Posted by Arthur Beach on November 28, 2005

Q: We have a possum that gets into our backyard at nights. Our main concern is about our two pet Russian Tortoises. It is turning cold so the tortoises are somewhat dug in for hibernation. Is the possum a threat to our tortoises? We have no other pets so there is no dog food or the like to draw the possum in. How do I keep the possum from coming into my backyard?

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: California

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Seems to me that if your Opossum is returning frequently to your backyard, there must be something that is or was attracting it. I'm wondering if there is some shelter in or near your yard that it's using. You mention that there is no food to draw the Opossum in but you must have or are feeding your tortoises. Even if the tortoises are no longer feeding, the Opossum may have "learned" that there was food in your yard and is returning to see if there is any more.

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Keeping the Opossum out of your yard will be difficult without a really well-constructed fence. But, it seems to me that if the tortoises are "reasonably large", the Opossum wouldn't or couldn't harm them. Opossums really aren't very aggressive animals and thier mouths are quite small too so unless your animals are quite small, I think they're safe. Do keep the food out of the area but it does sound as though you'll have an occasional visitor whether you like it or not. I hope this helps.

John Wiessinger ( November 29, 2005)