Do opossums hibernate?

No. The Virginia opossum stays active essentially all winter, holing up for only a few days at a time during the very coldest weather before coming back out to feed. It simply can't store enough body fat to sleep through winter the way a true hibernator can, which is a major reason New Hampshire's cold season is so hard on the species, according to Mass Audubon and Northern Woodlands.

Why do opossums get frostbite?

Their ears, feet, and especially their long, prehensile tail are nearly hairless and poorly insulated, so extended exposure to freezing temperatures causes frostbite. Wildlife biologists actually age northern opossums by their frostbitten, shortened tails and ears, per Menunkatuck Audubon — visible evidence that the animal has survived at least one New Hampshire winter. It's a striking reminder of how physically demanding this region's winters are for a species built for a warmer climate.

Is an opossum out in the daytime dangerous or rabid?

Rarely. Opossums sometimes forage during daylight hours in winter to exploit warmer temperatures when nights are too cold, and they carry very low rabies rates compared with raccoons, likely because their lower body temperature is less hospitable to the virus. A daytime opossum is usually just cold and hungry rather than sick — but you should still never attempt to handle wildlife directly.

Are opossums even supposed to be in New Hampshire?

They're near their northern range limit here — central NH, Vermont, and southern Maine mark the edge of the eastern opossum's range, an area the species has expanded into over the past century, aided by milder winters and access to human food and shelter, per Northern Woodlands. Even so, northern opossums rarely live more than two years, and most of that expansion has tracked closely with suburban development and warming winter temperatures.

When do opossums breed?

Breeding begins in late winter and continues into early spring, with reproductive activity at its lowest point during midwinter. Pouch young then develop into spring, so it's best practice to avoid sealing a den in spring if a female opossum may be carrying dependent young inside — unlike many mammals, opossum young stay attached to a nipple in the pouch for weeks before they're mobile enough to survive on their own.

How do I keep opossums out?

Remove food attractants — secure garbage cans, bring in pet food overnight, and clean up fallen birdseed — and exclude denning spaces by sealing under decks, sheds, and porches and capping foundation or crawlspace gaps. The ideal timing is fall, before the frost drives shelter-seeking toward your home, and it's worth checking that any gap is truly empty before sealing it shut for the season.

Are opossums nocturnal?

Yes. Opossums wake shortly after sunset and forage through the night, though in winter cold snaps they may shift to feeding during warmer daylight hours instead, since nights can be too cold and food too scarce to rely on exclusively after dark. Seeing one out at midday in January is far more likely a sign of hunger than a sign of illness or injury.

Are opossums good to have around?

Largely, yes. Opossums are non-aggressive and eat ticks, carrion, and pest insects around a property, which is why exclusion is generally recommended over lethal control. If one has denned somewhere inconvenient, sealing entry points after confirming no dependent young are present is the preferred, humane approach — the goal is to relocate the animal outdoors, not to harm a species that's largely beneficial to have nearby.

Daniel Brady · NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664

|Reviewed by Daniel Brady

Where Do Opossums Live in the Winter? NH Timing Guide

Overwintering Wildlife

Opossums don't hibernate or migrate — they must keep foraging through winter because they can't store enough fat to sleep it off. They den in hollow logs, brush piles, and abandoned burrows, and increasingly in human structures like sheds, crawlspaces, and attics, holing up for only a few days at a time during the coldest weather. Central New Hampshire, Vermont, and southern Maine mark the northern edge of the opossum's range, and their nearly hairless ears, feet, and tail make them highly prone to frostbite — many northern opossums don't survive their first winter.

At a glance

Activity pattern: NocturnalForages after dusk, usually near the den, though home ranges can span up to ~50 acres — Northern Woodlands / Animal Diversity Web
Winter strategy: No hibernation, no true torporDens a few days in extreme cold, otherwise active; may shift to daytime foraging in cold snaps — Mass Audubon / Animal Diversity Web
Range: Central NH/VT + southern ME = northern range edgeNorthern opossums rarely live more than two years — Northern Woodlands
Cold vulnerability: Hairless tail, ears, feet suffer frostbiteBiologists age northern opossums by frostbitten tails and ears — Menunkatuck / Northern Woodlands

Activity pattern
Nocturnal
Forages after dusk, usually near the den, though home ranges can span up to ~50 acres — Northern Woodlands / Animal Diversity Web
Winter strategy
No hibernation, no true torpor
Dens a few days in extreme cold, otherwise active; may shift to daytime foraging in cold snaps — Mass Audubon / Animal Diversity Web
Range
Central NH/VT + southern ME = northern range edge
Northern opossums rarely live more than two years — Northern Woodlands
Cold vulnerability
Hairless tail, ears, feet suffer frostbite
Biologists age northern opossums by frostbitten tails and ears — Menunkatuck / Northern Woodlands

The timing answer

The short of it

The verdict · overwintering wildlife

Nocturnal; no hibernation, active all winter

Opossums do NOT hibernate — nocturnal and frostbite-prone at NH's northern range edge, they must forage all winter, denning briefly in sheds, crawlspaces, and attics during the coldest spells.

NH activity calendar

When are they active — the whole year at a glance

Opossums show no sharp seasonal dormancy — activity dips only during the coldest stretches. The calendar below tracks foraging intensity, breeding, and fall shelter-seeking toward homes.

12-month activity · New Hampshire

Peak · Jun, JulYou are here · Aug

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

PeakActiveBuildingDecliningDormantCurrent season · Summer

Best window to act · Fall, before the ~Oct 19 frost drives shelter-seeking, or any mild period once you've confirmed no dependent pouch young are present. Seal under sheds, porches, and decks with buried mesh, and cap crawlspace and foundation gaps.

