Do mothballs or ammonia help repel opossums?

Mothballs and ammonia are types of repellents which are sold to people when they are trying to chase away opossums. However, as of now there are no repellents that can chase away opossums in an effective way. Some people try to use regular radio, high pitch ultrasonic sound blasters, and coyote urine as deterrents, among others. If you try any or all of these methods and they don’t work, you will probably want to call a wildlife control company to help you handle the opossum situation.

It is possible that the opossums may grow used to or even like the repellents that are used against them. Opossums are smelly themselves with a musky odor that can even permeate a box trap, and they may leave copious amounts of feces and urine where they are. The smell of mothballs and ammonia may be effective at first, but these smells will fade over time and the opossums will become desensitized to them.

People may decide to use mothballs or ammonia in different ways. They may dip towels in the ammonia and they may try to wipe different areas where they think that the opossum may be. The homeowner may also place towels that have been dipped in the ammonia near a den. Many types of poisons or repellents are being sold in the stores, but most of the time they are not going to work really well. There are currently no registered or legal opossum poisons available in the market that you can use, and there is no reason why you should even try using them to poison or repel opossums. It is fairly easy to trap and remove an opossum. Before you decide to use the poison or other types of repellent products, you have to know that they may harm other animals that you are not targeting, like your pets.

Since the opossums may decide to make a home near a property or a house, people may determine that they are pests. They are actually marsupials; however, people may say that they are big rats. Opossums like to be near the properties of the people since they can find shelter or pet foods there. If you want to get rid of them but aren’t sure what to do, contacting a wildlife removal specialist is your best bet as they have the knowledge and experience to solve the problem quickly and humanely.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Opossums page or email us if you have any other questions about Do mothballs or ammonia help repel opossums?