Under decks and porches is our number-one opossum call, and the reason is simple: a dry, dark, sheltered void is exactly the cover they look for, and there's almost always a food source nearby — an open can, pet food, or fallen fruit.
If you're hearing scratching at night or catching a musky smell around the deck, there's likely a den under there. Opossums are nocturnal, so the activity you notice will mostly be after dark.
Check for young first
In spring or summer the animal under the deck may be a female carrying or denning with young, which changes how we get them out. As a marsupial, a female opossum carries her babies in a pouch and then on her back, so there can be more animals present than the one you've seen. We check for a litter before sealing anything.
The fix that lasts: exclusion
Rather than just trapping, the durable fix is exclusion. We get the animal to leave on its own, then close the space so nothing can re-den there — and, crucially, so nothing gets sealed inside.
- Confirm the den is empty (no young) or safely evicted
- Install one-way doors on the active route so the animal exits but can't return
- Screen and seal the gaps under the deck, porch, or shed
- Clean up droppings and nesting material, and flag the nearby food source
Common questions
Is one opossum going to become a whole family?
A female may den with young under a deck, so yes, one can quietly become several. As a marsupial she carries her babies with her, which is why we check for a litter before sealing anything.
Can I just block the gap myself?
Blocking it with an animal still inside traps it — which is inhumane and turns into a dead-animal problem in short order. One-way doors let it out first, then we seal for good.
Is the opossum damaging my deck?
Opossums are far less destructive than raccoons — they're using an existing void rather than tearing new openings. The issues are usually the den mess, the smell, and the food source drawing them, not structural damage.
