This one wouldn't let go of the snare pole.

Customer Opossum Email: Could you please tell me if it is illegal to try and poison opossums. I don’t have any proof of this but I suspect that a neighbor of mine is trying to poison them because they get at her garden. (A friend of mine witnessed some suspicious behavior over the weekend.) I have had them living under my shed and deck for a long time and they don’t bother me at all. We actually watched a couple of young ones frolicking on my deck last week! It really bothers me that someone may be trying hurt these beautiful animals instead of just trying to fix their garden fence. Thanks, Coleen

My Answer: It is illegal to poison opossums. And poison often is ingested by the wrong animal, such as a neighbor's pet dog. Perhaps you should contact your local animal services or file a complaint. Or just talk to the neighbor if possible! They have other options other than poison, such as humane trapping, removal, and relocation - safer and more effective!

If you need wildlife control services in your hometown, click for the National Directory of Wildlife Trappers that I've carefully compiled in every US city.

Click to go back to my full opossum removal photo gallery. Visit my opossum removal journal blog! Lots of great opossum stories!

The opossum, also commonly called the possum, is actually named the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and it is the only marsupial native to North America. Possums have several unique traits. Most people know that they sometimes "play possum" which is a form of playing dead, and they also know that opossums can hang from their tails. But possums are unique in many other ways - they have a low body temperature that prevents many viruses and diseases from affecting them, that tail is prehensile (they can grip things with it) they have opposable thumbs, and they have 50 teeth, the most of any land mammal. They are very opportunistic and good climbers, which causes them to commonly break into decks, sheds, and attics, where they cause considerable damage, leave a lot of droppings, and they often die and stink in these areas. Thus, opossums are considered pest animals by many people, which is why I remove them. If you want to learn more, please read my How To Get Rid of Opossums page.

AAAnimal Control is a privately owned wildlife removal and pest control business, located in Orlando Florida. I deal strictly with wild animals. I am not an extermination company, but a critter removal and control specialist. The above photos are some of the many that I've taken in the field over my years of work. Please email me if you have any questions about the above photographs, or any questions about wildlife problems or opossum control issues.

Wildlife Photographs by David     Email me with questions: david@aaanimalcontrol.com     Residential & Commercial     Licensed & Insured