Natural deterrents for opossums are effective in keeping this creature at bay. Anyone with a yard will tell you that opossum and garden can’t be in the same sentence.
Neither is living with this creature easy. There are relentless pests whose taste of foliage, flowers, and fruits leaves your backyard or garden messy.
Although we can’t completely get rid of them, we can use the 18 natural deterrents to deter them.
What Smells Do Opossums Hate?
Opossums are attracted to their dirty smell, which is any strong smell besides what the creature is used to. And that explains why they’ll use the same pathway when coming to visit you. Opossums won’t stand a strong smell. That said, the stronger the smell, the better.
Since they have a delicate sense of smell, you can use a strong odor to discourage them from coming into your home or garden. Make sure the natural repellent you use has a unique scent. Bear in mind that sometimes these natural repellents do fade away. That means you’ll have to re-apply each week to keep opossums away.
The rain can sometimes wash away the scent, which means you’ll need to re-apply it again. There are times when the scent can’t work anymore because opossum is used to them. That said, let’s look at the 18 natural deterrents for opossums.
Note: Guess what!!! I put this around the yard and within 24 hours that opossum fled! Since using the product, I haven’t seen a opossum in my yard
[13] Natural Detterens for Opossums]
Natural Deterrents for opossum#1: Mothball
Mothballs have an annoying smell that can keep opossums away. The smell deters these creatures from foraging your garden, yard, or climbing the roof.
Mothballs are the cheapest method of keeping opossums away. Their strong, pungent smell will drive them away.
When shopping, try to buy the mothball with a strong scent and put it close to your attic, roof, or below the porch, and wait for it to do the magic.
Read: What Do Opossum Eat: A Complete List Of Food & Diet
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#2: Ammonia
Ammonia smells horrible, and you can use it to remove opossums from your backyard. The smell of ammonia makes those animals obnoxious. Here are the instructions you need to follow:
- Mix ammonia with water in the ratio of 1:1
- Spray in the area where an opossum is supposed to be found.
Precaution needs to be taken because ammonia is harmful to humans and other living things like pets.
Keep in mind that ammonia is poisonous and should never be used on edible items or things you often contact.
Natural Deterrents For opossum#3: Spices: Tabasco Sauce, Chill, Hot Mustard, or Dad’s Hottest Sauce
Like other rodents, opossums hate spices. Any spice which gives out a strong smell will repel the opossum. Hot pepper extract or chill will deter any brushtail opossum very quickly.
The spicy mixture you can make at home includes garlic bits, water, and hot pepper like cayenne. You can also add a hot chill. After that, mix the mixture and grind it up until it liquefies.
Alternatively, instead of grinding, you can use a blender. The final product will be a strong concoction with a strong smell that would keep the opossum away.
You can keep the following in the mixture: jalapenos, hot mustard, dish soap, dragon’s health, bhut jolokia, Trinidad moruga, and many more. Not only do spice repellents test bad, but they have a burning sensation. That’s why they recommended it.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#4: Dog or Cat’s Hair
Cat or dog hair helps in removing opossums. Collect cat or dog hair after brushing, then put them in a small bag and hang them in an area where the opossum is likely to be. The smell of hair will trick the opossum into thinking that there’s a big predator in the area.
Alternatively, you can also keep the hair in the opossum pathway. Dogs or any other pet shouldn’t be let roam around when the opossum is around because they may attack the pet when cornered.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#5: Garlic Repellants
Garlic is an excellent repellent for an opossum, and every home has one in the kitchen. To make a garlic spray, you’ll need water, and two tablespoons of chopped or crushed garlic. First, you’ll have to boil a one-liter of water.
Second, you’ll have to remove the hot water from the fire. Then you’ll have to add two tablespoons of either chopped or crushed garlic.
Third, you’ll mix the mixture and let it sit overnight. After that, you can keep the mixture in a spray bottle. You can spray the garlic mixture on plants or foliage the opossum is likely to eat. You can spray at least two times per week. The garlic smell is likely to fade after rain, so make sure to re-apply it.
