We are proud to offer wildlife animal removal services to the surrounding areas of Palm Bay, Melbourne, Melbourne Beach, West Melbourne, Malabar, Grant Valkaria and anywhere in the Treasure Coast area!
Opossum Biology
Many unusual features distinguish Opossums. Opossums are marsupials. Females have 13 nipples that the young use to cling to as they grow. As they age, the competition for these spots heats to a point where only four of them are left. This is unless an opossum who spends most of their time with friends. They may be familiar to you from their “playing possum” behavior, mimicking death when they are scared for defense purposes. This is why we hear so little about them. They weigh between 7-14 pounds. It is so amazing that it has 50 teeth and opposable thumbs. They can climb well and live only 2 to 3 years.
Opossum in the Attic
Opossums are able to find refuge from the harsh winter by choosing attics. When they do this, it is not unusual for a group of adults opossums to go live together in an attic during these cold months. I have found up four large adult possum inside one attic at once on more than one occasion and there’s usually three or four who take shelter with each other when nature calls because being out in that the elements can be dangerous!
Not all Opossums are created equal. Each animal is unique in its own way and must be handled accordingly. It can take a lot of time, dedication, patience and knowledge to get the job done right; so you need an expert who knows what he’s doing when it comes to Opossum Control and opossum removal jobs in Treasure Coast Florida.
Opossum in the yard
A Treasure Coast FL opossum will do significant damage to a lawn because it turns over the soil in search of insects, worms and roots to eat. It tears up or rips apart thatch which can cause an uneven surface for grass to grow on. They carry garbage from your bins back into the yard where they may use it as bedding material under trees or other shrubs. They are nocturnal so you won’t see them after dark, but any new patches of bare ground on your lawn (particularly near sheds or clumps of bushes) may be their handiwork. The best way to discourage this happening is to keep rubbish stored securely away from your Treasure Coast FL home and clean bins thoroughly every time before putting them back out again.
Possums are known for digging up and destroying everything in their path. You can keep them out by installing a fence made of wood or plastic that has no openings. This will deter them from entering your yard. If they aren’t closing automatically, place pavers around the edges of gates that have openings. Possums can’t get under these pavers.
How to get rid of an Opossum in Treasure Coast FL
Store-bought traps work well on these little creatures. Bait the trap with pet food and set it according to laws in your area for best results. Try not to catch any during mating or maternity season as this is cruel – you risk separating mothers from their babies, which will result in dead possums that make a terrible smell! Fish and apples are great bait options so try using them when baiting your next trap with success rates increasing if they’re spread around before setting up the trap itself too.
Professional Opossum Removal
You may want to hire professional animal control services like the pros at AAAC Wildlife Removal Treasure Coast in Treasure Coast Florida to handle your Opossum removal needs. We are the experts at handling nuisance wildlife, like opossums, digging around your garden, or rummaging through your Palm Bhome or attic and turning it into a toilet. Give us a call today
Exclusion and Live Trapping
To keep possums from living under your deck or patio, use exclusion techniques in tandem with traps. You can do this by sealing the area around the shed or porch except for one small opening where you will build a hallway that leads to an enclosed trap, which they must enter through it and become entrapped. Once all of them are trapped inside the cage, remove it and seal up any openings so more won’t come back!
Unfortunately, due to Florida state law, even you live trap your opossum, you must still euthanize the critter. Transport and release is not legal.
Deadly Traps and Hunting
Possum hunting is another way to get rid of them. If you have one outside your house, or if they are bothering the people who live there, then possum hunting may be legal and useful for homeowners looking to remove these pests from their home. Hunting Opossum is legal in Florida, but only at night, and only when using a .22 firearms and .410 shotguns.
Keep in mind that this will leave less mess than trapping the animal alive and attempting relocation or exclusion methods which can often fail at killing it on first try resulting in an injured animal running free where it’s not wanted such as under structures like houses with basements so make sure you’re accurate when shooting!
