Opossum Removal in NJ: Humane Removal From Under Your House, Garage or Attic

What to know about opossums in North Jersey

The Virginia opossum is North America's only marsupial — the mother carries her young in a pouch and later on her back. Opossums are about the size of a house cat, with gray fur, a white face, black ears and a long, bare tail. They're common in North Jersey's suburbs and cities, from backyards near the Passaic and Hackensack rivers to parks and rail lines.

• Night animals. They come out after dark to look for food and usually rest during the day.
• Wanderers. Many opossums move between several dens and don't stay in one place long — unless they find a safe spot with food nearby, like a crawlspace next to a bowl of cat food.
• Eat almost anything. Pet food, garbage, compost, fallen fruit, birdseed, insects, snails and dead animals.
• "Playing possum" is real. A badly frightened opossum may fall over, drool and appear dead for a while. It's a defense reaction. Leave it alone and it will usually get up and walk off.
• Bluffers. A cornered opossum hisses and shows a mouthful of teeth, but would much rather escape than fight.

Are opossums dangerous to people or pets?

Opossums are among the least aggressive wild animals you'll find around the house, and rabies is uncommon in them. Still, they're wild animals, and a den under or inside the house causes real problems:

• Bites and scratches if someone or a dog corners one. Any bite from a wild animal should be washed well and checked by a doctor.
• Droppings and urine under decks, in crawlspaces and garages, which smell and can carry parasites and germs.
• Fleas and ticks they carry into the den area.
• Torn insulation and ductwork in crawlspaces.
• A strong odor if an opossum dies under the house or in a wall.
• Raiding pet food and trash every night, which also draws in raccoons, skunks and rats.

If you see a mother opossum with young on her back, don't try to separate them. Call us so the family can be moved out together.

What to do if you find an opossum

• In the garage: keep pets and kids inside, open the garage door and any side door, turn off the lights and leave it alone after dark. Most opossums walk out on their own within a few hours.
• Playing dead: don't poke it or pick it up. Give it space and it will leave once it feels safe.
• Under the deck or shed: don't block the hole yet. If the opossum or babies are inside, they'll be trapped, die and leave you with a smell problem.
• Take away the food: feed pets indoors, use trash cans with locking lids, pick up fallen fruit and bring birdseed in at night.
• Don't use poison or set your own trap. Poison puts pets and other animals at risk, and an opossum that dies under the house leaves a smell for weeks; a homemade trap often catches the neighbor's cat or a skunk, and trapped wildlife has to be handled under NJ rules.

Many people try animal repellents or lights first. They may move a wandering opossum along, but they won't keep animals out of an open gap.

Dead opossum smell and crawlspace cleanup

A strong, sweet, rotten smell from under the floor, a wall or a deck usually means an animal died there — and opossums are one of the most common. The smell can last for weeks and draws flies.

We locate and remove the animal, take out soiled insulation and debris, and handle odor control and HEPA cleanup ourselves. When crawlspace or attic insulation has been ruined by droppings and urine, we remove and replace it. See dead animal removal for more.