Natural Deterrents for Opossum#6: Predator’s Urine
The best opossum repellent is based on the predator’s urine. Fox, coyotes, wolf, or dog urine will scare away opossums. You can either buy predator’s urine from the shop, or you can collect it.
Predators have been known to mark their territory with urine. They do so to scare away their prey. On the market, we have insecticides based on the predator’s urine that you can buy.
They’re meant to limit the normal predator-making opossum or any other animal shy away. The biggest downside of predators’ urine is that it can attract animals.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#7: Quassia Chips Spray
Quassia chips come from a South American tree bark called picrasma excelsa. The quassin is taken from the tree because it is never bothered by pests. Quassia concoction works so well and is used to make most commercial organic repellents and products.
But you don’t have to look for the tree because you can buy quassia chips from a nursery. To make quassia chips spray, you’ll need 2 liter of water, 100g of chips, and one tablespoon of detergent. Here’s is the instruction you need to follow:
- Heat 100g of the chips in a half-gallon of water in medium heat for an hour.
- The chips will create tea as it produces tannins in the water. After that, it will turn back.
- After an hour, pour the tea into a spray bottle and add a bit of detergent.
- Finally, spray the plants, leaves, veggies, or fruits that you think opossums might eat.
Bear in mind that you should only spray this on plants. Don’t spray on pets or any other things you may want to eat.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#8: Sprinkles
Did you know that we have water sprinkles that turn on when they sense motion? It’s something worth a try. These solutions not only can they keep your lawn green, it can also deter opossum and other pets away.
Since these animals don’t want to be wet, they will avoid those areas very well. Once you set the correct timing and frequency when you believe the opossum will be around, they will start to function.
Bear in mind that sprinklers work well when opossums are within their circumstances or range. What that means is, that you may need to use these methods in conjunction with other methods.
Motion-activated sprinklers are eco-friendly and deliver consistent results. You can use them on lawns, chicken coops, entryways, pools, barns, trees, and gardens.
Articifial Detterents For Opposums
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#9 Garden Sensor Light
It’s no secret that garden lights make your garden or yard look more attractive. Since opossums don’t like an attractive place, the light will deter them from coming close to your garden.
Ensure that you place the light in a strategic position that opossums are likely to use, and you won’t be seeing them. LED lights will work very well at night.
Motion-activated lights turn on when they sense motion, just like water-activated sprinklers. Opossums prefer to be active during the night and sleep during the day. Since they want darkness, they will avoid well-lit areas or places.
Therefore they will choose to stay away from your properties. This method won’t last because when the animal notices that the danger is the only light, it may come back.
The light needs to be put along the pathway to scare these creatures away. Invest in the light that’s focused on the beam rather than one that spreads across the garden.
A focused beam brightens or does an excellent job of scaring opossum away. When you do this a few times, an opossum may be repelled, or they may choose to ignore it.
And this depends on the opossum. The light needs to be installed in areas where the opossum is likely to be active, like hiding places, trees, logs, lawn, trash bins, compost, and woodpiles. What I love about these lights is that they work so well even when the power is off. That means, you want have opossums or raccoons coming around.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#10 Molasses/Black Trade
Molasses can work wonders to scare opossums when used in the right way. All you have to do is gather water, garden lawns, and a concoction of molasses.
- A mixed cup of molasses with 1 -liter of water.
- Add 1 to 2 liter of a teaspoon of potassium-based detergent or natural dish soap to make the solution sticker and last long
Please wait for the mixture to dissolve, then put it into a spray bottle. After that, you can spray the mixture on delicious garden leaves, fallen fruits, and other plants.
The opossum will no longer be interested in eating the plants. The method should be used with caution because some plants won’t react well.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#11 Vicks Vapour rub
Vicks vapor rub is an excellent natural deterrent for opossum. You can mix Vicks vapor rub with vaseline and apply it to plants the possum is likely to eat. With time opossum will stop eating the plants.
The mix of Vicks and vaseline can also be applied underneath the top rail of the fence or chicken wire. Doing this will keep the opossum from coming into the yard. Opossums hate the smell of Vicks. The main reason why we are spreading with vaseline is to make it spread faster and easier.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#12 Spikes
Spices are a great way to scare opossum. The spikes are best kept on the fences, attics, and pergola beams. You can also wrap spikes on tree trunks where opossums are used for climbing.
