Virginia Beach opossums usually live in forested areas but if they move into your property, their two most likely places of seeking shelter would either be in your attic or under your house. Unlike squirrels and rats, opossums have 50 sharp teeth and claws that can easily rip away at air-ducts, insulation, guttering and other parts of your home. If you suspect one has entered your home, it is better not to trap them inside as they can cause more damage. Let them leave, which would usually be at night, then fix your home so that they cannot reenter or once they reenter, they are trapped in a cage.



Virginia Beach opossums would bring in leaves and other debris to make nests. They reproduce twice a year, with a gestation period of 13 days, giving birth to a litter anywhere between 7 to 20 babies. Their life span is usually very short but once they infest your home, they can be a major nuisance, especially if they die. Two most significant damages are its feces and its body, if expired. Its feces can carry airborne diseases and its dead carcass would leave a stench that would be very difficult to remove. They do not restrict themselves to one area within the attic or under your house, they more-or-less use the entire space. However, they would not secrete their feces in the area where they build their nest.

Any unwanted creature that occupies your house, would be considered as causing undue damage. Opossums are more prone to food so if you do not want them on your property, you need to ensure that there is no access to food. They eat anything from rotted food to insects and even roadkill. If you have fruit trees, you should pick the fruit as soon as they ripe or remove them immediately from the ground if any has fallen. Your trash cans should also be secured properly and keep your pet food inside the house or out of reach of unwanted critters.

In the attic, they can tear away your insulation, maybe even bite into your wiring, make holes bigger and tear away at lose shingles. It is never a good idea to trap them inside the house. They would bring in debris, leaves and paper to make nests and excrete waste. Under the house, they can do similar damage, even creating larger hole in your floor boards so that they can enter inside the house. If they happen to die under your house, you may need to check inside your floor boards and walls for dead carcasses. When doing this however, ensure that you are fully covered in protective clothing such as gloves, overalls, and dust masks.

Virginia opossums usually live in the forests or woods but if you see them around your area, then that means they have found a food or water source. They would hardly ever take shelter in homes unless they are searching for a place to wait until nightfall, they need to give birth, or they have an adequate supply of food in the vicinity. They are great for catching insects and other pests, even frogs and are mostly immune to poisonous animals.

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