Common Problems Caused by Opossums Around Mississauga Properties

The garbage bin is knocked over again. There’s a pale, rat-tailed animal frozen in your flashlight beam by the shed, and when your dog gets close, it drops onto its side like it’s dead. A minute later, it’s gone.

If that sounds familiar, you’ve met a Virginia opossum. Ontario’s only marsupial (an animal that carries its young in a pouch) has made itself at home across Mississauga. Most of the time it’s just passing through. The trouble starts when it decides to stay, and that’s when opossum control Mississauga homeowners can rely on comes down to two steps: getting it out humanely and closing the gap it was using.

The City of Mississauga says an opossum should move on within 24 hours after you run into one. If you’re still seeing it a few days later, it has probably set up a den on your property.

Key Takeaways

• The main problem is denning. Opossums move in under decks, sheds, porches and into garages, crawl spaces and woodpiles.
• The 24-hour rule: If an opossum is still around after a day, it’s likely living there and won’t leave on its own.
• Rabies is rare in opossums. The bigger risks are bites, fleas, mites and droppings that can carry bacteria.
• Don’t trap them in summer without checking for babies. A mother may carry up to a dozen young in her pouch or on her back.
• Ontario law: Trapped wildlife must be released within 24 hours and within 1 km of where it was caught.
• Long-term fix: A one-way door, then buried steel mesh around the den area, plus locked garbage and no pet food left outside.

Table of Contents

1. What Problems Do Opossums Cause Around Mississauga Homes?
2. Are Opossums Dangerous to People and Pets?
3. Why Do Opossums Keep Coming Back to the Same Property?
4. How Does Opossum Removal in Mississauga Work?
5. How Can You Keep Opossums Away for Good?
6. What Should You Look for in Opossum Control Services in Mississauga?
7. FAQs
8. Conclusion

What Problems Do Opossums Cause Around Mississauga Homes?

The most common opossum problems Mississauga homeowners deal with are dens under decks and sheds, torn-open garbage, raided pet food and compost, and droppings in garages and crawl spaces. Opossums rarely do structural damage, but they make a mess wherever they settle.

They don’t dig their own burrows. Instead, they take over spaces that already exist, which is why the same gap under your deck can host a skunk one year and an opossum the next.

The Problems We See Most Often

1. Denning under decks, porches and sheds. Opossums squeeze into gaps as small as 7–8 cm and drag in leaves and grass for bedding.
2. Garage and crawl space visits. An open garage door overnight is an easy invitation. Once inside, they hide behind shelving and storage bins.
3. Garbage and green bin raids. Opossums eat almost anything, including food scraps, so loose bin lids are a nightly buffet.
4. Pet food and birdseed. Food bowls left on a back porch bring them right up to your door.
5. Droppings and smell. Waste builds up in den spots and has a strong, sour smell, especially in warm weather.
6. Backyard chickens. Opossums will go after eggs and young chicks if a coop isn’t sealed.
7. A dead animal smell. Sometimes an older or injured opossum dies inside a crawl space or under a deck. You’ll smell it before you find it.

Real Example From the Field

A family in Streetsville called us after their cat started hissing at the back steps every night. They assumed it was a raccoon. During the inspection, we found a loose lattice panel under the deck and a female opossum with young clinging to her back.

We waited until the young were big enough to travel, used a one-way door, and then sealed the deck with buried mesh. The family’s only regret was leaving the lattice loose for two summers.

Are Opossums Dangerous to People and Pets?

Opossums are not aggressive and rarely bite unless they’re cornered. The City of Mississauga notes they’re not known to carry rabies, partly because their body temperature is lower than most mammals. The real risks are bites, parasites and the bacteria in their droppings.

When an opossum feels threatened, it puts on a show. It hisses, opens its mouth to show its 50 teeth, drools and may release a foul-smelling liquid. If that doesn’t work, it “plays possum,” which means it falls over and looks dead.

Health Concerns to Know About

• Fleas, ticks and mites. These can move from the den area onto pets.
• Leptospirosis. This is a bacterial infection spread through urine that can affect dogs and, less often, people.
• Bites. These are rare, but any wild animal bite needs a doctor’s or vet’s attention because of infection risk.
• Droppings. Never sweep dry waste. Wet it down first, wear gloves and a mask, and bag it.

What About Dogs?

Most run-ins happen when a dog corners an opossum along a fence line at night. The opossum usually plays dead, and the dog loses interest. If your dog gets bitten or scratched, call your vet that day.

Why Do Opossums Keep Coming Back to the Same Property?

Opossums return because your property gives them three things: food, shelter and an easy way in. Remove even one of these and they move along. Leave all three, and you’ll keep having the same visitor, or the next one.

Mississauga has a lot of what opossums like. The Credit River valley, Cooksville Creek, Etobicoke Creek and the green spaces around Erin Mills, Meadowvale and Lorne Park give them safe paths between yards.

How Seasons Change Their Behaviour

• Spring and summer: Mating season. Females have babies that live in the pouch for about 60 days, then ride on her back for another month or so.
• Late summer: Young opossums leave their mother, which is why you may suddenly see small ones wandering alone.
• Fall: They look for a warm, dry spot to spend the winter.
• Winter: Opossums don’t hibernate. They stay in dens on the coldest days and come out to feed when it warms up.

