Driving a Possum Out of My Crawlspace

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Possums sometimes use crawlspaces for their dens.

To a possum, the crawlspace under a house seems like a good place to set up its own home. Dark, ground level and protected from the elements, a home's crawlspace has the same qualities a possum would seek for its den in the wild. Most homeowners, on the other hand, prefer not to have a possum living under their house. Driving a possum from a crawlspace is relatively easy, but may take some time to ensure that no animals, especially babies, will be left under the house to die.

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Step 1

Investigate the area around the home's crawl space to see where the possum or possums are entering.

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Step 2

Set up a motion-sensitive light or alarm in the crawlspace area that will turn on if a possum enters or moves around in the crawlspace area.

Step 3

Set a loudly playing radio in the crawlspace area. Choose a news radio station or one that has a lot of human voices, rather than one that plays just music.

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Step 4

Soak rags in ammonia and place them under or around the crawl space. You can also buy an animal repellent from a home improvement store to spray around your crawl space.

Step 5

Walk a dog around the perimeter of your crawl space and encourage it to sniff around the area and even bark. The possum may not feel comfortable living in the crawlspace if it believes predators are investigating the area. For the safety of the dog and the possum, do not let the canine go into the crawlspace.

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Step 6

Block off almost all access to the crawlspace with fencing material, such as chicken wire. Leave one exit point to allow any animals still under the house to escape. Dust the area in front of this access point with a layer of flour and watch for any signs, such as footprints, of animals entering or leaving the crawlspace.

Step 7

Set up a motion-sensitive sprinkler near the entry point to discourage animals from approaching the crawlspace area.

Step 8

Close up the last remaining entry point once you are satisfied that all possums have left your crawlspace.

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