The most reliable way to get rid of possums is a combination of removing what attracts them, making your yard uncomfortable for them, and sealing off entry points to structures. Trapping works for immediate removal, but possums are territorial drifters, so a new one will move in within days if the food and shelter that drew the first one are still available. A lasting solution means changing your property, not just removing the animal.
Confirm You’re Dealing With a Possum
Possum damage often gets confused with raccoon or skunk activity, so a correct identification saves you from using the wrong approach. The most definitive sign is a hind-foot track: possums have an opposable thumb on their back feet that leaves a distinctive print no other common yard animal shares. Their droppings are roughly the size of a house cat’s.
If they’ve moved into a structure, you’ll likely hear them at night. Possums commonly enter crawl spaces, trailer underbellies, and attics, but they aren’t strong or destructive. They almost always exploit an opening that already exists, squeezing through gaps around pipes, drains, or damaged soffits rather than chewing their way in. Scratching sounds in ductwork, especially under mobile homes, are a classic giveaway.
Remove Food Sources First
This is the single most important step and the one most people skip. Possums are extreme opportunists with almost no food preferences, which means your yard probably offers a buffet you haven’t noticed.
- Pet food. Bring cat and dog bowls inside every evening. Even a small dish left on a porch is enough to keep a possum coming back nightly.
- Garbage. Use cans with tight-fitting lids. Bungee cords or locking lids work if your current cans are easy to tip.
- Fallen fruit. If you have fruit trees, pick up anything on the ground daily during fruiting season.
- Bird feeders. Spilled seed attracts possums. If you’re seeing possum activity under a feeder, stop filling it for at least two to three weeks.
- Compost. Cover any food scraps with a thick layer of grass clippings or leaves so the smell doesn’t travel.
Cutting off the food supply won’t drive a possum away overnight, but it removes the reason it chose your property. Without reliable food, most possums move on within a week or two.
Make Your Yard Less Hospitable
Possums are nocturnal and prefer dark, sheltered areas. Bright lighting is one of the most effective deterrents available. Keep your yard well lit throughout the night, and maintain that lighting for several weeks. Transient possums scouting for new territory will pass your property by if it’s consistently bright.
Clear brush piles, dense low shrubbery, and stacked debris that create hiding spots. Possums don’t dig burrows. They rely on existing cover, so removing it forces them to shelter elsewhere. Woodpiles should be stored in a structure or elevated off the ground.
If you notice a regular path the possum uses to enter your yard, block it. Temporary barriers like small fencing sections or piled branches across a gap in a fence line can break the habit. Possums are creatures of routine, and disrupting their travel route is surprisingly effective.
Why Chemical Repellents Usually Fail
Most commercial animal repellents rely on strong scents or bitter-tasting compounds. Possums are largely unbothered by both. Their diet in the wild includes rotting fruit, carrion, and garbage, so a bad smell or taste rarely registers as a threat. Predator urine products and garlic-based sprays fall into the same category: they may work briefly on other species but have little lasting effect on possums.
Motion-activated sprinklers are a better investment. A sudden burst of water startles the possum and, over repeated encounters, conditions it to avoid the area. Position sprinklers along the paths or entry points you’ve identified. Motion-activated lights with a strobe function can serve a similar purpose, though water tends to be more startling.
Sealing Entry Points to Your Home
If a possum has gotten into your attic, crawl space, or under a mobile home, removing it means nothing if the opening stays accessible. Wait until you’re sure the possum has left for its nightly foraging (typically after dark), then seal the gap with hardware cloth, sheet metal, or heavy-gauge wire mesh. For areas below ground level, bury the mesh at least six inches deep to prevent re-entry.
Check around dryer vents, plumbing penetrations under sinks, soffit joints, and any spot where materials have separated or rotted. Possums can fit through a surprisingly small hole, roughly four inches in diameter. A one-way exclusion door, which lets the animal leave but not re-enter, is useful if you’re unsure whether the possum is still inside when you begin sealing.
Live Trapping and Relocation
Trapping is legal in most states when a possum is causing property damage, though regulations vary. In Missouri, for example, possums are classified as furbearers and game mammals, and property owners can trap damage-causing possums without a permit. Other states may require a nuisance wildlife permit or restrict relocation distances. Check your state wildlife agency’s website before setting a trap.
For live trapping, use a cage trap at least 10 by 12 by 32 inches. Bait it with canned cat food, overripe fruit, or peanut butter on bread. Place the trap along a wall, fence line, or known travel path rather than in the open. Possums are more likely to enter a trap that feels like part of their normal route. Check the trap every morning; leaving a possum in a cage through a hot day can kill it.
Body-gripping traps and foot-hold traps are effective but carry restrictions in many jurisdictions. In Missouri, body-gripping traps cannot be used on dry-land sets at ground level. These traps also require experience to set safely and humanely, so they’re best left to professionals or experienced trappers.
Health Risks to Know About
Possums carry a lower rabies risk than most wild mammals. Their body temperature is naturally low enough that the rabies virus has difficulty surviving in them, making transmission rare. That said, they can carry other concerns. Possums are potential reservoirs for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through contaminated urine. The bacteria can persist in soil, standing water, and vegetation for weeks after the animal has passed through. Dogs are especially vulnerable, and vaccination is recommended since avoiding all environmental exposure isn’t realistic.
Possums also carry fleas and ticks, which can transfer to pets and eventually to humans. If a possum has been living in or under your home, treat the area for parasites after the animal is gone. Wear gloves when cleaning up droppings, and avoid contact with any pooled water in areas where possums have sheltered.
When Professional Removal Makes Sense
If a possum is inside your walls, attic, or ductwork, or if you’re dealing with more than one animal, professional wildlife removal is often worth the cost. The average runs $150 to $500 for straightforward possum removal. If the animal is in an attic and the space needs trapping plus repairs, expect $500 to $1,500 for a small job or $1,500 to $3,500 for extensive trapping and restoration.
Repair costs add up quickly when possums have been nesting in a structure. Damaged attic insulation runs $2 to $6 per square foot to replace. Chewed ductwork costs $25 to $55 per linear foot. Soffit and fascia repairs, which are common entry-point fixes, run $9 to $34 per linear foot. A professional service typically bundles trapping, exclusion work, and basic cleanup into one quote, which can be more cost-effective than hiring separate contractors.
For outdoor-only problems, though, the DIY approach of sanitation, lighting, and exclusion handles the vast majority of cases. Possums aren’t aggressive, aren’t deeply attached to any single territory, and will relocate on their own once your property stops offering easy food and shelter.