Opossum Removal in Dallas, TX
Possum pest control for Dallas–Fort Worth homes: under the house, the deck, the shed or in the attic.
- Live cage trap or one-way door
- The way in sealed behind it
- Mesh buried around decks and sheds
- A person answers, 24/7
Possum Pest Control and Removal for Dallas Homes
Our possum pest control starts with an inspection that finds where the opossum sleeps and how it gets there. The technician checks the attic, the crawl space and the roofline, then the ground under the deck, the porch and the shed.
You get the price after the inspection, and no trap goes out and no opening is sealed until you say yes.
For the possum pest removal itself, we use a live cage trap on the animal's route or at the den, or a one-way door over the opening. Once the opossum is out, the way in is closed, and wire mesh goes into the ground around a deck or shed so it cannot dig back under.
No poison is used. After the visit, the findings come to you in writing: what was found, what was used and where it went.
We answer 24/7, nights and weekends included.
LicensedIn the state
of Texas
InspectBefore any
treatment
WrittenReport after
the visit
How Our Opossum Removal Works, Step by Step
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1
Call and tell us what you saw
Tell us what you have seen or heard and where: an opossum crossing the yard after dark, a hole dug under the deck, or scratching in the attic at night. We ask about children and pets as well.
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2
Find the den and the way in
Inside, the technician looks for droppings, scratch marks and insulation pressed flat where an opossum has slept. Outside, the search covers every opening at ground level, plus the vents and gaps along the foundation.
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3
See the den, then hear the price
We show you where the opossum is denning and the opening it uses. Then comes the price, and the work waits for your yes.
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4
Trap it or let it out
A live cage trap goes on the opossum's route or at the den, or a one-way door goes over the opening so it can leave and not return. An opossum in the attic or the crawl space is trapped or captured by hand.
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5
Close the way in
With the opossum out, the openings at ground level are sealed and the vents and crawl space openings covered. Wire mesh is buried around a deck or shed, and an attic gets its droppings and damaged insulation cleaned out.
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6
Get the findings in writing
The written findings say where the den was, how the opossum was taken out and which openings were closed. They also name what drew it to the house, such as pet food left out overnight or a trash can with no lid.
To book the inspection, call (972) 573-9907. We pick up at any hour.
Why Opossums Move Under DFW Homes
Opossums come to a house for food and stay for the shelter. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension lists what one eats in a city: pet food, fruit on the trees, pecans, seed from bird feeders and garbage.
By day it sleeps somewhere covered, such as an attic, a garage, a chimney or the space under a house. Most DFW houses sit on a concrete slab with no space below, so the den ends up under a deck or a shed. Older pier-and-beam houses have a crawl space, and an open vent lets an opossum in under the floor.
Litters come year-round, two a year, with seven or eight young on average. The young stay in the pouch for 7 to 8 weeks and are weaned at about 4 months, so the animal under a deck may be a mother with young.
Dallas Animal Services counts possums among the city's native wildlife, along with raccoons and coyotes, and says the city does not own or control them.
Trapping, Then Sealing the Way In
Opossum removal uses two methods in a fixed order. Live trapping takes the animal out, and then exclusion, which means sealing every way in, keeps the next one out of the empty den.
The order matters, because an opening sealed with the opossum still inside shuts it in the attic or under the floor. Opossum control has no poison step either: no toxicant, fumigant or repellent is registered for opossums.
- Live cage trap. Set on the opossum's route or at the mouth of the den, it holds the animal alive.
- One-way door. Fitted over the opening, it lets the opossum out when it leaves at night and keeps it from getting back in.
- Attic and crawl space. An opossum denned inside is trapped or captured by hand, and the droppings and damaged insulation come out of the attic.
- Vents and crawl space openings. Each one is covered with heavy-gauge rustproof wire mesh, not chicken wire, as Dallas Animal Services advises.
- Decks and sheds. An L-shaped barrier goes in. Wire mesh runs from the base of the deck six inches into the ground, bends 90 degrees away from it for 12 inches, and is covered with soil.
Texas law lets an opossum that is causing damage be taken at any time, so trapping an opossum in Dallas does not wait for a season.
Signs of an Opossum Around the House
Opossums are common but rarely seen, because they come out at night. These are the signs they leave:
- A hole dug at the edge of a deck, a porch or a shed, with loose soil pushed out of it.
- Scratching in the attic or under the floor after dark.
- Droppings in the attic, the garage or under the deck.
- Attic insulation pressed flat where an animal has been sleeping.
- A pet bowl emptied overnight, or a trash bag torn open by morning.
Noises in the attic at night can also be roof rats, which our rodent control takes care of.
Leave the hole open for now, so the opossum is not sealed inside. Then call (972) 573-9907.
Opossum Removal Across Dallas–Fort Worth
Our opossum removal services cover Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and Denton counties, from Dallas and Fort Worth to the suburbs between them. A shed in Frisco gets the same inspection, traps and mesh as a deck in Grand Prairie.
We work on homes only: houses, townhomes and apartments people live in. Every town we cover is on the service areas page. For possum removal in Dallas or anywhere in the four counties, call (972) 573-9907.
Questions About Possums
What does it cost?
You get the price at the inspection, once the den and the openings are found. It depends on the house: one opossum under a shed with a single gap to close is less work than a den in the attic, insulation to clean out and mesh to bury along a deck.
How long does it take?
A visit usually takes 30 minutes to two hours, and opossum removal usually takes more than one visit. An opossum leaves its den at night, so the trap or the one-way door works after dark, and the opening is sealed once the animal is out.
Is a possum dangerous to my kids or my dog?
The rabies risk is low. Texas DSHS puts opossums in its low-risk group for bites, and Dallas Animal Services says rabies is extremely rare in them because of their low body temperature. They drool heavily, which people mistake for rabies. They may carry murine typhus, though, so keep children and pets away from one, and report any bite to a person to the local rabies control authority. An opossum lying limp is not dead: that collapse is an involuntary defense, so leave it alone.
Can I trap it myself, or should I call an exterminator?
Texas law allows it, since an opossum causing damage may be taken at any time. Possum relocation is the harder part. Anyone who traps and moves a nuisance opossum needs a letter of authorization from Texas Parks and Wildlife, the landowner's permission at the release site and a monthly report. A trap also catches one animal and leaves the den open. Professional possum control seals the way in and buries mesh along the deck, so the next opossum finds no den.
What if it rains?
Rain changes little. Traps and one-way doors stay out in wet weather, and the attic work is indoors. A downpour can move the digging for the buried mesh to a drier day.
What should I do before the visit?
Feed pets in the morning and pick up what they leave, empty the water bowls at night, and put a lid on the trash can. With less food in the yard, the bait in the trap is the easiest meal around. Clear a path to the attic hatch and the crawl space door, too.
Related
An opossum leaves its den every night. We close the way back in.
Call and tell us where you saw it, and we set up the inspection that starts possum pest removal at your house.