How To Clean A Possum

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The below photos should help you properly identify the animal poop that you see. These are pictures of possum poop. If you see these types droppings in your attic or yard, they were made by a possum.
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OPOSSUM POOP DESCRIPTION: Fairly large, like dog poo. Averages 3/4 inch in diameter. The sides are usually smooth, and the ends are usually tapered. It tends to be more curly than straight. Sometimes mold grows on the feces.

The above image of possum feces was photographed in the attic of a house with a possum problem. I was able to identify the type of animal by inspecting the turds. Once I know what type of critter is in the house or the crawlspace, ceiling, yard, or any other part of the property, I can take the proper steps to get rid of the unwanted wildlife.

Does possum poop cause any health risk or disease concerns? Yes, the usual wildlife excrement health risks, such as leptospirosis or Salmonella.

I have more pics of possum poop here on my website, or I can send some more to you if you write to me. I don't think anyone else out there has as many images of opossum poop and droppings as me - I often take photos of animal droppings to show the customer what kind of animal they have, and so that they can decide if they need me to clean up the possum waste, the scat and urine, and decontaminate. If you need to know how to identify possum poop, pictures such as the ones above are the best bet, but you can take a photograph and send it to me, and I'll tell you what kind of animal droppings you have.

How do I clean up the possum latrine? You must remove the feces by hand, including any soiled and dirty insulation and bag it in plastic bags. Be sure to wear gloves and a HEPA respirator mask, and even a Tyvek suit. I then spray / fog the area with a special enzyme cleaner, but any good disinfectant will suffice. Read more info on my: attic cleanup and restoration page.

Customer email about possum poo:

David, I don't need a price quote but if I had an estimate from you, I could compare yours to the one I got locally. I live in Austin, TX. The problem WAS: At first I thought it was raccoon, bt I had a possum in the "crawl-space" of my two story house. I knew it was a possum because the feces looked exactly like the feces in your pictures. I found a local guy ( in Pflugerville, Texas, just north of Austin ) who came to observe the problem, set out traps using marshmallows as bait. On this initial visit Michael charged $89. Two days later, he came back to collect the opossum and took it out to another area to set free. The next time there were two opossums to collect. Finally pickup was for one more. He put in a one-way door in the largest access area, closed off all other access. He will be returning to collect $196 ( charging $49 per critter ). You may have noticed I started with Raccoon (not Opossum). I really did see a raccoon peeking out one night. Surely the Opossum(s) ran it(or them) out. I did hear a noisy ( two or more participants ) scuffle a few times. I kinda miss the little Raccoon, but not the noise. I don't expect to have any more " House Guests ". Now, how much would you have charged me. Would you have done anything different?

My response: You got a good price. I would have charged a little more. I probably would have done the job the same way. Mike is actually a good friend of mine, and I helped train him myself.

You may want to read some of my other opossum articles: possum removal - opossums in the attic - photos of possum poop - types of possum problems - possum trapping - how to catch a possum - pest control of possums - possum in the wall - possum in the house - possum in basement - possum repellent - types of possum damage - do pest control companies remove opossums?.

Various reports and studies have reported that opossum feces is dangerous to human health, whether it is encountered by touch or its particles inhaled through the nose. It is practically laden with a lot of parasites and disease pathogens that can infect humans as well.

The body temperature of an opossum is low and the chances of contracting an infection by touching its body are quite low compared to that of its feces.

It is not very easy to identify opossum feces as it can easily be confused with the droppings of raccoons or even dogs. An opossum's dropping is usually a single piece that is as large as that of a dog and it is often dark in color, although the color changes with age and the composition of food consumed. It appears thick, though not uniform in thickness and has pointed ends.

Disease Pathogens
Leptospirosis and salmonellosis are the commonest potential infections that can be contracted from touching or inhaling opossum feces. Leptospirosis is usually contracted from touching opossum feces and it is associated with some severe and life threatening symptoms. This bacterial infection causes nausea, fever, malasie, muscle pain, weakness and, in rare and severe cases, meningitis in those that it affects.

Salmonellosis, which is caused by Salmonella spp, is another common disease that results from touching opossum feces. This disease commonly affects both humans and animals and its symptoms include dehydration, abdominal pain, intestinal infection, diarrhea, fever, vomiting and blood poisoning. If left untreated for a long time, both Salmonellosis and Leptospirosis can lead to death.

Parasites
Opossum feces also houses roundworms. It is dangerous to inhale the particles that have been contaminated by the eggs of this parasite. It results in lung problems, intestinal blockage, and diarrhea among others.

This is the reason why professional animal control personnel don nose covers alongside their overalls and thick rubber gloves, when they need to enter animals' dens and nests.

Domestic animals like dogs and cats are not exempted from the risk contained in opossum feces. If anything, they are more liable to get infected as they could even eat or sniff at it.

Recommendations
Opossum droppings must of necessity be properly disposed and the site cleaned and disinfected with enzyme-based solutions. The personnel undertaking this assignment should be fully covered to protect them against these myriad of infections. And critters should be excluded from living areas as much as possible, don't wait for them to become a threat to your health.

Go back to the Opossum Removal page.