How Opossums Actually Benefit Your Home

Opossums are strange-looking. They have snow-white snouts, wet pink noses, beady black eyes, and tails that would look more at home on a rat or a hairless cat. For all of these oddities, they often get misidentified as vermin. What sets opossums apart from vermin-like mice and rats is that they have no interest in your home. They do not want to chew your wires, invade your kitchen, or steal water from your dripping pipes. Opossums are just here to eat small insects and largely leave humans and animals alone. Some of these small insects that they eat actually do much more damage to your home than opossums do, which is why you should keep them around. Take a look below for an in-depth look at how opossums actually benefit your home.

The Major Benefits Of Keeping Opossums Around

The great thing about opossums is that they are nocturnal. So, if you have a group of them near your home, you can enjoy the benefits that they give, without having to actually see them. The main benefit of opossums is that they eat some of the nasty pests that can cause major problems in your home. Opossums eat pests like cockroaches, vermin like rats and mice, and even overripe fruit and berries which can attract flies and other pests.

Opossums are odd little omnivores, even going so far as to prey on snakes, especially venomous snakes like copperheads and cottonmouth rattlesnakes. They are able to prey on these predators because they are resistant to snake venom. The main benefit, however, is that opossums are excellent at reducing your chance of contracting Lyme disease. This is due to the fact that possums love to eat ticks. It is estimated that the average opossum eats over 5,000 ticks in one summer according to the National Wildlife Federation. They even take good care of themselves, cleaning their fur of ticks and fleas. North America’s only marsupial is truly one of the greatest creatures that one can have around their home. Everyone should take great care to avoid accidentally contributing to their demise.

Drawbacks Of Having Opossums In Your Yard

While opossums have a majority of positive characteristics, they do have a few negative qualities too. First and foremost, they are wild animals, and like all wild animals, they can carry disease. These diseases are most often found in their feces. Not a problem for humans, but occasionally a problem for outdoor dogs and cats. If you find that an opossum has caused your pet to become ill, take your animal to the vet and get it treated immediately. Afterwards, humanely capture the opossum and relocate it to a nature preserve.

While opossums may be great for your yard, there are many pests that aren’t. If autumn is bringing some uninvited pests to your property, put a stop to them by calling Advanced Pest Control of Alabama. If calling isn’t possible, fill out our contact form and we’ll get with you as soon as possible. We’re here to help you with all of your pest control needs.