In the shop, you can find pest spikes that are made from polycarbonate. You can attach the spikes to the fence using glue, cable ties, or screws. Bird spikes are excellent in putting opossums away.
When you install a bird’s spike, not only are you scaring away opossums and other pests, you are increasing the safety of your yard, garden, or property.
Bear in mind that they are different kinds of bird spikes. That said, you may need to get advice first before installing them on your fence.
Natural Deterrents For Opossum#13 D-tier and Scat
D-tier and scat are powders that are prepared together with water to make a liquid spray. These powders work on the opossum’s sense of smell and taste. You can apply them to the plants, vegetables, fruits, or sourcing areas.
[6] Other Detterents For Opposums
Ultrasonic Sound
Ultrasonic sounds are inaudible to humans but make noise for opossums. This will prompt opossums to move from one area to another. When you plug, let’s say, an ultrasonic device into power, the noise can be heard 10m away. Therefore limiting opossum from reaching within that area.
Stink Bombs Animal-Based Fertilizer
Blood and bone fertilizer is also a time-tested strategy for keeping possums away. You’ll need blood and bone fertilizer and an old sock. To make a stink bomb, you’ll need to suck the blood and bone fertilizer.
Then you’ll have to place the old sack to a place where the opossum enters your property. The stink bomb will block the path and the smell deter opossums from gaining entry. Alternatively, you may need to use it with a net if you want to protect the vegetable patch.
A heavy mulch of blood and bone fertilizer can be put on the fence. As it rots, it will repel away opossum. You can also scatter the blood and bone in the yard. You can also tie up a tree to prevent opossum. Make sure to squeeze the ball each week to release the stinky aroma.
Fish Oil/Fish Oil Spray
Guess what?
Opossums hate the smell of fish oil. If you spray your garden with fish oil, it will deter opossums from gaining access. If you want to make your spray, you’ll need about half a cup of fish oil, and one liter of water.
After you have all the ingredients, you’ll need to mix them. The beautiful thing about fish oil is that it won’t harm the roses, but the smell will repel opossums away. You’ll have to put out more than that during the rainy seasons because rainy water will wash away.
Lapland Souchong Tea Spray
A tea-based deterrent like lapsang souchong tea will keep opossum away. What you’ll need is two liters of water, and four tablespoons of Lapsang Souchong tea.
The first thing is to heat the water and leave it to boil. When the teas start boiling, you’ll need to add lapsang souchong tea for a few minutes and then let it cool.
Pour the tea into a bottle spray and apply it to the affected vegetable, fruits, and plants. Make sure you apply the same plants after every two weeks.
Oppossum Alarms
There are a lot of opossum alarms on the market today. Those alarms are motion-activated and will play a sequence whenever they hear a opossum coming.
Often these alarms produce a high-pitched sound that annoys opossums, but the sound is always inaudible to the human ear.
These opossum alarms are great if you want to protect a small area. If you have pets like dogs around, you’ll need to be considerate because some of them are usually disturbed.
Essential Oil To Deter Opossums
Opossums are repelled away by the essential oil. You’ll have to apply the essential oil in areas where you want them to stay away. For instance, peppermint oil is a strong essential oil that deters opossum, and you can get it from the shops.
All you have to do is get peppermint oil and apply it to the paths or entry point opossum used to get to your home.
Bear in mind that essential oils are strong, and you shouldn’t apply them in areas where you’ll be spending lots of time unless you love the smell. Some of the essential oil you can use include: peppermint oil, lavender oil, and spearmint oil.
Conclusion
The good news is, that all these natural deterrents are an excellent way of keeping opossums away. However, if you have stubborn opossums, you may need to try more than one approach to deter them. It’s no secret that a opossum may be immune to some approaches if it is used to it.
If none of those approaches works, it may be time to try out a opossum trap or a chemical repellent to chase away the creature. If you are still unable, you may call a local pest control company to help you eliminate the animal.