Spotting a possum in your New Mexico backyard can be a bit of a surprise. These nighttime visitors often leave homeowners wondering whether to shoo them away or let them be.
Before you make a move, it helps to know a few key facts. Possums are mostly harmless and play a helpful role in controlling pests like ticks and insects.
I’ve found that understanding their behavior makes it easier to coexist. With the right approach, you can protect your property while respecting these misunderstood creatures.
1. Possums Are Actually Helpful Pest Controllers
Most people do not realize that possums eat thousands of ticks every season. A single possum can gobble up around 5,000 ticks in one year, which helps protect your family from Lyme disease and other nasty illnesses.
They also snack on cockroaches, beetles, snails, and even venomous creatures like scorpions that are common in New Mexico. Instead of being pests themselves, possums work like free exterminators patrolling your yard each night, keeping other unwanted critters under control naturally without any chemicals or traps needed.
2. They Cannot Actually Carry Rabies
Here is something that surprises almost everyone: possums have a body temperature too low for the rabies virus to survive. Their average body temperature sits around 94 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit, making it nearly impossible for rabies to take hold.
This means possums are actually one of the safest wild animals to have around your property compared to raccoons, skunks, or bats. While you should never touch or handle any wild animal without proper training, the fear of rabies from possums is basically unfounded and not supported by science or wildlife experts.
3. Removal May Require A Special Permit In New Mexico
Before trapping or relocating any possum, check with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish first. State laws regulate how homeowners can handle wildlife, and you might need special permission to trap or move possums from your property legally.
Breaking these rules could result in fines or other penalties that cost way more than hiring a licensed professional.
Many wildlife control experts already have the proper permits and knowledge to handle possums safely and legally, so reaching out to them saves you headaches and potential trouble with state authorities down the road.
4. Possums Only Stay Temporarily In Most Cases
Unlike some animals that build permanent homes, possums are nomadic wanderers by nature. They rarely stay in one spot for more than a few days or weeks before moving on to explore new territory and find fresh food sources.
Waiting patiently often solves the problem without any intervention whatsoever. Unless a possum finds a cozy den spot like under your deck or in your garage, chances are excellent it will disappear on its own soon enough, saving you time, money, and effort trying to remove something that was leaving anyway.
5. Playing Dead Is Their Main Defense Mechanism
When possums feel threatened or scared, they enter an involuntary state called thanatosis where they appear completely lifeless. Their bodies go stiff, they drool, release a stinky smell, and their tongues hang out convincingly.
This is not an act they control but rather an automatic response to extreme fear, similar to fainting. Knowing this helps you understand that possums are not aggressive animals at all.
They would much rather pretend to be dead than fight, making them harmless neighbors who pose zero threat to humans or pets in your yard under normal circumstances.
6. Sealing Entry Points Prevents Future Visits
Rather than removing possums repeatedly, focus your energy on making your property less inviting to them. Check crawl spaces, sheds, garages, and underneath decks for openings where animals might squeeze through to create dens or shelters.
Use heavy-duty wire mesh, wood boards, or concrete to block these access points permanently. Also secure garbage cans with tight lids, clean up fallen fruit from trees, and remove outdoor pet food at night since these attract possums looking for easy meals in residential neighborhoods throughout New Mexico.
7. Humane Exclusion Works Better Than Trapping
Installing one-way exclusion doors allows possums to leave your property on their own terms without returning. These devices let animals exit through a special door that only swings outward, preventing re-entry once they leave to forage for food at night.
This method avoids the stress and potential harm of trapping, which can separate mothers from babies or injure frightened animals.
Exclusion techniques are considered the gold standard by wildlife professionals because they are effective, ethical, and permanent when combined with proper sealing of all other entry points around your home.