Getting Rid of Opossum

Question

An opposum with babies is living under my gazebo, entering through a hole dug in the dirt. She enters and leaves the yard through a hole under the gate, which has been redug after I filled it in. A fence that goes below ground level surrounds the yard. We got rid of the likely water supply, except for a swimming pool, and no food is readily available in our yard. I would like to get rid of them. Is it a good idea to try to fence underground around the gazebo, closing up the entrance when the family is out? How do we know when they are gone, or do we arbitrarily go out a couple of hours after dark, pray, and just do it? Would adding moth balls in the area help? How likely would they return? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Fencing the hole can help keep them out as it will be much more difficult for them to get back in. There is no sure fire way to know when the family is out, but you can try throwing a smoke bomb (like the kinds sold with sparklers for the 4th) in the hole before you work on it to try to force them out in case they are still in the hole when you start to work on it.

We don’t like to recommend using moth balls, due to health concerns with their use. But something with a strong citrus smell may work, but they will likely return at some point with only smells alone.