Decks, sheds and crawl spaces
Opossum removal that keeps them out from under
An opossum under the house brings fleas, odor and torn vents with it. Letting it leave through a one-way door, burying mesh so it cannot dig back, and treating the den for fleas ends all three.
Updated October 2026
This treatment, at a glance
- Job type
- Exclusion and mesh footer
- Hidden issue
- Fleas from the den
- Approach
- One-way door, no trapping out
- Line
- Answered 24/7
Opossum removal in Los Angeles is done by exclusion: a one-way door on the den entry under the deck, shed or crawl space lets the opossum leave at night, then the perimeter is closed with buried mesh. Because opossums carry fleas linked to murine typhus locally, flea treatment of the den area is often part of the job. Call (323) 329-3792, answered 24/7.
What the service covers
Out from under, and kept out
The Virginia opossum is the most common backyard mammal in many Los Angeles neighborhoods, and it is a renter rather than an owner: it moves between dens under decks, sheds, crawl spaces, woodpiles and stored lumber, feeding on pet food, fallen fruit, garbage, snails and insects. The problem is not the animal itself but what comes with it: droppings and nesting material under the house, odor, broken crawl space vents and screens, fights with dogs and cats, and fleas.
Exclusion handles it cleanly. The inspection finds the den and every possible entry. A one-way door goes on the active entry so the opossum leaves when it forages at night; the other gaps get sealed, and decks and sheds get an L-shaped footer of galvanized mesh buried along the base so it cannot dig back under. Once the den is confirmed empty, the entry is closed, droppings and nesting material are removed, and the den area is treated for fleas, which matters here given the local link to flea-borne typhus.
California rules generally do not allow trapped wildlife to be moved and released elsewhere, which is why exclusion, letting the animal leave on its own and closing the way back in, is the standard approach around homes.
Signs of an opossum
What points to one
Broken vent screens
Crawl space and foundation vents pushed in or torn, with fur or tracks at the opening.
Night visits to food
Pet bowls emptied, compost disturbed, fallen fruit eaten overnight.
Fleas with no pet
Flea bites in a home without pets, often traced to an animal under the deck or house.
Odor under the house
Musky smell or droppings near decks, sheds and crawl space entries.
The visit
How opossum exclusion runs
Inspect
Den, entries, food sources and flea activity identified.
Exclude
One-way door on the den entry; other gaps sealed.
Confirm empty
Monitoring until the opossum has left.
Close and footer
Entry sealed, buried mesh footer installed along decks and sheds.
Clean and treat
Den material removed and the area treated for fleas.
Local pressure
Backyard regulars
Opossums are everywhere in the Los Angeles Basin and Orange County, moving along fence lines, flood channels and alleys between yards. Mild winters, irrigated landscaping full of snails and insects, backyard citrus and avocados, and pet food on patios keep them well fed. County public health identifies opossums, along with roof rats and skunks, among the hosts tied to flea-borne typhus cases in eastern Los Angeles and Orange counties, which turns a nuisance animal under the deck into a reason to deal with fleas as well.
What it costs
How opossum removal is priced
Pricing depends on the number of entries, the length of deck, shed or foundation that needs a mesh footer, and whether cleanup and flea treatment are needed, quoted after inspection. For scale, exclusion work on a typical LA home runs in the $600-$1,200 range, and smaller single-entry jobs come in below that.
Common questions
Asked before booking this service
Rarely to people. They hiss and show teeth when cornered and may play dead, but they are not aggressive. The concerns are the mess they leave under houses and decks, the fleas they carry, and pets getting into fights with them.
Crawl spaces, decks, sheds and stacked lumber give them shelter, and yards give them food: pet food left out, fallen fruit, compost, garbage and insects. Opossums move often, but a good den with nearby food can keep one around for a long time.
Yes, often heavily. In eastern Los Angeles and Orange counties, opossums are among the animals that carry the fleas linked to murine typhus, which is one reason flea problems in homes with no pets often trace back to an opossum under the deck.
With exclusion: the den entry gets a one-way door so the opossum leaves at night and cannot get back in, and the rest of the perimeter is closed with buried mesh so it cannot dig a new entrance. California rules generally do not allow trapped wildlife to be moved and released elsewhere, which is why exclusion, letting the animal leave on its own and closing the way back in, is the standard approach around homes.
Odor and flies will follow within days. Removal, cleanup and deodorizing are handled through dead animal removal, and the entry is closed so another animal does not use the same spot.
Related treatments
Often booked alongside this one
The line is on right now
Something living under the deck?
Call and describe what you have seen or smelled. The inspection finds the den and the entries before anything is closed.
Answered 24/7, including weekends and holidays.
Call us or find us
- Phone
- (323) 329-3792
- Hours
- Open and answering 24/7, every day
- Service office
- 3123 Cahuenga Blvd W #390, Los Angeles, CA 90068
- Head office
- 7623 Atlanta Ave, Ste 284, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
- Coverage
- Los Angeles, Orange and neighboring counties