Opossum Removal

Opossum Removal in New York: Urban Wildlife Management

February 21, 2025·9 min read

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is North America's only native marsupial and is found throughout New York State, from Staten Island and the outer boroughs to the suburbs of Long Island and Westchester. Despite a fearsome-looking appearance (they are the only New York wildlife species that will bare 50 teeth at you when threatened), opossums are generally non-aggressive and prefer to bluff, hiss, and — when the bluff fails — play dead. Their main issue from a homeowner's perspective is structural damage and contamination when they establish residence in attics, crawlspaces, or under decks.

Opossum Behavior in New York

Opossums are nomadic and typically do not establish permanent dens — they move through a home range of 10–50 acres, spending a few nights in one location before moving on. This nomadic tendency means that a single opossum may move through your yard or under your deck without establishing long-term residence. However, when a denning site offers consistent protection and is near reliable food sources, opossums will return repeatedly and eventually begin to behave more like permanent residents.

Opossums do not hibernate but reduce activity during cold weather. They are susceptible to frostbite on their bare ears and hairless tail, which limits their movement during New York winters. This means opossum intrusions into heated structures (attics, basements, crawlspaces) increase significantly during cold snaps from November through February.

Female opossums can have two litters per year, typically in early spring and late summer. Young opossums ride in the mother's pouch for 2–3 months, then on her back for another month or two. A family group of a mother with young on her back attempting to enter your attic is a surprisingly common springtime scenario on Long Island and in the outer boroughs.

Damage Opossums Cause in New York Structures

Opossums are not aggressive chewers like raccoons or squirrels, but their residence in a structure still causes significant problems:

• Feces and urine contamination: Opossum droppings are similar in size to raccoon droppings but more pointed. Like raccoons, opossums tend to deposit feces in a relatively concentrated area, creating contamination that requires full insulation removal and decontamination if the animal has been resident for more than a few weeks.
• Nesting material: Opossums gather leaves, grasses, and other vegetation for nesting. This nesting material in an attic or crawlspace can absorb moisture and create mold conditions, as well as providing habitat for secondary pests (ticks, mites, fleas).
• Insulation compression: Opossums moving through and resting in attic insulation compress and damage it, reducing R-value in affected areas.
• Ticks: Opossums are actually tick predators (they groom and consume ticks at a high rate), but their presence in your immediate yard still brings ticks — including blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease — in closer proximity to your home and family.
• Odor: Opossum musk (used for communication and as a defense mechanism) creates a persistent, unpleasant odor in enclosed spaces where the animal has denned.

Entry Points Opossums Use in New York Homes

Opossums are not agile climbers but are persistent investigators. They typically enter structures through ground-level access points:

• Crawlspace vents without intact screening
• Gaps in foundation skirting on raised structures
• Damaged or absent soffit panels at the lowest points of the roofline
• Openings around utility penetrations at ground or crawlspace level
• Deteriorated wood decking or lattice work around deck perimeters

Unlike squirrels or raccoons, opossums rarely create their own entry points — they exploit existing openings. This means that opossum-proofing often involves less aggressive material requirements than excluding the stronger, more determined species. However, entry point assessment must be comprehensive — opossums can squeeze through gaps as small as 3 inches.

Removal and Exclusion Process

Opossum removal follows the same general process as other nuisance wildlife:

1. Full exterior inspection to identify entry points and determine whether an opossum is actually resident or simply passing through.
2. Live trap placement at active entry points using box traps baited with fruit, canned cat food, or fish. Opossums are less trap-wary than raccoons and often enter traps on the first night.
3. Daily trap monitoring and humane transport of captured animals to appropriate release habitat at least 5 miles from the capture site.
4. Entry point sealing using galvanized hardware cloth, metal flashing, and caulk. Crawlspace vents should be retrofitted with galvanized steel screening (not fiberglass, which opossums can tear through).
5. Interior assessment for contamination requiring remediation.

Opossum Benefits: Before You Decide to Exclude

Opossums in your yard (not in your structure) provide measurable benefits worth knowing about:

• Each opossum is estimated to consume thousands of ticks per year during self-grooming. In Lyme disease-endemic areas of New York (Westchester, Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk), this tick predation has a genuine public health value.
• Opossums consume beetles, cockroaches, and other insects, providing some natural pest suppression.
• They are scavengers and will consume dead animals, reducing potential disease sources.

An opossum traveling through your yard is not a problem requiring professional intervention. Exclusion is appropriate when opossums are denning inside a structure, accessing pet food storage, or creating ongoing nuisance conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions