Opossum Under Your Deck, Porch, or in Your Attic?
Opossums are North America's only marsupial and a regular presence in Georgetown, TX neighborhoods. While they're relatively docile and beneficial to the ecosystem — they eat ticks, cockroaches, and carrion — an opossum living in or under your home needs to be addressed.
Critter Wrangler removes opossums humanely from decks, crawl spaces, attics, and outbuildings throughout Georgetown and Williamson County.
Why Opossums Become a Problem
- Nesting under decks and porches — they use gaps in lattice or skirt boards to access the dark, sheltered space beneath
- Attic entry — opossums can climb and enter through the same gaps raccoons and squirrels use
- Crawl space denning — open foundation vents are a common entry point
- Garbage and pet food raiding — outdoor food sources attract and hold opossums near your home
- Odor — opossum droppings and urine have a strong, distinctive smell
- Parasites — opossums carry fleas, ticks, and mites that can spread to pets
Our Opossum Removal Process
- Live Trapping We place cage traps at den entrances and travel routes, checked daily. Opossums are easy to trap once the den location is confirmed.
- Relocation All opossums are relocated per Texas Parks & Wildlife guidelines — well away from your property.
- Exclusion After removal, we seal the entry point and install hardware cloth or metal exclusion barriers around deck skirting, crawl space vents, and access points.
Fun Fact: Opossums and Ticks
A single opossum can consume up to 5,000 ticks per season — they're incredibly efficient at grooming and eating them. This is a genuine ecological benefit. We always relocate rather than kill opossums when possible.
Signs of Opossum Activity
- Hissing, growling, or shuffling sounds under your porch or deck at night
- Overturned garbage cans or compost bins
- Pet food disappearing overnight
- Opossum droppings (similar to cat droppings, often contains berry seeds)
- Sightings at night — opossums are nocturnal
- Tracks: distinctive star-shaped prints with opposable thumb
Opossum Activity in Georgetown Neighborhoods
Virginia opossums are found throughout Georgetown and Williamson County. Being opportunistic feeders, they go where food and shelter are available — which means suburban neighborhoods with fruit trees, compost bins, and accessible crawl spaces. Common problem areas include:
- Blue Hole Regional Park vicinity — creek-side habitat near the park pushes opossum populations into adjacent residential areas
- San Gabriel River neighborhoods — riparian corridors throughout Georgetown are prime opossum territory
- Sun City Georgetown — the community's mature landscaping and accessible crawl space ventilation frequently attract opossums seeking shelter
- Georgetown Square / historic district — older homes with open crawl spaces and established garden plantings see regular opossum activity