Can I Use Mothballs Or Ammonia To Repel Opossums? (no)

Repelling Opossums with Mothballs or Ammonia

Homemade solutions to problems have been around for ages. Many of them make big promises without following up, leading to heartbreak and oftentimes more trouble. When it comes to removing opossums, there are, of course, homemade solutions. The most popular is the use of mothballs or ammonia.

Mothballs and ammonia are popular and common methods of removal for all types of animals. It is not unique to opossums, and it makes the same promise each time – to remove the animal quickly and easily. Through the power of odor, it says the animal will run far away from your property. How true is that, though? Is this something you should use?

Mothballs and Ammonia

People put a lot of faith and trust in mothballs and ammonia as repellents. They say that the smell drives animals out without any issue. That is what they say, at least. The reality is, there is no evidence behind these solutions. There is no support that they work and organization have stated that they do not.

Standing behind them is dangerous. Not only are they ineffective as solution, they may also come with risks. You will not get the results that you are after and you are putting the environments, animals, and much more at risk in attempting this. There are better options out there, such as trapping, that work without the risk. There is no reason for it.

Risks to Consider

Both mothballs and ammonia come with serious environmental risks. When you place these around your property, they can seep into the structure or the ground, animals or small children may consume them, and they can have other unintended side effects. These are not meant for the ground. This is not their purpose. Putting them there is a serious risk to the environment and all living things. It is a danger you should not create.

With options like trapping, a safe and effective method with incredibly low risks, you have better ways of handling opossums. They are not going to respond to the mothballs and ammonia, but they will respond to traps. It is slightly more work, but it does work. People use mothballs and ammonia as repellents because of the promise of results, but there is no such thing here. If you want actual results, you need to go with a method like trapping. These repellents will do far more damage and harm than good.


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