I cut the wall and pulled this one out.

Customer Opossum Email: Hi David, Thank You for your most informative information. I hear some loud, some more faint noises sometimes, usually in between my 1st and 2nd floor, in the walls, and above the 2nd floor, day and nite. I heard that the next door neighbor saw 2 opossums outside, a while ago. One was dead. My roof was redone 4 years ago, and I now have Hardie Plank Siding. I can not figure out how something is getting inside the attic. Although I have not seen any scat in the attic, one exterminator told me he thought it smelled like a possum. In the morning, sometimes I hear small scattering noises when I open the garage door. Can you please tell me what kind of food does an opossum like? so I can put it in a trap? If you have any ideas, I would welcome them. Thanks very much, Peggy

My Answer: Just setting a trap with the right food in it won't solve a problem with opossums or any animal in attics. I've seen cases with up to four adult opossums in an attic, or a mother and a dozen babies. It has to be handled correctly, and there's a lot to it that I can't explain here. Your best bet is to call a professional with experience with opossums in attics.

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