Opossums might not be the first guests you invite over, but they’ve got some surprising perks. If you’ve ever wondered what’s luring them into your yard, it usually starts with a scent they just can’t resist.
From stinky snacks to natural garden aromas, these curious little creatures follow their noses. I’ve sniffed out the most common scents that make them drop by.
Some might surprise you—and a few might already be hanging around your yard.
1. Overripe Fruit
Nothing gets an opossum’s attention faster than the sweet aroma of overripe fruit. These marsupials have a natural sweet tooth and can detect fruity scents from surprising distances.
Fallen apples, peaches, or berries left in your yard send powerful signals to nearby opossums. They’re particularly drawn to fruit that’s just beginning to ferment, as the sugar breakdown creates stronger scent molecules that travel farther through the night air.
2. Fish Emulsion Fertilizer
Gardeners love this organic fertilizer for plants, but opossums find it absolutely irresistible. The pungent fishy aroma mimics one of their favorite protein sources in the wild.
When applied to garden beds, this fertilizer creates a scent trail that can attract opossums from neighboring areas. The concentrated fish proteins break down slowly, creating a long-lasting attraction that works especially well on cool, damp evenings when scents carry further.
3. Cat Food
The meaty, protein-rich smell of cat food acts like a magnet for hungry opossums. Both dry and wet varieties emit scents that trigger their foraging instincts almost immediately.
Many homeowners accidentally attract opossums by leaving pet food outdoors overnight. The high-fat content in cat food produces particularly strong aromas that can linger in the air for hours, making it an effective attractant even when the actual food source is hidden from view.
4. Compost Piles
A well-maintained compost heap might be garden gold to you, but to an opossum, it’s an aromatic buffet of decaying goodness. The complex mix of decomposing plant matter creates a symphony of scents they can’t resist.
Fruit scraps, vegetable peels, and eggshells in various stages of decomposition release different compounds that attract these marsupials. Fresh additions to compost piles temporarily intensify these smells, making your bin particularly attractive to passing opossums for several days afterward.
5. Carrion Scents
While unpleasant to us, the smell of decaying meat is nature’s dinner bell for opossums. Their scavenging instincts are powerfully triggered by these odors, which signal an easy protein source.
Dead fish, roadkill remnants, or meat scraps create powerful scent trails that opossums can detect from remarkable distances. Their specialized olfactory system is particularly attuned to the specific compounds released during protein breakdown, making carrion smells one of the strongest possible opossum attractants.
6. Peanut Butter
The rich, nutty aroma of peanut butter creates an irresistible lure for curious opossums. Its high fat content produces a strong scent signature that travels well through night air.
A small dollop smeared on a tree trunk or fence post can attract opossums from surprising distances. The sticky consistency means the scent source remains active for hours, continuing to release aromatic compounds that keep these marsupials interested long after most other food scents would have dissipated.
7. Rotting Wood
Decaying logs and stumps emit earthy compounds that signal prime hunting grounds for opossums. These scents indicate the presence of insects, grubs, and fungi – all delicacies on the opossum menu.
Moisture accelerates wood decomposition, intensifying these attractive scents especially after rainfall. Opossums associate these distinctive smells with easy meals, as rotting wood harbors concentrated food sources like termite colonies and beetle larvae that provide high-protein rewards for minimal hunting effort.
8. Grease Drippings
The unmistakable aroma of barbecue grease or cooking oils creates powerful attractants that can draw opossums from neighboring yards. The high-calorie promise of fats triggers their foraging instincts immediately.
Grill drippings that fall to the ground or grease disposed of outdoors leave scent trails that can last for days. Even small amounts of cooking grease create potent attractants, as opossums have evolved to detect the specific molecular signatures of fats from considerable distances.
9. Maple Syrup
The sweet, distinctive fragrance of maple syrup triggers an opossum’s natural attraction to tree sap and sugar sources. Its complex aroma contains compounds similar to those found in natural tree wounds.
