What really is an opossum?
Opossums are one-of-a-kind Albany animals and are the only marsupials found in North America. Rarely seen in daylight, most people have not much liking for these creatures. If you happen to find yourself in a situation in which handling of opossums is required, you should be going through some tips on how to handle them. We are going to list below some tips and precautions required in the handling of New York opossums.

Handling opossums
Generally, you should avoid handling Albany opossums with your bare hands. But if you have to handle them, you should be following certain precautions while doing that:

• Wear thick and heavy gloves while handling them.
• They may try to flee when you are holding them. Therefore, opossums should be wrapped with a blanket or thick towel. This enables a little protection for the handler and also hinders the chance of escaping of Albany opossum.
• While there is a towel around them, grasp the opossum's neck and shoulders from one hand. Through the help of other hand, maintain a hold on the tip of the tail and make sure that your grasp on the tail is firm and steady. However, the holding should not result in pain for the opossum. So, try maintaining a gentle and firm grasp between the two hands.
• If presence of second person can be managed, try to get a second person. The other person will be responsible for overseeing that the whole procedure is carried out exactly according to the plan.
• These are genuine tips for safety while handling the opossums but opossums can inflict damage if they are furious and are looking for trouble. An opossum can damage the handler through the act of biting and by usage of claws present on all of its four limbs. In addition to that, New York opossums can cause damage by climbing up their own tails to cause damage to the handler.
• While some Albany opossums are dangerous, most of them are not and do not intend to do a serious damage to the handler.
• Younger New York opossums are not much of a threat as compared to the older ones.

Be vigilant and careful! Opossums may look sweet to some but you have a chance of getting hurt when you are going to handle them yourself! It is always advised to request the assistance of a wildlife expert before handling New York opossums. But if you are not able to arrange an expert, follow the tips given above and you will be alright! Just don't panic and give the opossum a friendly atmosphere. Good luck with the handling of Albany opossums!

Visit our Albany wildlife removal home page to learn more about us.