Opossums are poorly built for Ontario winters. Their bare ears and tails get frostbite easily. That’s why a sheltered space under your deck or in your garage looks so good to them in November.

How Does Opossum Removal in Mississauga Work?

Professional opossum removal Mississauga homeowners should expect uses humane exclusion. A one-way door is placed over the den entrance so the opossum can walk out at night but can’t get back in. Once the den is empty, the gap is sealed with buried mesh.

This keeps the animal in its home range, which is what Ontario rules require, and nobody has to handle it.

Step 1: Inspection

A technician checks for the den entrance and any second exits. They look at decks, porches, sheds, garage doors, crawl space vents, woodpiles and the base of fences.

They also check for signs of young, since a mother with babies needs a different plan.

Step 2: One-Way Door

The one-way door goes over the main opening, and every other gap gets blocked at the same time. Opossums usually leave within one to three nights.

Step 3: Handling Mothers and Young

If a female has young in her pouch or on her back, the whole family leaves together through the one-way door. That’s one advantage opossums have over skunks and raccoons. The babies travel with mom.

Young that have just left their mother may need a separate check, so a good technician confirms the den is fully empty before sealing it.

Step 4: Permanent Exclusion

Galvanized steel mesh is bent into an L-shape and buried about 30 cm down and 30 cm out from the structure. When an opossum or any other animal tries to dig at the edge, it hits mesh and gives up.

Is It Legal to Trap One Yourself?

Ontario allows property owners to trap wildlife on their own land. But the animal must be released within 24 hours and within 1 km of where you caught it. Taking it to a conservation area across the city is not allowed.

Trapping also tends to catch the wrong animal. Cats, raccoons and skunks all walk into the same traps, and nobody wants to open a cage and find a skunk inside.

How Can You Keep Opossums Away for Good?

Take away their food, close off shelter and make your yard less comfortable at night. Most opossum visits stop within a week or two once the easy meals are gone.

Simple Prevention Steps

1. Lock your bins. Use garbage and green bins with clips or bungee cords, or store them in the garage.
2. Bring pet food in before dark.
3. Clean up fallen fruit from trees and seed under bird feeders.
4. Close the garage door at night, even in summer.
5. Fix loose lattice and gaps under decks, porches and sheds.
6. Store firewood off the ground and away from the house.
7. Add motion lights near the back of the house. Opossums prefer dark, quiet corners.
8. Secure compost in a closed bin with a lid, not an open pile.

What Doesn’t Work

Mothballs, ammonia rags and store-bought sprays are common tips online. At best, they work for a few days. At worst, mothballs release fumes that aren’t safe for kids, pets or the environment. Sealing the gap is the only fix that lasts.

What Should You Look for in Opossum Control Services in Mississauga?

Choose a company that uses one-way doors instead of traps, follows Ontario’s 1 km release rule, buries its mesh and offers a written warranty. Ask how they handle mothers with young before you book.

At Wise Pest Solutions, we treat an opossum call as a whole-yard problem, not a single hole. The gap one opossum used can let in skunks, raccoons and rats next, so full wildlife removal Mississauga homeowners trust should cover every weak spot.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

• Do you use one-way doors or traps?
• How do you check for young before sealing?
• How deep is your mesh buried?
• What does the warranty cover, and for how long?
• Will you clean and deodorize the den area?
• Do you check the rest of the property for other entry points?

What Affects the Cost

Every property is different, so there’s no single price. These are the main factors:

1. Size of the area. A full deck takes more mesh than a single step.
2. Number of openings. More gaps mean more labour.
3. Type of surface. Digging beside interlocking stone or concrete takes longer.
4. Season. Dens with young need extra checks.
5. Cleanup. Removing droppings and soiled insulation adds time.

Good opossum control services Mississauga residents can trust will give you a written quote that lists the exclusion, the barrier and the warranty separately. That way, you know exactly what you’re paying for.

FAQs

Will an Opossum Leave on Its Own?

Often, yes. Opossums move around a lot and may stay only a night or two. If you keep seeing one after a few days, though, it has found a den and probably won’t leave until the gap is closed.

Do Opossums Carry Rabies?

It’s very rare. Their lower body temperature makes it hard for the virus to survive. Still, never touch or feed one, and see a doctor if you’re bitten by any wild animal.

Is an Opossum Out During the Day Sick?

Not always. The City of Mississauga notes opossums are often seen foraging in daylight, especially mothers who need extra food. Watch for signs of injury, open wounds, crusted eyes or an animal that hasn’t moved for hours.

Can Opossums Get Into My Attic?

They can. Opossums are good climbers and can get up a tree or downspout onto a roof. Most, though, stay at ground level under decks, sheds and in garages.

What Should I Do if I Find Baby Opossums Alone?

Leave them for a few hours if they look healthy. Babies make a small sneezing sound to call their mother. If they’re still alone after that, or one is under about 18 cm long not counting the tail, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Conclusion

An opossum isn’t the most destructive animal in Mississauga, but it’s one of the messiest guests you can have. Left alone, it brings fleas, droppings and smell, and when it moves on, its den is ready for the next animal.

The fix that lasts is simple: get it out humanely, close the gap with buried mesh, and take away the food that brought it there.

Seeing the same opossum night after night? Book an inspection with Wise Pest Solutions and get opossum control Mississauga homeowners can count on, with a clear written quote before any work starts.