{"id":482,"date":"2019-12-01T20:42:15","date_gmt":"2019-12-01T20:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.animalcapturewildlifecontrol.com\/blog\/?p=482"},"modified":"2023-12-29T09:17:42","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T09:17:42","slug":"5-reasons-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-opossums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.animalcapturewildlifecontrol.com\/blog\/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-opossums\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons You Shouldn\u2019t Be Afraid of Opossums"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"opossum
\nWhen you think about critters that go \u201cbump in the night,\u201d the opossum is probably near the top of your list. Unfortunately, the common opossum<\/a> tends to get a bad reputation with most people.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Opossums get accused of being nothing more than big rats. They might be found lurking in trashcans or on the side of the street\u2014but the truth? Opossums aren\u2019t scary.<\/p>\n

In fact, they\u2019re very peaceful animals who could be doing more around your home than you realize. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to take the right steps in \u201cgetting rid\u201d of them. Instead of trying to kill them, you can have them safely retrieved and moved so they can continue to do good elsewhere.<\/p>\n

So, why shouldn\u2019t you be afraid of opossums?<\/p>\n

1. They Get Rid of Pests<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Opossums will eat just about anything, including a lot of common household pests. What do opossums eat? The list is long, but here are a few common delicacies they\u2019re known to snack on:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Cockroaches<\/li>\n
  • Beetles<\/li>\n
  • Mice<\/li>\n
  • Rats<\/li>\n
  • Snakes<\/li>\n
  • Ticks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Opossums will even eat the remains of dead animals. Again, they\u2019re not too picky about what they ingest, but that means fewer pests in and around your home!<\/p>\n

    2. They\u2019re Very Clean<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Maybe it\u2019s because they\u2019re nocturnal or so mysterious, but opossums seem to have a reputation for being unclean and full of diseases.<\/p>\n

    Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Opossums are very clean animals. Yes, they might eat anything and everything, but they do so in a tidy fashion and always \u201cclean up\u201d after themselves. They aren\u2019t filthy, and typically they aren\u2019t carrying any horrible diseases around with them.<\/p>\n

    3. They Fight Against Lyme Disease<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Lyme disease can be a serious problem, often caused by ticks. If you live in a wooded or rural area, you and your children and pets are likely at a greater risk of Lyme disease.<\/p>\n

    So, how do opossums help to prevent it? For starters, they kill thousands of ticks every year. Opossums even tend to kill most of the ticks that get on their bodies before they have the opportunity to cause any harm. So, if you see an opossum around your house, it could be your best defense against blood-sucking ticks and potential Lyme disease.<\/p>\n

    \"nature<\/p>\n

    4. They Aren\u2019t Aggressive<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Opossums are typically slow-moving, docile creatures. They might seem scary because they\u2019ll hiss if you get too close, but they don\u2019t want to fight. They don\u2019t like to move too far, which is why they tend to scavenge for their food within a small radius. So, if you don\u2019t bother them, it\u2019s very unlikely that they\u2019ll show any interest in attacking or even having anything to do with you. Leaving them alone is always your best bet.<\/p>\n

    5. They Keep Snakes Away<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Similar to keeping ticks at bay, opossums can also help if you have a snake problem. There is a unique gene in opossums that seems to make them immune to most snake bites\/venom. Because of this, they can kill and eat all different types of snakes, which can potentially protect you and your family!<\/p>\n

    As you can see, there\u2019s really nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the common opossum. If you have a lot of them in your area or you\u2019d like opossums inspections done around your house, feel free to contact us for more information. We pride ourselves on making sure animals are handled with care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When you think about critters that go \u201cbump in the night,\u201d the opossum is probably near the top of your list. Unfortunately, the common opossum tends to get a bad reputation with most people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26,24,25],"class_list":["post-482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-lyme-disease","tag-opossum-myths","tag-possum-removal"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Surprising Benefits of Opossums: Debunking Myths<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover 5 surprising reasons why opossums are beneficial and not to be feared, from pest control to Lyme disease prevention. See how to manage them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.animalcapturewildlifecontrol.com\/blog\/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-opossums\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Surprising Benefits of Opossums: Debunking Myths\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover 5 surprising reasons why opossums are beneficial and not to be feared, from pest control to Lyme disease prevention. 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