Cincinnati possums or opossums are the nocturnal pests which prefer to make their nests in dens left by other animals. These could be in trees, attics or even in garages. Opossums are not solid hunters and generally raid garbage bins and feed on roadkill pests. Needless to say that these animals become prey for several other wildlife pests. Opossums are tiny little creatures and if you see them they have an appearance like a mini peg. You might find them cute in first stance, but they are not so in reality! Every animal makes some noise as communication is the vital process in everyone’s community. Every animal makes a different kind of noise. Some screech, some murmur, and some like opossums’ chatter in sounds like a hiss which can be alarming at times! Read on further to find when do possums hiss and why!



To scare away potential enemies: Cincinnati possums have a great ability to sense danger and thus they use their hiss noise to shoo the enemy away! It is like an indication that possum is aware of the presence of its predator. Coyotes, cats, foxes and dogs are the primary predators of possums and by hissing these animals attempt to frighten off the predators. This is a defence mechanism which they follow to keep their predators away. In other words, opossums make this sound when they are threatened because of predators.

To mate: Opossums also hiss to attract the opposite sex and mate with them. Their hiss sound is for sending signals and communicating with them. If they receive a response back, then it acts as a consent which leads to breeding. Hissing noise in a polite tone is like an invitation for opposite sex to mate and begin reproductive process!

To communicate in large groups: One thing which you must know at this stage is that possums usually fall under category of silent animals. And if there is single possum it never makes noise! This means that if you are hearing hissing sounds then there is a group of possums invading your property. Possums have their own way of communication while they are in larger group. It could be noisy and annoying at times! Whenever they are communicating (having round table discussions) they make noise which sounds like hissing. This communication can become heated and if opossums fight then also they produce hissing sounds. Also, possums are nocturnal animals and thus the intensity of these sounds increase during night time.

Yes, possums hiss for variety of reasons as listed above. This sort of communication may make you feel at once that you have a snake at home but don’t get scared as it could be an opossum. If you are hearing these sounds lately at your home, then you should get inspection done! This is because opossums can be serious threat to your yard and you certainly don’t want this threat to linger on! You can seek local professional help to handle this opossum problem for you as it could be riskier to interact with them!

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