Opossums are common sights in many suburban and rural areas of North America and Australia, often considered vermin or pests by many, due to their lives as scavengers, and their propensity for carrying disease.
As such, most people seek to get rid of opossums from their property, places of business, or their neighborhood. But what if, for example, you wanted to attract an opossum? How could this feat be achieved?
Can Opossums Be Attracted?
There are countless ways that opossums can be drawn to your home or property – especially if you live in the areas mentioned above where they are especially prevalent.
The main thing is creating a scenario where your property would become attractive to opossums – which like most animals, would require the presence of suitable food and water sources.
How To Attract Opossums?
Opossums (Also check out Are Opossums Rodents?) are omnivorous, which means they consume both meat and plant matter.
This makes them incredibly versatile as wild animals, and leads to them leading a scavenger lifestyle that sees them consume anything from dead animal carcasses, natural plant material, garden vegetables, and even human garbage.
Of course, there are right and wrong methods when it comes to attracting opossums to your property, and it is important to choose the right ones.
Food Sources
There are ways to attract opossums to your property without resorting to spreading rotten food everywhere, or indeed without having to collect roadkill.
Opossums are naturally attracted to cat kibble and other kinds of animal feed, not to mention dog food. Do not leave junk food, as this is unhealthy for the opossums, and can lead to various other problems due to the sugar content and the other chemicals that might be featured.
Stick to something meaty and packed with vitamins, as these are better for the overall health of the opossum, and have the added benefit of being biodegradable if none should come and eat them.
However, where possible, you should always try and clear up any food remains that the opossums do not eat, and bring bowls back into the house so as not to encourage rats and mice.
Shelter
One thing that can attract possums to your garden is the inclusion of shelter or some form of concealment that they can reside in. Opossums are naturally shy and solitary creatures, opting for peace and quiet above all else.
As such, having a nice, quiet place to burrow and sleep is a sure fire way of attracting them to your property. One such method is to have an opossum nest box. These can be installed close to the roots of trees, and can be great for giving opossums a nice, cozy place to sleep and relax.
This can have limited success rates, due to the nomadic nature of the opossum. It is also illegal in some US states to transport opossums across county lines, which means that if you want to get rid of possums from your property, you will need to safely transport them a few miles away and release them in wooded areas close to water supplies.
Plants
Having a variety of plants in your yard can also be great to attract opossums and other forms of wildlife – particularly other foraging animals.
This is especially effective if you have wild fruits and vegetables that you do not mind wild animals nibbling on from time to time.
This is great for attracting birds, mammals and other forms of wild critters, and can really give your garden a magical quality seldom seen in suburban living.
Opossums and similar creatures are great natural pest control agents, as they feed on insects, rodents, reptiles, and any other form of pest that might be frequenting your yard or causing you trouble.
Their omnivorous diets mean they will eat most things, and their opportunistic natures mean that they are more than happy to give most things – be them creatures or meals – a try.
The presence of a larger mammal in your yard will also act to dissuade other smaller creatures from frequenting the space – something that is important to remember if you have rat or mice problems.
They can cause real problems, especially if they make their way in the home, and as such, the presence of opossums can be an asset.
This can add a sense of wildness back to the domestic yard, and can make the garden feel that much closer to nature, which those with the inclination might take great pleasure in.
Protecting Species
Opossums can also fall victim to larger predators, as well as feeling the sting of human development.
They can often get killed on the roads when scavenging dead animals, and can be culled (due to their reputation as pests).
Thus, creating a safe environment for opossums to come, eat, and relax can save them from a much worse fate out there in the world.
Depending on the area you live in, you could also then release them back into the wild if you have the means and the legality to safely contain and transport them. However, the experts should always be consulted in these cases.
Final Thoughts
And there we have it, everything you need to know about opossums, and the best way to attract them to your property.
While many consider them to be pests or vermin, opossums – like other wildlife – can really enrich a natural environment, and can create a more natural, rich, feel to any yard or garden.
So, if you are looking to attract wildlife to your property, then these methods might do the trick!
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
