Opossums are adaptable, nocturnal wildlife that may visit households looking for easy food and quiet shelter. While they may appear harmless, an opossum living under a deck, inside a shed, or in crawl spaces can create unsanitary conditions, damage insulation and ductwork, and tip over garbage cans in search of scraps. If the same animal returns night after night, it’s usually finding dependable access to food, water, or cover.
Gregory Pest Solutions provides professional opossum pest control for residential and commercial properties, focused on risk reduction and prevention. Our technicians understand the specific behaviors of local wildlife, allowing us to remove them humanely while following all state-specific wildlife regulations.
Opossums are common throughout the Carolinas due to mild temperatures, wooded edges, and abundant neighborhood food sources. As trusted opossum exterminators, Gregory Pest Solutions helps manage opossum activity and reduce the risk of repeat issues.
If you’re hearing movement at night, noticing disturbed trash, or suspecting an animal is nesting beneath your home, we’ll inspect the property, identify the cause, and recommend a plan that fits your home and local conditions.
Opossums are primarily active at night, between dusk and dawn, so you might notice signs of them before actually seeing one. These marsupials are opportunistic and leave behind distinct biological markers as they navigate your property in search of high-calorie food sources and secure nesting sites. Common indicators of an opossum problem include:
If you’re unsure whether it’s an opossum or another animal, use our opossum identification guide to compare clues, then schedule an inspection to confirm the source and locate the access route.
Opossums are not usually aggressive, but they can cause problems if they settle near homes. They may carry parasites like ticks and fleas contaminate surfaces with droppings, and create dirty nesting spots. Opossums often nest in crawl spaces, under decks, sheds, and porches, and enter through gaps in foundations, broken vents, or open spaces under buildings, further compromising the structural integrity of a building.
A professional opossum removal service is essential because of the legal complexities involved. Opossums are subject to specific federal and state wildlife regulations regarding their capture, handling, and relocation. In the Carolinas, homeowners often find DIY removal difficult because:
Just scaring opossums away usually doesn’t solve the problem. Many people try things like motion-activated sprinklers, ammonia-soaked rags, or loud noises, but these only work for a short time. Opossums are quick to adapt and will come back once they see there’s no real danger.
Trying to trap them yourself can also be risky. Without the right permits, trapping and moving opossums may break North Carolina wildlife laws, and handling them the wrong way can lead to bites or contact with parasites and diseases.
At Gregory Pest Solutions, we take a thorough and professional approach. We also deal with what brought it to your property, making sure everything is done legally and effectively.
Our residential services are set up to:
We customize every service plan for your home, so you get lasting protection instead of a quick fix that could break local wildlife rules or let opossums come back.
Call now to book your free inspection.
At Gregory Pest Solutions, we utilize a data-driven approach to ensure all interventions are scientifically sound and legally compliant. Our licensed technicians have more than 50 years of experience managing pests throughout the Carolinas, delivering robust solutions for sustained protection from opossums.
A thorough inspection will confirm if opossums are present and find their nests, travel routes, and entry points. Our technicians will also identify attractants like open garbage cans and pet food left outside, as well as shelter spots.
Based on our findings, we employ humane methods that comply with local regulations to remove the opossum. Our main goal is to extract and relocate the animal safely, while protecting your home.
Our team provides tips on how to keep opposums out, including habitat and sanitation modifications, thereby reducing the risk of future wildlife problems.
Our opossum control program is built on proactive care and long-term prevention. By combining field expertise, digital monitoring, and G-Smart analytics, we can track the success of our exclusion methods and provide homeowners with verifiable results.
We also provide educational resources, like our opossum identification guide, to help you understand their habits and learn how to prevent future problems.
Call Gregory Pest Control TodayStrong odors, such as mothballs, garlic, peppermint oil, and ammonia, may temporarily discourage opossums, but they are not a reliable, long-term solution. Professional removal and prevention strategies take a holistic approach to wildlife management, offering an effective, compliant solution to control active and ongoing activity.
Opossums are omnivores with highly varied diets. They’ll eat insects (ticks, cockroaches), small rodents, snakes, frogs, birds, eggs, fruits, berries, and carrion. As scavengers, they also consume garbage, pet food, and fallen garden produce. Their diet is known for its high calcium content, including consumption of skeletal remains.
Populations are drawn to environments with high "harborage potential," such as open crawl spaces, and easy caloric access via unsecured garbage cans and outdoor feeding stations.