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We are San Bernardino Wildlife, and we solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From squirrels in your attic, to raccoons in your trash, to bats, rats, birds, and snakes, we do it all. We specialize in safe and effective solutions to California critter problems. We service the greater San Bernardino region, and we offer fast service - we can usually schedule a same-day appointment. Give us a call at 909-435-0434 any time, 24/7, and we will discuss your unique wild animal problem, and give you a free price quote over the phone. We're ready to take your call now!

Our service range: We service Inyo County, Kern County, Clark County, La Paz County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and more. We also service Baker, Lake Arrowhead, Oak Hills, Big Bear City, Lenwood, Phenlan, Big River,Lucrene Valley, Pinon Hills, Bloomington, Lyttle Creek, Running Springs, Bluewater, Mentone, Running Springs, Crestline, Morongo Valley, San Antonio Heights, Fort Irwin, Mountain View Acres, Searles Valley, Homestead Valley, Muscoy, Spring Valley Lake, Joshua Tree, Oak Glen, Wrightwood, and more.

San Bernardino Wildlife Education: Do Possums Climb Well?

When thinking about nuisance wildlife that may be on your property or try to take up residence somewhere in your home, you will want to know whether these animals can climb. Some animals, like squirrels, are known for their climbing abilities while the average person doesn’t know about other animals, including possums.



Their Climbing Skills
Possums are not the best climbers in the animal kingdom, but they are still reasonably good at doing so. It isn’t unusual to find a possum in an attic and if it got there, chances are that it just climbed up the side of your wall or a tree next to your house.

What Makes Them Good Climbers
A quick look at the biology of possums is enough to see why these animals are so good at climbing. They have prehensile tails which can curl around various items. Although they typically use the tails to grab leaves or other items, they can also use them to help with climbing. These tails are also good at providing counterbalance that stabilizes the animals while climbing. Possums also have opposable thumbs which let them firmly grasp things like tree branches, making it easier to climb.

A Defense Mechanism
In addition to their ability to play dead, climbing is one of the main defense mechanisms of possums, which explains why they have developed the skill. Climbing is necessary since they typically can’t run very fast. They will also use other defensive skills like showing their teeth or sitting on their haunches as well.

Climbing With Babies
The claws of possums are so well developed that babies are even able to grasp onto their mothers securely from a very young age. The mother possum will not have any problems climbing even with her babies hanging on. If the baby falls it alerts the mother and she goes back to retrieve it.

Other Possum Habits
Possums are mostly nocturnal meaning that they are active at night. In cold weather, however, they may become active during the day as well since food is harder to find and possums need to eat more during the winter months. Possums tend to live in abandoned dens of other animals but they can also make their own nests, although they will not dig burrows or dens. Although females with young possums will stick to the same nest or den site, other adults may have several that they rotate through.

Previous Education Articles
What do wildlife rehabilitators do with San Bernardino mice?
How to cut a dead San Bernardino animal from inside a wall
How do I clean San Bernardino house mouse feces out of my attic?
Can you use a trap to catch a San Berardino snake?