Do Possums Just Climb Trees Or Do They Live In Them?

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Possums spend a lot of their time in trees, so it is only natural to see them up there. Trees offer many things to the average wild critter, possums included, and just one of those things is shelter. If a predator were to be chasing them, it would be easy for the possum to scamper up a tree trunk and hide in the relative safety of the high branches. That keeps it safe from those on the ground, and the branches of the trees help to give the animal some safety from the predators in the air too - owls, eagles and hawks, for example.



Possums will also run up into the trees because of the food they provide. You might find fruit up there, or flowers and seeds. You might even find a few insects, and these are all things that the possum loves to eat. For the most part, possums are quite lazy. They would much prefer to wait until the fruit has fallen from the tree before they eat it, rather than climb up and go after it, although they will do that too if the food is tasty enough, or in plentiful supply.

If you have trees in your yard, there’s a good chance that some wild animal or another will have checked it out already. There are a number of critters you can find in trees, some of which you probably won’t want that close to your home. This is why tree branches should be trimmed back as often as is necessary. You should make sure that no branches lead any animal right to the roof of your home or outbuildings / garages / sheds, etc. You should also make sure that there aren’t any easily accessible branches from ground level also. Possums are quite keen climbers, but by making life a little harder you’re protecting yourself a little more.

You can make life even harder still by covering the tree trunks themselves, particularly during the winter months which is when external critters will attempt to invade your land. Thin metal sheets or even heavy plastic sheets can be wrapped around the base of the tree. This makes it hard for the animal (possum or otherwise) to grip the shiny and smooth surface. They need something textured, like a tree trunk, in order to allow their claws and strong digits to grip on.

What makes life harder, of course, is that these creatures are mostly nocturnal, apart from during the winter when they are more often seen throughout the day when it is warmer and food is easier to find. You will start to see signs if possums are hanging around in the trees on your land though, and these will include physical signs of scratching on the tree, feces, and dragging trails in soft mud and soil. You may hear the possums too, although this is more likely if they are actually in your building already. Being nocturnal, when they come out and start scuffling around, you’ll soon hear them, especially when everything else in the home has been turned off and everything is as quiet as a … mouse!