Are opossums dormant or inactive through the winter?

No. Opossums do not hibernate — rather than true hibernation, they simply hole up in a den for a few days during especially harsh weather and otherwise stay active. They continue foraging for food through the New Hampshire winter, which is why sightings don't disappear seasonally the way they do for some other wildlife.

What food specifically attracts opossums?

Opossums are opportunistic and will eat nearly anything accessible, including unsecured garbage, pet food left outdoors, birdseed, fallen fruit, and insects or small animals in the yard. There's no single food that uniquely draws them; the more accessible food is in general, the more likely an opossum is to keep returning.

Where do opossums typically den around a house?

Common den sites include the space under a porch or deck, inside a shed, under a woodpile, or through a gap into a crawlspace or foundation void. They're looking for a dry, enclosed, ground-level space rather than anything specific to a particular structure, which is why these dens show up around many different types of homes.

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

What Attracts Opossums to Your House?

The usual four

Opossums are opportunistic scavengers drawn to unsecured garbage, pet food, and fallen fruit, and they den under porches, decks, sheds, and in crawlspaces for shelter. They are active year-round rather than seasonal, since opossums do not hibernate and must keep foraging even in cold weather. Food and shelter explain the presence — there's no special mechanism beyond an easy meal and a sheltered den site.

At a glance

Short answer: Food and shelter — nothing about opossums is special
The verdict: The usual four

What actually brought it here

The attractant verdict

Four possible answers to why this species turned up. Three stay unlit — and that's the argument: the honest answer could have been any of them, and for this species it wasn't.

You didn't — you carried it innothing about your house did this

The belief is wrongthe common answer is counterfactual

Something specifica real, sourced attractant

The usual fourfood · water · warmth · shelter — like almost everything

This is the most common answer in this hub — an answer, not a shortfall.

The verdict on opossum

The usual four

Food and shelter — nothing about opossums is special

What the internet says

Our own old page said opossums are drawn in for "various reasons" without being specific — the honest, specific version is that it's food and shelter, and that opossums keep showing up through winter because they stay active year-round rather than hibernating.

What actually brought it

Accessible food — garbage, pet food left outdoors, birdseed, or fallen fruit — plus a sheltered den site such as the space under a porch, deck, or shed, or a gap into a crawlspace. Opossums do not hibernate, so cold weather doesn't remove them from the picture the way it does with some other wildlife; they simply keep foraging and denning through winter.

“Food and shelter — the same two things that attract almost everything. Nothing about an opossum is special, and that's the honest answer.”

So what actually matters

FoodShelter

The answer

Why it's here, in full

Why there's no special story here

Opossums are opportunistic scavengers, not specialized feeders, so almost anything reliably edible and left accessible — unsecured garbage, outdoor pet food, birdseed, or fruit that's fallen from a tree — will draw one in. For shelter, they take advantage of the same kinds of gaps many mid-size mammals use: the space under a porch or deck, a shed, or an opening into a crawlspace.

Because opossums don't hibernate, they stay active through the New Hampshire winter rather than disappearing for the season, foraging and denning in the same way year-round. That's the entire mechanism — food and shelter, available every month rather than seasonally, and nothing distinctive to the species beyond that.

Did it visit?

How to tell it's actually this species

Real signs only — a species with four honest tells gets four, and stops. Where a sign is weak on its own, we say so.

Overturned garbage cans or scattered trash overnight
Could be something else: Raccoons, skunks, and stray animals can cause similar disturbed-trash signs, so this alone doesn't confirm an opossum.
Tracks with a distinctive opposable hind toe in soft soil or mud near a den entrance
A den entrance under a porch, deck, shed, or in a crawlspace gap
Droppings near a den site or regular feeding area
Could be something else: Droppings alone are common across many wildlife species and aren't diagnostic without other signs present.

The next question

Want opossum gone?

This page only answers why it's here. Every removal step for this exact species — what to seal, what to set, what actually works — lives on its own dedicated guide.

See how to get rid of it

Species profile

Two questions, two pages

Here: why it turned up at all — the honest answer, blame removed.
There: the step-by-step removal guide for this exact species.

In short

Key takeaways

Opossums are opportunistic scavengers drawn to unsecured garbage, pet food, and fallen fruit.
They den under porches, decks, sheds, and in crawlspace gaps for shelter.
Opossums do not hibernate and remain active through the New Hampshire winter.
Removal steps live at /top-diy-methods/opossum.

Want it gone, not just explained?

This page is about why opossums show up. Exclusion and removal are covered at /top-diy-methods/opossum.

See removal options (603) 785-0118

Follow-up questions

Frequently asked

Sources(2)

[1]
Connecticut DEEP — Opossum Fact Sheet
Opossums do not hibernate and remain active through winter, foraging opportunistically for food
stateverified 2026-07-17
[2]
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — Opossums
Opossums are opportunistic scavengers drawn to garbage, pet food, and other accessible food, and shelter under structures
stateverified 2026-07-17

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.

Verify license

Last updated Jul 2026

Food and shelter — nothing unusual here

If an opossum has already denned nearby, we handle the rest

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NH commercial applicator #782664, category F1
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