In this guide, we’re going to talk about opossum poop. Not exactly the best image to have in your brain, but it can be important to be able to identify opossum markings, especially if you believe they are making their way onto your property and damaging your possessions. We’ll be covering everything that you need to know so that you can properly identify opossum markings.
What Does Possum Poop Look Like?
Opossum poop looks similar to the droppings of a dog. The markings can be relatively small, approximately one to three inches in length. In addition, these markings may be tinted dark brown, yellow, or even white. If it is the season for berries, you may find seeds from fruits in the opossum poop.
As a property owner, you’re probably going to want to have a complete understanding of the wildlife that makes its way onto your property. If you are finding opossum poop in your yard or adjacent to your property, it’s probably a good idea to try and identify if the markings are from an opossum or some other small animal that lives in the wilderness.
Possum Vs Opossum – What’s the Difference? Find out here.
Is Possum Poop a Health Hazard?
Like most wild animal droppings, opossum droppings will likely have a significant amount of bacteria that can be toxic for humans and other small animals. You wouldn’t want your dog or cat coming in contact with opossum scat and spreading it across your property and potentially even inside your house.
Coming in contact with opossum feces can be toxic for your pets. It can also be very harmful to humans if for some reason they were to accidentally come in contact with opossum droppings. Being exposed to these bacteria can be harmful, even for short periods.
The Australian possum, known as the brushtail possum, has a large population in Australia. They warn their citizens that coming into contact with possum scat can be dangerous, and may even cause flesh-eating ulcers in humans. Source.
Does Possum Poop Look Like Dog Poop?
More than likely, you’re going to want to learn about the ways to identify feces droppings from opossums. It can be challenging, especially if you are used to picking up after your pet cat or dog. Possum droppings generally look very similar in size and coloration, although there are some ways to identify minor differences.
While the size of these droppings is usually very similar when compared to dogs and cats, the coloration isn’t always the same. Dog feces and cat feces are usually dark browns with little coloration. Opossums usually have droppings with a yellow, brown, or white tint.
If you are finding feces on your property that you believe may have come from an opossum, then there are a couple of different ways to acquire a guaranteed answer. The first option is to set up an outdoor camera that is pointed at the location of the opossum droppings. You’ll want to make sure the camera has night vision and motion detection capabilities.
Since opossums are almost entirely nocturnal, you’ll probably only be able to find them at night or in twilight hours. By having a motion-detection camera with night vision, you’ll be able to see exactly which animal is creating those droppings on your property.
The other option is to closely inspect the feces and try to determine what its source may be. This is generally less appealing, but it could be easier than setting up an outdoor camera. Identifying animal scat is one of the best ways to track and keep up with the wild animals in your area. Monitoring animal poo and their tracks is a tried and true method for animal identification.
See our article for Opossum Tracks here.
How Often Do Opossums Poop?
Just like a pet dog or cat, opossums can poop several times per day. As you would expect, it generally depends on how much food they have recently consumed. In some cases, opossums relieve themselves once per day, while on other days they may have to go more often.
Opossums do prefer to mark the same territory over and over again. You might notice this trend if you have a portion of your property that is continuously receiving droppings from opossums.
This is one of the reasons that it makes so much sense to set up a night vision outdoor camera on your property because it can help to confirm your suspicions about opossums invading your property during the night. There’s also the possibility that you’ve misidentified the droppings with some other small wild animal. If this is the case, you’ll immediately learn which animal is invading your property by reviewing the camera footage.
Related Questions
What does opossum poop look like?
Opossum poop is generally very similar to dog poop or cat poop. A few inches in length with a dark brown color. The feces can sometimes be tinted with other colors as well, oftentimes yellow or white.
Do opossums mark their territory over and over again?
Yes, opossums will generally mark the same spot with urine and feces repeatedly. Common locations can include trash cans, dumpsters, tree stumps, and gardens. In some cases, opossums can relieve themselves by dropping multiple markings per day in the same location.
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