Possums – cute creepy – or annoying? No matter what side of the fence you stand on, you most likely do not want them by your house.
They are not dangerous (they’re often quite misunderstood) but they can create a lot of destruction in your home and garden when looking for food.
They can dig holes in the ground, destroy your veggie garden and plants, and can knock over the trash. So, what is the best way to keep possums away?
What to Expect? Some countries allow possums to be put down due to their destructive nature while other countries do not allow them to be killed and only allow them to be trapped and relocated. If you have a possum problem, and want to know how to keep them away, this article will present you some ideas to try.
How big is the possum problem?
It’s really no big deal to have possums living in your yard.
In a way, they might really have value by eating unwelcome pests, such as mosquitoes.
To be sure, they can be irksome at times if they dig up your garden or eat the vegetables you have cultivated.
But they are very skittish animals. You can create deterrents to help keep them away.
The best way to scare possums away from your house
Possums are typically shy creatures. In fact, they will even “play dead” in the presence of a predator.
They will also avoid being too close to people or other creatures. They also have very poor eyesight, which you can take advantage of!
Possums will usually avoid anything that moves, so movement near your home is the best way to deter them.
Any object that will make noise or move on its own will likely scare a possum – at least until they get used to it!
Are possums dangerous to family pets?
These are not alligators!
Possums are shy and harmless, instead, they will really only forage for mosquito, termites, and other bugs to eat.
Your family pets are safe! Thank goodness!
How to scare possums away from your house
Having learned some additional information about possums, you might be thinking about how to deter possums from your house and yard.
Let us begin.
Dog/cat hair
If you’ve got a dog or cat, you know how much hair they shed all over everything you own!
But hair is actually a very useful thing when it comes to scaring possums.
Possums are scared of dogs and cats and will avoid areas that have been marked or contain their scent.
So all you need to do is collect and spread pet hair around the areas you want to keep possums out of, and their smell will keep them away.
If you can’t collect pet hair because you don’t have a dog or cat, just ask someone that does!
Garlic
Garlic, with its pungent aroma, is a natural repellent against possums.
If you have a vegetable garden, growing them will keep possums away. If not, you can also keep possums away by laying out garlic cloves.
You can also rub crushed garlic around or spray crushed garlic with water on things you would like possums to stay away from.
Mothballs/camphor balls
These balls contain plants that have repellent qualities to insects, but possums don’t like them either.
Camphor Balls are natural, while mothballs contain either naphthalene or dichlorobenzene which is poisonous.
Works Well – Possums will steer clear of these balls, therefore you can place them in several spots around your home and garden to keep them away.
Ammonia
Ammonia is another great possum repellent because they can’t withstand the pungent smell.
You don’t have to use ammonia straight, you can make a solution of 50% water, and 50% ammonia and spray it around.
This is especially handy spraying on the outside of trash cans to keep possums from raiding them.
You do want to be careful though. If a possum breathes a high concentration of ammonia, it can give them health issues. And the same goes for people too.
Grow certain plants
Certain plants are highly disliked by possums.
These include citronella, lavender, geraniums, agapanthus, rosemary, mint, and chrysanthemums.
Not only will using these plants deter possums, they will also make your backyard beautiful and smell nice!
Use lights
Possums are creatures who prefer darkness and scare easily when approaching light.
If you can keep your home and garden bright. You will certainly lower your chances of possums coming close to your property.
Of course, having lights on at night can become expensive, but there are some solar options available to automatically light in the dark.
If you keep chickens, a possum may waiting until proximity is nighttime to eat them or their eggs.
Possums will bite the neck of a chicken to kill and eat it and love eating the eggs.
Big Picture – Adding light around a chicken coop or a door that opens and shuts automatically at dusk will protect your lovely chickens from becoming the next possum meal like possums.
Use sound
Possums are also sensitive to sound.
You may be able to incorporate objects into your garden such as windchimes to deter them.
There are even ultrasonic pest deterrents that emit sounds that possums find annoying.
Use movement
As mentioned earlier, possums will steer clear of things that move.
I think it’s a good idea to install lightweight things that move in the wind, assuming you have some wind at night where you live. Ribbons, wind chimes, windmills, etc. are all great ideas.
Buy a Repellent
There are many licensed products that can be effective in repelling possums.
Often the products contain the urine of other, larger animals, such as foxes, coyotes, or dogs.
Possums will stay away from areas where they can smell the urine of these other animals.
There are also some non-toxic options that are made up of chemicals from things like rosemary essential oils, peppermint essential oils, white pepper, and garlic.
Some repellents are available in a spray, while others are available in granules.
Set traps
If you were to go this way, you would need to set your traps carefully.
The traps cannot be too large, as they may injure themselves in a trap that’s too roomy.
There are multiple types of traps such as trapping cages and/or motion activated sprinklers.
You may also use their favorite foods such as fish or apples as bait to lure them into the traps.
And remember, once caught in a trap, they will have to be released somewhere. We suggest you take them at least five miles away, but ideally 10 miles or more.
Final thoughts on how to scare possums away from your house
Possums are clever animals and will feel comfortable wherever they know – even your backyard or your house.
As you’ve already seen, there are many different ways to deter possums from your home, and you may try them all before you find one that works long-term.
One of the best deterrents is to avoid attracting them in the first place. If they can find shelter, food, and water, they will find you.
So, a good starting point is to make your property less desirable.
You may even get rid of some trees if you know possums are living in them, but most importantly, make sure your backyard isn’t full of food scraps and make sure there are no places to hide and call home underneath your house.
If you’ve already found possums in, or around, your house, there are lots of deterrents described here, which can help you to get rid of possums and keep them away.