The under-shed specialist
Opossums don't want your attic — they want the dark, quiet space under your shed, porch, or deck. They're nocturnal shufflers, and most homeowners discover them through the dog going crazy at the back door at midnight, or the trash can tipped over one time too many. In Orlando's older neighborhoods with pier-and-beam porches and backyard sheds, opossum dens are practically standard equipment.
Why they need to go
Opossums are mild-mannered, but a den site accumulates droppings, urine, and nesting debris — plus the fleas and ticks that travel on every wild mammal. They tear up insulation under houses, get into pet food and trash, and occasionally die in the den, which creates a smell problem that seeps into the house. Appreciating opossums in the abstract and hosting one under your porch are different things.
How we handle them
Targeted humane trapping at the den site, checked on schedule. Opossums are easy to trap humanely — they're not trap-shy like some animals. Then the den gets sealed: buried wire mesh in an L-shape around sheds and porches so nothing digs back under. Then cleanup of the den area. One caution we always give: if it's a mother with babies in the pouch or on her back, timing matters — we handle the family together, never separated.
Read our honest take on opossums, then Send the form if one's moved in.