Opossums have a reputation for being silent — and most of the time that reputation is well earned. The Virginia opossum is naturally a quiet animal that prefers to creep through the night without drawing attention. That said, opossums do make a small but very specific set of sounds when they are threatened, mating, or settling into a den, and they produce distinctive movement noises that Central Florida homeowners often hear from beneath decks, inside garages, or near trash cans. This guide walks through every common opossum sound, when to expect them in Central Florida, and how to tell opossum noises apart from other wildlife.
🔊 Listen: Real Opossum Sounds
Use the video below to hear what opossums actually sound like. Recognising these sounds can help you identify whether you have a opossum on your property.
🔊 Audio sample — Freesound.org (Creative Commons)
Are Opossums Loud?
Most of the time, no. Opossums are stealthy nocturnal foragers and rely on staying quiet to avoid predators. When they do vocalize, the sounds are usually short, defensive, and quiet enough that you must be within 10 to 20 feet to hear them clearly. Compared to raccoons, opossums are dramatically less vocal — but that very quietness is itself a useful identification clue when you are trying to figure out what is making noise outside your home.
Common Opossum Vocalizations
Hissing
The most common opossum sound is a sharp, breathy hiss — almost identical to a startled cat. Opossums hiss when they feel cornered or threatened, often as a precursor to playing dead. If you have surprised an opossum on your porch or in your garbage can, expect a hiss followed by silence as the animal freezes in place.
Growling and Grumbling
An opossum that feels seriously threatened will produce a low, rumbling growl. The sound is short and deeper than a hiss but quieter than a raccoon’s growl. It is most often heard when an opossum is defending its food, its young, or itself against a pet.
Clicking and Lip-Smacking
Male opossums produce a soft, repeated clicking sound during the breeding season as a mating call. The clicks resemble lip-smacking and are usually quiet, but on a still night you may hear them coming from a hedge, palm tree, or fence corner where a male is signaling.
Screeches and Squeals
Young opossums and cornered adults occasionally produce sharp, brief screeches and squeals. These are louder than the typical hisses or growls and are usually associated with intense fear or with a fight between two opossums.
Chittering Between Mother and Young
Mother opossums communicate with their joeys (after the joeys leave the pouch and ride on her back) using soft chittering sounds. These are too quiet to be heard from any distance and are mainly noticed by people who have stumbled across an opossum family.
Movement Sounds: What Opossums Sound Like in Your Yard
Slow Plodding Footsteps
Opossums walk slowly and deliberately on flat-footed paws, producing a quiet plodding sound on hard surfaces. The pace is much slower than a raccoon’s confident walk and lacks the rapid scampering of a squirrel or rat. On a wood deck or screen porch, you may hear soft pad-pad-pad noises spaced about one second apart.
Rustling Through Leaves and Brush
Opossums creep through leaf litter, palmetto, and undergrowth more carefully than armadillos, producing a softer, slower rustle. Their movement is quiet enough that they can pass within a few feet of a person without being noticed.
Climbing Sounds
Opossums are competent climbers and sometimes scramble up palm trees, fences, and even pool cages. The sound of an opossum climbing is a series of soft scrapes and scratches with no rhythm, very different from the rapid, agile climbing sounds of squirrels or raccoons.
Trash Can Investigation
An opossum exploring a trash can produces quiet rummaging — soft scraping of plastic, faint thumps as items shift, and occasional squeaks of metal. Compared to a raccoon, the noise is much less dramatic, and there is rarely a tipped can or scattered debris in the morning.
When You’ll Hear Opossums in Central Florida
Opossums are strictly nocturnal in residential areas, with a fairly predictable activity window:
- 30 to 60 minutes after sunset — emergence and initial foraging
- 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. — peak movement around the property
- 1 to 2 hours before sunrise — return to den
- Occasionally daytime if injured, ill, or with very young joeys
How to Tell Opossum Sounds From Other Wildlife
Opossums vs. Raccoons
Raccoons are noisy: they chitter constantly, growl, scream, and produce heavy thumping movement noise. Opossums are quiet — at most a brief hiss or growl, with soft footsteps. Loud, sustained vocalizations almost certainly point to raccoons.
Opossums vs. Cats
The opossum hiss closely resembles a cat hiss, which is the most common confusion. The difference is what comes next: a cat usually moves quickly and may growl or yowl, while an opossum is more likely to freeze in place or play dead.
Opossums vs. Armadillos
Armadillos crash loudly through leaf litter and snuffle continuously while foraging. Opossums move quietly and rarely vocalize. If the noise is loud and snorty, it is almost certainly armadillo, not opossum.
Opossums vs. Rats and Mice
Rats and mice produce rapid scampering and high-pitched squeaking. Opossums are larger, slower, and quieter, with hissing and growling rather than chirping.
What to Do When You Hear Opossums
- Step outside with a flashlight — opossums are usually visible and will often freeze, allowing easy identification
- Move pet food and water indoors at night
- Secure trash cans with tight lids or store them in the garage
- Install hardware cloth or skirting under decks, porches, and sheds
- Check for droppings or burrow-like dens nearby
When to Call a Central Florida Opossum Removal Specialist
If opossum sounds, droppings, and damage have become regular features of your property — especially under a deck, in a garage, or inside the attic — it is time to call a licensed wildlife professional. Central Florida Trapper offers humane opossum trapping, exclusion, and sanitation services across the Orlando metro area. We humanely remove the animal, identify and seal entry points, and clean up any contamination so the situation does not return.
