Living With Opossum Neighbors

How Can I Get an Opossum To Leave My Yard?

The short answer is just to wait! Opossums wander across large territories their entire lives, and they will not be in your backyard long. Make sure to remove food sources (trash, cat food, bird seed) or opossums will continue to come back every night. If an opossum is sleeping under your shed or in an outdoor pet house, wait until night for the opossum to leave. Once the opossum is gone, seal any openings you want to keep safe. Opossums carry their babies with them each night, so you don’t have to worry about babies left behind!

If an Opossum Is Out in Daytime and Drooling, Is It Rabid?

Due to their low body temperature and other physiological factors, it is rare for opossums to get rabies compared to other mammals. Opossums are known to drool when they are “playing possum.” It is also common to see nocturnal animals out in the daytime. Specifically for opossums, it’s normal to see them in daylight during winter when food is scarce and in summer when mothers have babies to feed.

What Should I Do if I Have a Horse Barn and Opossums Are Around?

It is possible for opossums to transmit a disease called Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) to horses. This disease is caused by a parasite. Transmission can occur if an opossum carrying the parasite sheds eggs in its feces and a horse consumes contaminated food or water. Opossums, raccoons, skunks and domestic cats can all carry the parasite. However, the number of opossums shedding eggs or carrying the parasite is low and not every horse that is exposed to the parasite develops EPM. The best way to prevent contamination is to make sure food storage is secure and to regularly change or at least inspect water bowls. You can also wildlife proof your barn to further prevent carriers from entering — read more about wildlife proofing your spaces here.