Opossum Attic Cleanup Treasure Coast Florida
Opossums can pose serious health risks to your family and others living in your house. Opossums can leave behind dangerous feces that could pose a health risk to humans. If they’ve been lurking around even for a few days, it’s possible you have a serious opossum problem. It is important that the property owner knows how hazardous these animals are considered when they are removed from crawlspaces or attics. Our technicians have devised a safe and effective method to remove any animal feces from insulation materials such as fiberglass batts.
Our special commercial insulation removal equipment allows us to get rid of all attic insulation without contaminating your living spaces. After we are done with removing old insulation from attics, you won’t find any dust, debris, or animal feces.
We have the expertise to remove, decontaminate and re-insulate attics or any other space that requires insulation. We can remove any insulation that is damaged or contaminated, as well as any nesting material, animal carcasses, or fecal matter. After all debris has been removed, we will use biohazard fogging to kill 99 percent of the germs, bacteria and parasites in your air. This creates a cleaner living environment that is free from organic materials such as urine or animal oils. Fogging is safe for pets and humans.
Why are Opossums in my attic?
Opossums are usually in your attic because they’re searching for a safe place that can also shelter themselves from the extreme Florida heat. They will find any entrance into your house which allows them to have freedom of access. Unfortunately, this means that more often than not you’ll find opossums in your garage or on top of your roof; plus, they also like to frequent crawlspaces and attics. It’s important not only for the opossum but also for you to keep these animal invaders at bay. We recommend getting a wildlife removal professional out to check on the situation. It is much easier to catch an Opossum early on before they’ve had time to make deep nesting holes
Opossum Damage
Opossums are not usually dangerous or aggressive, but they can cause some serious damage. They are considered nuisance wildlife for a reason. Opossums will often get into a house in search of food and shelter from the weather. They’ll chew through drywall, insulation and wires to stay warm or find food. Not only does this create an unsafe living environment for you and your family, it also puts you at risk of electrical fire hazards that could be fatal if not addressed quickly.
Outside opossum damage is just as bad: They’ll dig up flower beds, destroy gardens by eating plants whole and even leave droppings on sidewalks where people walk barefoot in the summertime!
The best way to avoid these problems is to make sure that all potential points of entry outside your home are properly sealed. For exterior issues, make sure that your home’s foundation and roof are in good shape to avoid excessive amounts of moisture coming into contact with the wood. You should also make sure that any overhanging branches or leaves are regularly cleaned up. The accumulation of dead leaves can provide shelter for small animals like opossums, which will inevitably chew holes in the siding and board up
Diseases transmitted by Opossums
Diseases transmitted by Opossums native to Treasure Coast FL include:
- Leptospirosis
- Tuberculosis
- Relapsing fever
- Spotted fever
- Toxoplasmosis
- Coccidiosis
- Trichomoniasis
- Chagas disease
Opossums may be adorable, but they carry some nasty diseases. Both leptospirosis and salmonella can be passed on by opossums when they come into contact with humans or animals. Just thinking about those two alone should make you consider professional opossum removal services.
Leptospirosis is a bacteria spread among animals and people through urine. Leptospirosis is transmitted most often through contact with water contaminated with the bacteria, which might include streams, ponds, ditches, puddles, or rainfall runoff. The bacteria can also be found in animal urine. The symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea. If not treated promptly with antibiotics or left untreated it can lead to kidney failure and death.
Salmonella can be transmitted from opossums through their feces. It is highly contagious and can be contracted by touching the droppings of an opossum or eating food that’s been contaminated with the bacteria. The symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps, and sometimes a rash. If the infection is serious enough it can lead to other complications such as blood infections, meningitis, or endocarditis. A simple antibiotic will usually be enough to clear up a case of salmonella but if you have not been treated for it in three days you should see your doctor.
Wildlife Removal in Treasure Coast Florida
Our animal control company specialize in all types of animal control services and wildlife removal services. bat removal & bat control, armadillo removal, rodent removal, squirrel removal services, nuisance wildlife removal, raccoon removal, rodent control, possum removal, rat removal, rat control, snake removal and even dead animals.