Even diluted syrup creates an effective attractant that opossums can detect from far away. Their keen noses evolved to find natural sugar sources in the wild, making maple syrup’s distinctive scent particularly effective at drawing these marsupials into your yard, especially during breeding season when energy needs increase.
10. Melon Rinds
Few scents call to opossums quite like the sweet, musky aroma of discarded melon rinds. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew leftovers emit powerful attractant molecules as they begin to ferment.
The sugar content in melon rinds creates an especially effective lure as it breaks down into simpler compounds. Opossums can detect these distinctive fruity scents from remarkable distances, often returning night after night to yards where melon rinds have been discarded until every last edible bit has been consumed.
11. Wet Pet Food
The meaty, pungent aroma of wet pet food creates one of the strongest possible opossum attractants. Its high protein content and moisture level amplify scent molecules that trigger immediate foraging responses.
Left outdoors, these potent smells can attract opossums from surprisingly far away. The combination of animal fats, meat proteins, and gravy creates a complex scent profile that these marsupials find nearly impossible to resist, making wet pet food one of the most reliable ways to draw opossums to your property.
12. Birdseed
The nutty, grain-rich aroma of scattered birdseed creates an open invitation to hungry opossums. These opportunistic foragers can detect the distinctive smell of seeds and nuts from considerable distances.
Areas beneath bird feeders become particular hotspots for opossum activity due to concentrated seed scents. The oils in sunflower seeds, peanuts, and other bird feed components release aromatic compounds that intensify at night when temperatures drop, creating powerful scent trails that lead opossums directly to this easy food source.
13. Mushroom Compost
The earthy, fungal aroma of mushroom compost sends a powerful signal to opossums that good eating awaits. This specialized soil amendment contains decomposed organic materials that mimic forest floor scents.
Freshly applied mushroom compost releases volatile compounds that opossums associate with wild food sources. The complex mixture of decomposed manure, straw, and mushroom spores creates a scent profile remarkably similar to the forest environments where opossums naturally forage for fungi, making your garden beds particularly attractive hunting grounds.
14. Chicken Feed
The grain-rich scent of chicken feed creates an aromatic beacon that draws opossums like a magnet. Its mix of corn, wheat, and protein supplements triggers powerful foraging instincts in these opportunistic marsupials.
Spilled feed around chicken coops becomes particularly attractive as it absorbs moisture and begins fermenting slightly. The resulting scent cocktail intensifies at night, creating irresistible signals that can attract opossums from neighboring properties, especially during seasons when natural food sources are scarce.
15. Sardines
The intense, fishy aroma of sardines creates one of the strongest possible attractants for curious opossums. The high oil content in these small fish produces far-reaching scent molecules that trigger immediate investigation.
Even empty sardine cans rinsed and tossed in outdoor trash emit enough residual scent to draw opossums. The combination of fish oils, proteins, and salt creates a powerful olfactory signal that these marsupials can detect from remarkable distances, making sardines an almost foolproof way to attract opossums to specific areas.
16. Bone Meal
Gardeners use bone meal as fertilizer, but opossums smell something entirely different – a protein-rich treasure. This powdered amendment releases subtle but distinctive aromas that mimic decomposing animal matter.
Freshly applied bone meal emits compounds that trigger an opossum’s scavenging instincts. When moisture activates the bone meal, its scent intensifies and travels further, creating an effective attractant that can draw opossums to your garden beds from neighboring areas, especially on humid evenings when scents carry particularly well.
17. Apple Cider
The sweet, tangy scent of apple cider creates an aromatic trail that few opossums can resist. Its fruity profile combined with fermentation notes signals an easy energy source to these opportunistic foragers.
Even small amounts of spilled cider can attract opossums from surprising distances. The combination of fruit sugars and slight fermentation produces volatile compounds that travel well through night air, making cider an especially effective attractant during fall months when opossums are actively building fat reserves for winter.