The truth is that you may consider the stuff that is inside your garbage cans to be…well…garbage, but there are many other animals that will see it as a tasty treat that they can make into a meal. The things that would make you sick to even look at are things that animals like raccoons, rats, and birds will find to be super tasty.
One of those animals that see it this way is the opossum. They will eat just about anything and, by anything, we mean anything. These are true omnivores that find the tastiest meals out of just about anything. This means that they will eat things like rotting animals and stuff that has come out of the sewer.
Because of the propensity to eat whatever they can find, one thing that you will be sure that they will love is to make whatever is in your garbage can part of their meal. You throw away a lot of things that they would find totally appetizing, but clearly you do not want them to find your throwaways to be their next meal.
If they can find food in your garbage can then you can be sure that the opossum will not be going anywhere. These are dangerous animals because of how much disease they carry, and so you surely do not want them to be around. You have to do what you can to keep your garbage can protected, so here are some tips you can follow.
First, you need to make sure that the lids are on tight. If you do not have a secure latch that holds them in place, then get yourself some bunge cord. Tie it tight so that it will keep the lid on tightly, but allows you to personally get the lid off.
You also want to make sure that when you throw your garbage away that you don’t spill food or let stuff drip out of the bags around the cans. If they can smell that something is there they will keep returning. If you should spill, wash it right away and make sure you use bleach. It is also good to regularly clean your cans with bleach water so there is no lingering smell.
If you can enclose your cans in your garage, a shed, or some kind of fenced area, that is a good idea. The harder you can make it for them to get into your containers the easier it will be to keep them away.
Lastly, if you can put up a motion sensor around your garbage cans it would be a great idea. The opossum is afraid of light, and so when it comes on they will be scared and will run away.
Read more:
Opossum Control,
How to Get Rid of Opossums,
Opossum Feces.
