Protecting Passels of Possums: What to Do if there is a nest in your home

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Arcata, Ca., (KIEM)- It’s May first and spring has sprung, the season for baby animals is here. Whether you call them possums or opossums, an expectant mother just may attempt to nest in your home this season.

The folks at Humboldt Wildlife Care Center end up rearing and releasing about 20 to 40 baby possums and raccoons a year. Usually because their parents are separated from them by humans.

Director Monte Merrick says all too often a home owner will spot an adult animal and trap it. Once the mother is trapped, they’re often re-released and permanently separated from their babies.

If you find an adult raccoon or possum in or around your home, catch and release is not your best option. Merrick says animals are usually unable to survive where they are re-released. On top of that, the chances of survival for the babies gets much slimmer when they can no longer be raised by their mother.

Nesting in a house would seem perfectly natural to a mother marsupial, Merrick explains. The inside of a wall and crevices in houses are often very warm. Predators won’t venture in, ensuring a safe place for their litter to stay together.

Most homeowners, however, aren’t eager to see their house turned into a wild animal hotel. That’s where the Wildlife Care Center comes in. You can call them to remove adult and baby animals and help you solve the problem that led to their entry in the first place. Do not try and catch (and release) an animal yourself. You can reach them at (707) 822-8839.

“We have protocols to raise and release possums and raccoons as healthy and successful adults. But we can never do as well their mothers.” Merrick says.

Humboldt Wildlife Care Center