harm, and sneezing to get attention. Lastly, opossum droppings are roughly two inches long, brown with a white or yellow casing, and odorous.
Damage From an Opossum Problem
Opossums cause terrible damage. For one, they can spread diseases to humans and cause a host of other health issues. Their droppings can even transmit salmonella or leptospirosis. These marsupials may also disrupt the structure of your property and landscaping of your yard. For instance, they ravenously eat from gardens or unsecured pet food, chew through wooden structures, and leave a mess of bodily waste behind. They may also rummage through garbage and leave a trail of trash spread throughout your yard.
Controlling opossums is incredibly important to minimize damage. Sealing entry points to attics, doors, and windows, and holes in the wall are effective short-term solutions. Property owners may also consider trimming tree branches and shrubbery, which opossums can use to access higher points of homes and businesses.
Opossum Removal Using the 4 Step CritterSafe® Method
In order to rid your property of an opossum infestation, you should leave the trapping and removal to the trained professionals at Critter Control® of Lake County. Our animal experts are educated in opossum behavior, and they use effective and humane tactics to contain any wildlife situation. In fact, our CritterSafe® process includes:
1. Inspection
Identifying any entry points in which opossums may enter from
2. Removal
Gently removing opossums using safe and humane methods
3. Exclusion
Understanding long-term solutions to remove opossums
4. Restoration
Sealing up the property and discussing long-term solutions
If you encounter an opossum on your Mount Dora property, keep your distance from the animal and contact Critter Control® of Lake County immediately.
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