Opossums have opposable thumbs.

Customer Opossum Email: David, Please contact me by phone as I am interested in your services in the Apopka area. We have a new opossum visitor in the neighborhood and on a few occasions have seen it in the evenings walking in our yard as well as on top of our 6’ wooden fence which surrounds our entire back yard. We have four purebred terriers and are worried about the possibility of one or more of them getting into an altercation with this animal. We’ve lived here for ~ 8 years and this is the first time we’ve seen one since moving in. We looked up this nocturnal animal on the internet and came across your website that contained a wealth of information along with your experience and services. Please contact me ASAP so that we can have you come out an assess the situation and also place some traps for potential capture and removal of our newfound and undesired little friend…. We do not see any visible damage on our home or in our yard from this little creature but I am in no way an expert with wildlife and what to look for with respect to the damage that they can possibly do. I’m sure that you know all of the signs to look for in these cases. We do have an abandoned/foreclosure home on one side of us and also a home with an outside food garden and fruit trees that may be contributing factors to the attraction of this little rascal in our immediate area. Who knows what the rest of the neighborhood contains that is also attracting it or possibly even more of them…. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks in Anticipation!

My Answer: I don't think an opossum and a terrier would fight, but it is possible. Possums do turn and stand their ground and bare their teeth when threatened. I can come and trap the opossums if you wish, just give me a call, and we'll set up a time later today or tomorrow.

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