Is it safe to handle an opossum with bare hands?

As you catch an opossum, you might suddenly find yourself in a dilemma over what to with it next, and how to handle it safely. Removing an opossum from its trap and getting it out of your home might find itself to be harder than it looked at first. After all of the hard work you went through to trap the animal to begin with, you are now left with a scared, yet dangerous animal armed with sharp nails and teeth to handle. You might be wandering about right ways to do it. In some cases, opossum might look like it’s sleeping, and it might look completely calm. You might even feel tempted to touch the animal with your bare hands, and here are the reasons why your shouldn’t do it.



Let’s talk about obvious reasons not to touch an opossum first. Once the animal is trapped, it will become scared and aggressive. Even though they are cute animals to see, you shouldn’t underestimate opossum's ability to defend itself. Opossums are strong animals. They are equipped with sharp teeth and claws, very swift and precise. These animals have great reflexes, and are capable in hurting your hands seriously in a second. Besides dangerous bites, scratchers and tares an opossum might inflict on your, there are several other health risks that might come from touching an opossum with your bare hands.

If your touch an opossum with your bare hands, chances are that it might bite you and you could get infected with numerous serious diseases, rabies being one of them. Opossums are a species of animals that can carry and transmit rabies, which happens through bites. Rabies is usually transmitted through animal bodily fluids, saliva being one of them. If an opossum bites your, it can spread numerous diseases through your system, which is a risk that is simply not worth taking. If your get bitten by an opossum, you are going to have to get medical assistance as soon as possible, take several blood tests and get a shot, to make sure that you don’t develop any serious diseases.

Instead of touching an opossum with bare hands, you should consider wearing a pair of thick gloves, or better yet, not touch the animal at all. The best solution for you would be to either get expert help in removing the animal, kill the animal on the spot or remove it while it is still in the trap (in case you are using a cage trap).

If you need help, we service the entire USA! Click here for a wildlife removal specialist in your town!

Go back to the main Opossum Removal page for more information about Is it safe to handle an opossum with bare hands?.