Can You Use Mothballs or Ammonia to Help Repel Opossums?

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No, mothballs and ammonia do not effectively repel opossums. Mothballs, ammonia, and a host of other repellents ultimately fail to scare opossums away for good.



There are several types of opossum repellents that are available commercially for the purpose of chasing the rat-like mammal away from your yard, but do they truly work? In the same vein, many folks swear by homemade repellants, with preparation methods readily available for any do-it-yourself home owner. Opossum repellants basically aim to drive the animal away from your yard by using its sharp sense of smell against it.

While it is true that the opossum may initially be frightened by these popular repelling substances, those critters are not credited with as much smartness as they often show when their survival is at stake. In actual fact, they quickly recover from the scare and return to the place where the food or shelter is. And they keep returning and adapting until they’re immune to the repelling substance.

This may be hard to believe because of the way that different brands of mothballs and ammonia are being touted in local animal control stores as well as online. And they all come with promises to rid your property of critters in no time.

However, if you do want to give mothballs or ammonia a try, as a temporary solution, here’s what you need to know:

Ammonia: ammonia-soaked rags are commonly recommended to solution-seeking home owners because of the repugnant smell that will surely chase the unwanted critters away. The same applies to other strongly-scented fluids like bleach and vinegar. Ammonia is particularly distressing to the eyes and nose of wildlife and has a better chance at being effective when applied in an enclosed space.

Moth balls: they incorporate the chemical, Naphtalene, which has a very strong smell to repel opossums and other wildlife pests. That is what the sellers claim. In actual fact, it has been proven severally that wildlife are not affected by the scent of moth balls. Never mind what the manufacturers claim. The use of moth balls as repellant is strongly discouraged as they do pollute the environment and are capable of causing cancer.

Again, it has been observed that opossums with time, will overcome their aversion for the pungent smell where survival is at stake. This is also applicable to other repellents such as motion light, motion sprinkler, garlic, and so on.

The only fool-proof way to really keep the opossum out of your property is to remove all traces of food and to practice exclusion by proofing your building, blocking all possible entry points.

Go back to the Opossum Removal page.

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