Possum Trapping

09.30.2003 - Here's one of the nuisance critters that I commonly deal with. It's the Virginia Opossum. These animals are common in Florida. They are nomadic scavengers, though they will set up homes in and around human structures. Females will commonly live in attics in the late spring and summer, if they have young. I've dealt with many such cases this past season. However, in the autumn, they are most just scavenging about, stocking up on food for the winter. Even though it doesn't get cold down here, it's still an instinct. This opossum was living under a pool deck at a home in Longwood. It drove the dogs of the house crazy every night, and the homeowner was worried that the dog might attack the possum, or vice versa, and was tired of the noise. He tried many tactics to get the animal to leave, such as using mothballs, but it didn't work. The opossum stayed for several weeks, so he called me out, and I trapped and removed it. The key to possum trapping is to set the correct sized cage, such as the large 32" Havahart trap you see in the above photo, make sure the trap is flush to the ground, and bait it with almost anything, though smelly baits often work better for opossums. Generally, they're not too hard to trap. The opossum, (Didelphis virginiana) is a nocturnal animal that lives in North America. It is a marsupial, which means that the females give birth to tiny young, who grow in a pouch. These young eventually cling to the mother's back and drop off when they are large enough. Opossums are unique for many reasons. They have opposable thumbs, prehensile tails, 50 teeth, and several other unusual features. They are omnivores who eat almost anything, they have excellent immune systems, and they rarely live more than 2-3 years in the wild. They are most commonly considered a nuisance species when they live in an attic or other structure, such as under a shed, or steal pet food or threaten animals.

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