Opossums become more of a nuisance during the winter season, but why is it so?Do you suspect that there might be an opossum family living near your house? If you want to make sure that there is no pest problem in sight, it might be important to know about these animals and their winter adaptations.Opossums are misunderstood for some of their defensive habits such as hissing and biting. However, these animals are actually afraid of humans and try to avoid them. If opossums try to make their way into your house during the chilly months of the year, understand that this is because they suffer greatly when temperatures drop. Opossums do not have fur to save them from the biting cold, and hence, depend on the warmth of human homes when no other shelter is available. Keep reading for some more opossum facts!If you enjoy reading this article, why not also check out other fun facts such on whether rabbits hibernate and if polar bears hibernate here at Kidadl!Opossum Activity In WinterLike in the case of many other animals, opossums also have a hard time finding shelter and food. Especially because these wild animals do not have thick layers of fur all over their body, they tend to suffer greatly.The tail, ears, and paws of a Virginia opossum are visibly hairless, which further means that the animal could even suffer from a frost-bite if the winter is too harsh. Since they do not store food or have large chunks of fat on their bodies like other animals that hibernate, opossums make their own adjustments in order to make sure that they can survive when the temperatures drop too low. These animals are known to be nocturnal in their adventures, but to make sure that their hairless tails are not lost to frost-bite, opossums quit their night-time endeavors during the winter season. Instead of trying to find ready-made food or prey during the night when temperatures are particularly low, they try to hunt in the daytime during the cold months of the year. Understandably, this is quite an intelligent trick, since temperatures fall greatly at night-time.Opossums do not hibernate and remain active all year round, but they do like to take things slowly during the winter season. These animals spend their nights sleeping when winter shows up, to make sure that not much body heat is lost during night-time adventures. Night-time sleep is quite unusual for these animals and happens only during inconvenient times of the year.Is winter difficult for opossums?Possums or opossums are usually not known to live in the same burrows or dens throughout the year. Hence, when winter comes and finding good sites for making dens becomes tough, these animals suffer greatly.Understandably, many animal species in the world are in the habit of only trying to secure two things for themselves - food and shelter. Since there is nothing to eat and nowhere to live during the cold months, these animals suffer a lot.It also becomes easy for possums to find insects and rodents to eat during winter since these creatures hibernate or migrate during the cold spell. Forested areas often get engulfed in thick layers of snow and make it impossible for a possum to find a cozy place to live in. Hence, bad weather is not a possum’s friend.Winter Homes For OpossumsOpossums hate extremely cold weather for more reasons than one. Not only do their hairless tails and paws become easy targets of the chilly cold. In the winter they usually find rock crevices, dry grass, or hollow trees to create burrows to sleep in, however, these are typically hard to find.Additionally, they also have to spend a long time finding any prey. Hence, it is natural that the animal would seek shelter around your cozy and warm home. This species may not be the smartest animal on Earth but it sure understands that human homes are great to stay warm in and have an unending supply of food.Opossums become an absolute nuisance during the winter months since they struggle to find burrows in their wild habitat and resort to finding a way inside human homes.Winter Versus Raccoons, Skunks, And OpossumsWildlife creatures understandably seek a warm place to live in during the winter months. Warmer climates are best suited to them and their habitual choices, and hence, when nature refuses to provide shelter they turn to humans for help.A hollow tree or any rock crevices cannot get nearly as comfortable as a human home that is well heated and insulated. If you happen to live in South America and see a lot of raccoons, skunks, and opossums around the house in the winter season, make sure to take all possible precautions to avoid these animals from getting in.These animals are popularly known as critters and they all suffer during the winters, but raccoons seem to do the best under such conditions. They are the largest of the three and have fur to protect them from the cold. They either have dens and burrows, or they tend to find shelter in rock crevices and hollow trees. Skunks also have similar choices when it comes to a shelter. These animals spend the majority of their time sleeping when the weather turns bad. However, a raccoon or a skunk is likely to have more chances of surviving the winter season than a possum would. This is because both raccoons and skunks have more fur and body fat than possums do. When they cannot find food, they can simply spend a few more days sleeping, but a possum cannot afford to do so.How To Help Get Rid Of OpossumsPossums are very fond of pet food. If you forget a bowl of your pet’s favorite meal outside the house, chances are that a few possums will find their way to your house with their babies. If they find pet food often, it is also likely that they will think of it as a friendly gesture and think that your house is a place where they should feel welcome!Possums are also fond of birdseed. As a result, the bird feeder that you put out as a friendly gesture towards the birds of the neighborhood might invite some pests instead.To make sure that no opossums find their way to your house during this winter, make sure that they have no food to eat on your porch or backyard. Bad weather usually pushes opossums towards seeking food in human homes and by making sure that there is none available near yours, you’ll be avoiding an opossum family or two. Bird feeders and trash cans should be kept in such a way that opossums cannot smell them or find a way to them. Make sure to rid your house of any insects that would invite an opossum.You should also make sure that the pet doors are sealed during the winter and do not serve as an entrance for the opossums of the neighborhood.Helping Opossums During WinterNow that you know how much opossums struggle during the winter, it is natural that you would want these animals to find at least one den to live in and some food to eat.Making sure that the opossums are safe and at a distance from your home would be the best thing for both parties. Hence, if you think some opossums around your house may be starving, try to call the wildlife protection department of your locality and have them relocated. Unfortunately, other methods such as feeding them with any insects or other food are sure to bring them right inside your home - which is not ideal!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for if opossums hibernate then why not take a look at if mice hibernate, or Virginia opossum facts?
Opossums become more of a nuisance during the winter season, but why is it so?
