Opossum Removal in Hickory, Lenoir & the NC Foothills
The opossum is North America's only marsupial. A female carries her young in a pouch, then on her back, and a litter can run to a dozen or more. When she picks the space under your house to raise them, that is a lot of animal in one spot.
Opossums go for dark, dry cover close to food: under decks and porches, beneath sheds, and inside crawlspaces through a torn vent screen or a gap in the skirting. Once under a house they drag in nesting material, tear down crawlspace insulation and vapor barrier, and leave droppings and odor behind. Pet food left outside, open garbage, and fallen fruit are usually what brought them to the yard in the first place.
They climb, too
Opossums are good climbers with a grasping tail and thumb-like back toes, so an overhanging limb or a gap at the roofline can put one in the attic or garage. Wherever it got in, that opening has to be found and closed, or the next one will use it.
How an opossum job goes
Inspection first: confirm the species, find every way in, and check for young, because a female carrying a litter changes the timing. You get a written quote before any work begins. The job ends with the animal removed, the entry sealed with materials it cannot pull loose, damaged insulation or vapor barrier addressed, and the attractants that drew it in pointed out so they can be fixed. I handle every job within North Carolina's wildlife rules.
I handle opossum work in Hickory, Lenoir, and throughout Alexander, Catawba, Caldwell, Iredell, Burke, Wilkes, and Davie counties.
Common questions
How do I know it's an opossum and not a raccoon?
Opossums are gray-white with a pointed white face, bare pink tail, and rounded black ears, and they move slowly. Raccoons are heavier, with a black mask and a ringed tail. Both like the same den spots, so a camera or a look at the tracks during the inspection settles it.
Are opossums dangerous?
Opossums are rarely aggressive and seldom carry rabies, but they will hiss and show their teeth when cornered, and their droppings and nesting material under a house are unsanitary. Any opossum that seems sick or is out acting strangely in daylight should be left alone and reported, not handled.
Will it leave on its own?
Opossums do wander, and one passing through may move on. But a den under a deck or in a crawlspace gets reused, by the same animal or the next one, and a female carrying young stays put for weeks. Sealing the opening is what actually ends it.