🐾 Opossum Removal in Fulton County

Opossum Removal in Fulton County, Georgia

Opossum removal calls in Fulton County run year-round because Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) — the only marsupial native to North America — are well-established across every Fulton city from Atlanta intown to rural Chattahoochee Hills. Opossums are the lowest-aggression and lowest-disease-risk of the common Fulton wildlife species: their body temperature (94-97°F) is too low to support active rabies infection, and their first defensive response is to play dead ("playing possum") rather than bite. That said, opossums in garages, crawlspaces, attics, under porches, and dead inside walls are real problems that require professional removal. They denning under decks/sheds attract fleas, ticks, and produce significant droppings accumulation; a dead opossum in a wall produces 10-14 days of severe odor like any other dead-animal callback. Typical Fulton opossum removal runs $200 to $500+ with same-day humane live-trap service.

What an Opossum Looks Like and How to Tell If You Have One

Virginia opossums are unmistakable once you see one clearly:

• Size and shape: 24-40 inches total length including the prehensile tail (8-15 inches of bare pink tail), weight 4-14 pounds, white-to-grayish fur, white face, pink nose, naked pink ears, opposable thumbs on rear feet.
• Behavior: nocturnal, slow-moving, often appears uncoordinated. When threatened, will hiss, drool, defecate, and eventually go into involuntary catatonic state ("playing possum") for minutes to hours.
• Common sightings: under porches/decks at dusk, in garages with doors left open, on patios near pet food, in trash cans, on bird feeders, walking along fence tops.
• Diagnostic vs raccoon: opossums are smaller, lighter-colored, slower, less aggressive than raccoons; opossum tracks show 5 fingers including thumb, raccoon tracks show 5 fingers all roughly parallel.

Other Fulton-specific signs of opossum presence: scattered garbage at night (raccoons make organized piles, opossums scatter), partially-eaten cat food on porches, droppings (slightly smaller than raccoon, similar shape), opossum walking on fence tops at dusk in Sandy Springs, Roswell, and Buckhead yards.

Are Opossums Dangerous to Humans, Pets, or Property?

Short answer: they're far less dangerous than the common alternatives (raccoons, skunks, foxes), but not zero risk:

• Rabies risk is very low. Opossum body temperature (94-97°F) is below the optimal range for rabies virus replication. Rabies-positive opossums are documented but extremely rare nationally. The CDC generally treats opossum bites as low-risk for rabies (though physician evaluation is still recommended for any wildlife bite).
• Aggression is minimal. Opossums almost never bite unless cornered, and even then prefer to play dead. They have 50 teeth (more than any other North American mammal) but rarely use them defensively.
• Other diseases: opossums carry leptospirosis, tularemia, salmonella, and toxoplasmosis at typical wildlife levels — direct handling carries these standard exposure risks.
• Pet exposure: most dog/opossum interactions end with the opossum playing dead and the dog losing interest. Cat encounters tend to be more aggressive but rarely produce serious injury to either. Vet evaluation recommended after any wildlife contact.
• Property damage: opossums in garages knock over containers, scatter trash, eat pet food, and contaminate stored items with droppings. Long-term denning under decks/sheds produces flea and tick concentrations that affect pets and people. Dead opossums in walls or attics produce severe odor.

Where Opossums Den and Cause Problems in Fulton

Opossums are opportunistic den users — they don't dig their own burrows but readily use whatever sheltered space is available:

• Under decks, porches, and sheds — most common Fulton den site. Often shares space with skunks or groundhogs.
• In garages with doors left open at night — opossums wander in, eat pet food, sometimes can't find their way back out.
• In crawlspaces with foundation gaps — common in Atlanta intown pre-1940 housing and East Point/College Park older homes.
• In attics with chimney or soffit access — less common than raccoons but documented, especially in Atlanta historic homes.
• In wood/brush piles, abandoned outbuildings — semi-rural south Fulton (Chattahoochee Hills, Palmetto) properties.

Opossum dens accumulate droppings and attract fleas and ticks at densities that affect pets and people on the property. Multi-month opossum denning under a deck routinely requires post-removal flea treatment of the area.

What Opossum Removal Costs in Fulton County

Most Fulton opossum removal jobs run $200 to $500+:

• $200-$300+ — single-opossum live-trap from yard, garage, or under porch. Most common call type.
• $300-$500+ — opossum + joeys (mother with babies in pouch or back-riding). Marsupial reproduction means the mother often carries 6-13 joeys; removal must include all joeys to prevent abandonment.
• $500-$1,000+ — multi-opossum chronic denning, exclusion fencing, flea/tick remediation. Estate-area properties or south-Fulton acreage with multiple den sites.
• $300-$700+ — dead opossum recovery from attic, wall cavity, or under-house space.

All Fulton estimates are free. Opossums are commonly trapped using simple live-traps baited with cat food or fruit; they're easy to handle compared to raccoons or skunks.

Opossum Removal Across Fulton

• Atlanta intown — well-established opossum populations across Buckhead, Midtown residential, BeltLine corridor, West End, Cabbagetown. Denning in older garages and under porches typical.
• Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton — north-Fulton subdivision opossum population is high; calls cluster around deck/shed denning and garage incursions.
• East Point, College Park, Hapeville — older housing with crawlspace and foundation-gap denning.
• South Fulton, Union City, Fairburn, Palmetto, Chattahoochee Hills — semi-rural and rural opossum populations are dense; multiple-den sites and barn/outbuilding denning common.

Same-day inspections usually available; call (844) 544-3498. Licensed under Georgia DNR (Region 2 north Fulton, Region 4 south Fulton).

Opossum Removal in Fulton County — Service Area Map

Our licensed contractor handles opossum removal across the full Fulton County footprint. Tap the map to open directions in Google Maps.

📅 Summer Activity

Opossums raise their second litter of the year through summer. Juvenile opossums dispersing from their mother are frequently found in unexpected places, including inside garages, under appliances, and in crawlspaces.

Opossum Removal Cost in Georgia

$150–$400+

Trapping and relocation. Cleanup and entry point sealing are additional services. Pricing varies by contractor, location, and severity. Call for an estimate specific to your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions — Opossum Removal in Fulton County