What Do Opossums Eat? Complete Diet Guide & Food Sources

Ever wondered what that nocturnal visitor rummaging through your garbage can is actually looking for? If you’ve spotted an opossum in your yard, understanding their dietary habits is crucial for peaceful coexistence. The opossum’s diet is surprisingly diverse and plays a vital role in local ecosystems. This deep dive into opossum nutrition is a key part of our wider guide on opossums and their behavior, helping you understand these misunderstood marsupials better.

Let’s explore exactly what these opportunistic omnivores consume, why their eating habits benefit your property, and what foods you should never offer them.

The Opossum’s Natural Diet: Opportunistic Omnivores

What do opossums eat? Opossums are opportunistic omnivores that consume a varied diet including insects, small animals, fruits, vegetables, carrion, and human food waste. Their diverse eating habits make them excellent natural pest controllers and ecosystem cleaners, consuming up to 5,000 ticks per season.

These adaptable creatures didn’t survive for over 70 million years by being picky eaters. Their dietary flexibility is their superpower, allowing them to thrive in environments ranging from dense forests to suburban neighborhoods.

What Kind of Food Do Opossums Eat in Different Seasons?

Opossum food sources shift dramatically with seasonal availability:

Spring and Summer:

• Insects (beetles, crickets, grasshoppers)
• Bird eggs and nestlings
• Small rodents and snakes
• Fresh berries and fruits
• Garden vegetables

Fall and Winter:

• Persimmons and fallen fruit
• Nuts and seeds
• Carrion and roadkill
• Human garbage and compost
• Pet food left outdoors

This seasonal flexibility ensures opossums maintain adequate nutrition year-round, even when their preferred foods become scarce.

Opossum Food in the Wild: Their Natural Menu

In their natural habitat, opossums function as nature’s cleanup crew and pest control service combined. Here’s what comprises their wild diet:

Protein Sources

Insects and Invertebrates (40-50% of diet):

• Cockroaches
• Beetles and grubs
• Snails and slugs
• Spiders
• Ticks (their favorite!)

Small Animals (10-20% of diet):

• Mice and voles
• Small snakes
• Frogs and toads
• Lizards
• Young rabbits

Plant-Based Foods

Fruits and Berries (20-30% of diet):

• Blackberries and raspberries
• Apples and pears
• Grapes
• Persimmons
• Wild cherries

Vegetation (5-10% of diet):

• Tender shoots and leaves
• Mushrooms
• Corn
• Garden vegetables
• Flowers and nectar

Scavenged Materials

Opossums are excellent scavengers, consuming carrion that would otherwise attract flies and spread disease. This opossum food source includes:

• Roadkill (deer, raccoons, other animals)
• Dead birds
• Fish carcasses
• Decomposing plant matter

Their strong immune system and lower body temperature (which you can learn more about in our article on opossum body temperature facts) protect them from many pathogens that would sicken other animals.

What Do Virginia Opossums Eat Specifically?

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), North America’s only marsupial, has adapted remarkably well to human environments. Their diet in populated areas includes:

Urban and Suburban Food Sources:

• Garbage and compost bins
• Pet food (cat and dog kibble)
• Birdseed from feeders
• Fallen fruit from ornamental trees
• Garden produce (tomatoes, melons, sweet corn)
• Grubs from lawns

Virginia opossums living near humans often develop “routes” through neighborhoods, visiting the same food sources on predictable schedules. They’re not aggressive about food and will typically flee if confronted. However, to ensure your safety if you ever have to move a trash can they’re hiding in, it’s a good idea to review these facts about opossum bites and safety.

Opossum Bad Foods: What Never to Feed Them

While opossums can eat almost anything, certain foods pose serious health risks:

Toxic and Dangerous Foods

Never feed opossums:

• Processed human foods (chips, cookies, candy)
• Chocolate (toxic to marsupials)
• Onions and garlic (causes anemia)
• Avocado (contains persin, toxic to many animals)
• Grapes and raisins (kidney damage in some animals)
• Raw eggs (biotin deficiency risk)
• Bones from cooked meat (splintering hazard)
• Dairy products (lactose intolerance)
• Salty or sugary foods (metabolic issues)

Why Feeding Opossums Is Problematic

Even “safe” foods can create problems when you intentionally feed wild opossums:

1. Dependency: They lose natural foraging skills
2. Habituation: They become too comfortable around humans and domestic animals. If this level of tameness makes you want to bring one indoors, you must first read our legal and care guide on whether opossums can be pets before attempting to adopt a wild visitor.
3. Nutritional imbalance: Human-provided food rarely matches their nutritional needs
4. Territorial conflicts: Feeding stations attract multiple opossums, leading to fights
5. Predator attraction: Food sources may attract coyotes, dogs, or other predators

How Much Do Opossums Eat?