What else peaks thenJun Jul

No true dormancy — activity dips only in the coldest spells. Shelter-seeking toward homes rises ahead of Manchester's ~Oct 19 first frost (50% probability, NOAA 1991–2020).

Daily activity

What time of day are they active?

Nocturnal

Opossums are nocturnal, waking shortly after sunset to forage through the night. Winter can bend that pattern when the cold makes nighttime foraging too costly.

In winter cold snaps, opossums may break their nocturnal pattern and feed in warmer daylight because nights are too cold and food too scarce — a winter daytime opossum is usually just cold and hungry, not sick. Opossums also have very low rabies rates, thought to be linked to their low body temperature, making a daytime opossum a far lower rabies concern than a daytime raccoon. Still, never handle wildlife by hand.

A day in their clock

Dawn

Day

Dusk

Night

Dusk (foraging onset)active
Nightpeak
Pre-dawnactive
Daytimelow

Where they go in winter

Winter behavior

Because opossums can't hibernate, the question of where they live in winter has real stakes — NH's cold is genuinely dangerous for them.

Overwintering strategy

Active all winter

Hollow logs, brush piles, rock crevices, abandoned burrows — and increasingly human structures: sheds, crawlspaces, attics, and spaces under decks and porches, lined with leaves and grass. When snow buries natural burrows, they shelter in or against homes instead.

Move in
Fall shelter-seeking rises ahead of the ~Oct 19 frost, concentrating on one or a few insulated dens by November and December.
Active all winter
Hollow logs, brush piles, rock crevices, abandoned burrows — and increasingly human structures: sheds, crawlspaces, attics, and spaces under decks and porches, lined with leaves and grass. When snow buries natural burrows, they shelter in or against homes instead.
Spring exit
There is no hibernation exit — opossums are active year-round. As it warms in March and beyond, they range out again across multiple dens rather than staying put.

Season by season

A year in the life

Opossum behavior shifts modestly through the New Hampshire year, but the animal never goes dormant.

01
Spring
Breeding begins in late winter and continues into early spring, with reproductive activity lowest at midwinter. Pouch young develop through this period, so it's best to avoid sealing a den if a female may be carrying young.
02
Summer
Peak foraging season, with young opossums dispersing from their mothers and the animals actively using multiple dens across their home range rather than settling on just one.
03
Fall
Opossums build modest fat reserves and increasingly seek warm shelter toward homes as temperatures fall toward the ~Oct 19 frost — this is the best exclusion window of the year, once no young are present.
04
Winter
Despite the cold, opossums must keep foraging; they can only hole up for a few days at a stretch during the harshest weather. Frostbite risk is highest now, and many northern opossums don't survive their first New Hampshire winter.

New Hampshire context

Opossums in southern New Hampshire

Manchester, Nashua, and Concord sit near the opossum's northern range limit, an area the species has expanded into over the past century. Because they can't hibernate and store little fat, New Hampshire's long, cold winters are a genuine survival challenge — which is why sheds, crawlspaces, and attics near homes have become increasingly important shelter as natural burrows fill with snow.

Key local data

Southern New Hampshire sits at the opossum's northern range edge — a distribution the species has pushed into over the past century as winters have moderated — and northern opossums rarely survive past about two years, with cold-driven frostbite to their unfurred tails and ears a leading limit on survival (Northern Woodlands; Animal Diversity Web). Shelter-seeking toward sheds, crawlspaces, and attics accelerates as temperatures fall toward Manchester's ~Oct 19 average first hard frost (NOAA 1991–2020).

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When to act

Timing your treatment

Because opossums are largely beneficial and non-aggressive, exclusion — not lethal control — is the right approach, timed to avoid dependent young.

The right window

Fall, before the ~Oct 19 frost drives shelter-seeking, or any mild period once you've confirmed no dependent pouch young are present. Seal under sheds, porches, and decks with buried mesh, and cap crawlspace and foundation gaps.

An opossum denning in an attic or crawlspace

An animal that appears injured or frostbitten — contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator

Repeated garbage or pet-food raids

Denning activity under a deck, porch, or shed

Wildlife & Exclusion

Free inspection and same-day wildlife & exclusion service across southern New Hampshire. NH-licensed #782664. Opossums are beneficial, non-aggressive animals, so exclusion is recommended over lethal control.

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Learn more about this pest

Common Questions

Frequently asked

Sources & references

Northern Woodlands — Opossums Find Cold Comfort in New England's Winters
northern range edge, frostbite biology, cold-weather survival
Mass Audubon — Opossums
no hibernation, nocturnal activity, brief cold-weather denning, den sites
Menunkatuck Audubon Society — Opossums Suffer from Frostbite
frostbite on ears, feet, and tail
The Nature Conservancy Blog — How Extreme Winter Weather Affects Wildlife
cold-weather survival stress on wildlife
Animal Diversity Web — Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum)
nocturnal foraging, home range (~10–50 acres), solitary behavior, lifespan
NH Fish & Game — Nuisance Wildlife
wildlife status and relocation rules
Garden.org — Frost Dates, Manchester NH (NOAA 1991–2020)
Manchester first hard frost ~Oct 19

Editorial disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute pest control advice. Every property is unique — consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation. Anchor Pest Services is licensed in New Hampshire (#782664).

Written & reviewed by

Verified

Daniel Brady

NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)

Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.

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Last updated Jul 2026

Anchor Pest Services

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Where Do Opossums Live in the Winter? NH Timing Guide

The short of it

When are they active — the whole year at a glance

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Winter behavior

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Winter

Opossums in southern New Hampshire

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Where Do Opossums Live in the Winter? NH Timing Guide

The short of it

When are they active — the whole year at a glance

What time of day are they active?

Winter behavior

A year in the life

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Opossums in southern New Hampshire

Timing your treatment

Frequently asked