In addition to ammonia and mothballs, possums will also steer clear of odors of vinegar, garlic, onion, peppermint, and camphor. These strong scents are often used as natural repellents to keep opossums away from gardens, trash cans, and other areas where they may be unwanted.
Possums are repelled by the stench of garlic, ammonia and mothballs. So go ahead and scatter those around where you think possums might hang out. Garlic works best when it's crushed. If you decide to use ammonia, be careful!
What home remedy will get rid of possums? Mixing either peppermint oil, ammonia, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or garlic with water in a spray bottle and misting it in possum-prone areas can be effective home remedies.
Carbon dioxide gas is the most appropriate technique to euthanize opossums. Opossums also can be humanely killed with a gunshot to the head, if legal and safe in your area.
Spicy Peppers – Like garlic, hot peppers produce a taste and scent opossums dislike. Mix one cup of water, a half cup of dish soap, and a half cup of hot sauce or crushed hot peppers together. Spray this mixture around your yard.
Vicks can be used for a home-made remedy. Mix equal quantities of Vaseline and Vicks VapoRub on a plastic container. Use a knife to spread the mixture along any known possum routes eg along fences. Spotlights trained onto trees can often be effective in reducing possum attacks.
Mix a cup of molasses with 1 litre of water, stir until the molasses dissolves. Now pour it in a spray bottle and spray onto foliage. You can add 1-2 teaspoons potassium-based detergent or natural dish soap to the mixture, which will make the solution stickier and last longer.
Cyanide poison provides an effective means of controlling possums whilst minimising the potential risk to the environment, birds and other non- target species. Cyanide paste and pellets used by possum hunters is coloured green, so that it should not be mistaken for other non-toxic substances.
Yates Possum Repellent Spray helps protect your precious plants by deterring possums from feeding on sprayed plants. The special combination of ingredients deters possums for up to 7 days and can be used on ornamental and edible plants with only a 1 day withholding period.
Possums are naturally skittish creatures who spend much of their time avoiding predators. Potential predators include domesticated dogs and cats. If you want to scare away a possum, you might want to try keeping a dog or cat around the house.
Possums dislike the smell of mothballs, specifically the presence of naphthalene. To use mothballs to deter possums, simply place them at strategic locations around the property in question. They are most effective in enclosed spaces like attics.
A nocturnal animal, it spends the day in a den in a hollow branch, tree-trunk, fallen log, rock cavity or even a hollow termite mound. Brushtail Possums prefer to live by themselves, not with other possums. The Brushtail Possum moves rapidly among trees and will leap from one branch to another.
Also put 3or4 drops of eucalyptus on a cotton ball and place in the areas where ants/cockroaches hang out – they will move on quick smart! POSSUM REPELLENT - A rag soaked in Eucy Oil and left in the roof keeps possums from nesting there. Re-soak rag from time to time.
If this type of physical protection isn't to your tastes, a natural barrier formed by highly perfumed plants such as lavender, rosemary, or citronella can be useful. Place hedges of these species around your vulnerable areas, and use them to block any regular possum runs you've identified.
Small mammals including possums and bandicoots often consume poisons such as snail bait, or rat bait that has been laid out to attract and kill rats, mice, and rabbits. Poisons such as pindone are often added to oats or carrots, and lead to a slow, painful death of internal bleeding.
Fencing in or clearing out areas in which opossums can hide will eliminate many problems with these animals. If you know where they are hiding near your house, you can also place some rags soaked in apple cider vinegar near the area you see them- they dislike strong odors.
Although they aren't particularly finicky eaters, the best possum bait is fish or apples. Baiting opossum traps with canned pet food also works well. While there are differences of opinion as to the best bait for opossums, all professional trappers agree, the smellier the better.
Plants to deter possums
Plants that aren't touched in my garden include acanthus, agapanthus, box and lavender. One handy technique is to include some sacrificial plants in the garden. Coppiced gum trees, for example, provide a constant supply of new foliage for the possums to browse.
Suitable foods to offer possums
Other favorites include rolled oats, sunflower seeds, dry dog food, baked beans, peanut butter and am sandwiches!
Brushtail possum scat is a similar shape to koala poo, but a little smaller, and it can range from greenish brown to dark brown or black, depending whether they're helping themselves to garden fruit trees or eating leaves.