Dig a trench about a foot deep and a foot across, then cover with sheets of scrap wood. Like its cousin the possum, the opossum is a marsupial, which is to say that it is an animal that has a pouch. Call us! Their greatest challenge during winter, especially in colder climates, is simply to survive. Painted wooden winter shelter Do opossums hibernate during winter? During the winter, the area under bird feeders is the local diner for a number of animals, including opossums. The possum is actually a tree-climbing marsupial that lives in Australia, and a distant cousin to the North American, opossum. How to Help Get Rid of Opossums If an opossum accidentally wanders into your house, don’t panic. Opossums in Winter. During the winter, the area under bird feeders is the local diner for a number of animals, including opossums. Opossums do not hibernate. Since they are omnivores, this will be a very wide range of things in the meat and vegetable categories. How does an opossum stay warm in winter? The chilly weather usually leads to frostbite on its hairless tail, paws, or ears. It is not uncommon for opossums in northern regions to suffer… Once you’ve physically removed the opossum, you can use repellents to help prevent any others from coming onto your property. not a rodent. This far north – central New Hampshire and Vermont and southern Maine mark the northernmost reaches of their eastern range – opossums rarely live more than two years, though they live much longer in warmer climates. Remember that a photo of opossum on a label does NOT qualify it as a suitable milk replacer. Opossums in winter? We need you to answer this question! Opossum. Close the doors into adjacent rooms and contact a wildlife control professional. Some areas may have few, if any, restrictions, in which case, you should drive the possum several miles away from your property before releasing it into a wooded area. Some opossums prefer to nest in the abandoned burrows of other animals, so make an artificial one. How to Get Rid of Possum Problems Possums aren't usually dangerous animals, but many people run into various problems with opossums due to their scavenging and opportunistic behavior. Pet Fur: The smell of cats and dogs could keep opossums away because of their natural instincts to avoid competition and predators. Their hairless ears and tails often get frost bitten and it is unusual to see an opossum with the tip on its tail. Further down on the page, you will find information on flap doors, extra protection for extreme cold and insulating materials to place inside your opossum/cat shelters. We are your wildlife control specialists in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk & Hampton Roads. Give opossums a “brake”! In fact, wildlife biologists use signs of frostbite to judge an opossum’s age; a frostbitten tail and ears show that the animal has lived through at least one winter. Free home inspections. These are quite unique animals that make them rather fun to study.