Adult opossums consume approximately 5-7% of their body weight daily. This high nutritional demand is especially critical for females, who require significant energy to nurse their young inside the mother’s pouch. For an average 8-10 pound opossum, that’s roughly half a pound of food per day.

Feeding patterns:

• Primarily nocturnal feeders (active 2-3 hours after sunset)
• Spend 4-6 hours per night foraging
• Cache food occasionally but don’t store it long-term
• Drink water frequently. They need access to fresh water sources, and because they spend time near ponds and creeks, you might enjoy these facts about opossum swimming ability.

Their relatively short lifespan, which typically ranges from 2-4 years in the wild, means they focus on immediate nutritional needs rather than long-term food storage.

The Ecological Benefits of Opossum Eating Habits

Understanding what do opossum eat reveals their tremendous ecological value:

Natural Pest Control

Tick consumption: A single opossum eliminates approximately 5,000 ticks per season, significantly reducing Lyme disease risk in your area.

Rodent control: By eating mice, voles, and rats, opossums help control rodent populations naturally.

Insect management: Their appetite for cockroaches, beetles, and other pests reduces the need for chemical pesticides.

Ecosystem Cleanup

Opossums consume carrion that would otherwise:

• Attract disease-carrying flies
• Create foul odors
• Spread pathogens
• Attract more problematic scavengers

Seed Dispersal

When opossums eat fruits and berries, they distribute seeds throughout their territory, promoting plant diversity and forest regeneration.

Creating an Opossum-Friendly Yard Without Feeding

You can support opossums without directly feeding them:

Natural food sources:

• Plant native berry bushes (blackberry, elderberry)
• Leave fallen fruit for a few days before cleanup
• Maintain a diverse insect population (avoid pesticides)
• Create brush piles for insect habitat
• Provide a shallow water source

Habitat features:

• Compost bins (secured but allowing small animal access)
• Leaf litter and mulch (insect habitat)
• Dead trees or logs (grub sources)
• Native plantings (natural food web support)

What to Do If Opossums Are Eating Unwanted Items

If opossums are accessing food sources you’d prefer they avoid:

Garbage management:

• Use locking trash can lids
• Store cans in garage until collection day
• Rinse food containers before disposal
• Use bungee cords on bin lids

Pet food protection:

• Feed pets indoors
• Remove outdoor food bowls at night
• Store pet food in sealed containers
• Clean up spills immediately

Garden protection:

• Install low fencing (they’re poor climbers)
• Use motion-activated sprinklers
• Harvest ripe produce promptly
• Cover compost bins properly

Remember, opossums are transient visitors. They typically move through an area rather than establishing permanent residence, so any conflicts are usually temporary.

FAQ SECTION

Do opossums eat cats or small pets?

No, opossums do not hunt or eat cats or small pets. They’re non-aggressive animals that prefer insects, fruits, and carrion. While they might eat pet food left outdoors, they’ll typically flee from cats and dogs rather than confront them. Opossums are much more likely to “play dead” when threatened than to attack any animal, including small pets.

Can opossums eat chicken eggs or kill chickens?

Opossums will eat chicken eggs if they can access them, and they may occasionally kill young or weak chickens, though this is relatively rare. They’re opportunistic feeders rather than skilled predators. Secure your coop with hardware cloth (not chicken wire), ensure no gaps larger than 2 inches, and collect eggs daily to prevent opossum visits.

What attracts opossums to my yard at night?

Opossums are attracted to accessible food sources including unsecured garbage, pet food left outdoors, fallen fruit, compost bins, bird feeders, and insect-rich lawns. They’re also drawn to water sources and shelter opportunities like brush piles, wood stacks, or spaces under decks. Removing these attractants will encourage opossums to forage elsewhere.

Are opossums good to have around for pest control?

Yes, opossums provide excellent natural pest control. A single opossum consumes approximately 5,000 ticks per season, significantly reducing Lyme disease risk. They also eat cockroaches, beetles, rats, mice, snakes, and carrion. Their presence indicates a healthy ecosystem and typically benefits homeowners more than it causes problems.

What’s the difference between what wild and urban opossums eat?

Wild opossums eat primarily insects, small animals, wild fruits, and carrion found in their natural habitat. Urban opossums supplement this natural diet with human-related food sources like garbage, pet food, ornamental fruits, and garden vegetables. However, both populations prefer the same core diet when natural foods are available, with urban opossums simply adapting to easier food access.