How should I deal with a possum on my property?

Possums naturally live in trees. However, in an urban environment, roof voids are a great substitute for trees. On most inspections in roof voids, removals, and exclusions that we perform, the possum species that we find are brushtails and occasionally, ringtails.

A possum removal must be done properly and carefully as our native wildlife must be protected from serious harm. It is against the law to harm a possum. Some methods of excluding or removing possums can cause harm. The way a possum should be excluded or removed is in the way that will cause the least stress or harm to the animal.

When you suspect that possums may be living on your roof or roof void, it’s best to consult pest experts! One pest that we deal with regularly while performing pest control in Sydney are possums. We conduct safe removal of possums from any Sydney home or business.

To learn more about our pest control services, call our experts at 02 9638 4099.

Our pest exterminators in Sydney provide the highest quality pest removal service for residential and commercial properties by incorporating integrated pest management (IPM) and industry best practice principles. We can assist you if you are dealing with rodents or possums.

Our goal is to keep pests from returning and to reduce the need for future pest control. We accomplish this by providing exceptional services, such as thorough pest inspections, preventative treatment services, and competitive prices to Sydney residents and businesses.

How would I know that there are possums on my roof?

Here are some indicators or obvious signs that there may be possums living on your property.

Noise

Noise is the big indicator. Possums are nocturnal so they are active at night and sleeping through the day. As they become active for the night you will hear them as they move around your roof cavity, as they are quite large, the noises you may hear as they walk around will be kind of a thumping noise. They hiss a lot also which you may hear. Quite different to rats they make hardly any noise when moving around and with rats you will tend to hear a lot of scratching and gnawing.

Possums on your roof can cause you a lot of discomfort. They make a lot of noise at inconvenient hours. A lot of customers we visit who have possums on the roof for the first time are woken up by what they initially think is an intruder in their home.

Scent

Possums also have a distinct scent which you may notice, you
may even see urine stains on your ceiling.

Droppings

Droppings are the key indicator that we will use to confirm that it is a possum that is on your roof. Possum droppings look vastly different from each other which looks completely different from rat droppings.

If you’re still unsure, it’s best to consult pest experts who can identify any kind of rodent that may be living on your roof or roof void.

What should I do when I find possums?

Provide a new home for the possum.

Possum boxes can be constructed or purchased and then placed onto a tree or structure at least 4 meters above the ground to protect the animal from predators. To entice the animal into the box you can obtain some of it is nesting material (if it is safe to do so) and place some tasty fruits inside to entice it in.

Block any holes that serve as the possum’s entry points to your roof.

If you are going to attempt to exclude the possum from your roof you must first ensure the possum has exited the roof before you block the hole and consider that there may be more than one possum in there to start with. Assess how many possums are on your roof. Assess your roof to find out how it is getting in.

Observe the possum/s leaving the roof at night and when they are out block the hole with suitable materials before the possum returns. The possum will have to find an alternative place to live. Maybe the possum box you installed. When we install possum boxes, we will block up holes at night once the possum leaves. This greatly increases the chances of the possum finding and living in the box.

Install a one-way door.

One-way doors can be installed to allow the possum to exit but not get back in. For this option, you still will need to block entry points and there are options as far as doors go. You are best to speak to a professional possum controller for the best way to approach this.

Although no licenses or permits are required to perform the above options, it is highly recommended that you contact somebody experienced in dealing with possums. They will have a keener eye for possible entry points and see what you may not, and often, help you resolve the issue quicker.

How to safely remove possums from your property

If the possum needs to be trapped to be removed from the roof space, then a license or permit is required. Trapping is defined as harm to the possum under AUS legislation.

The general process of removing possums should be as such:

Confirm that the pest on the roof are possums.
Assess the roof space for their entry point/s.
We will generally set the trap catch the possum and hold it for less than 24 hours in a safe place, covered with breathable material.
After capture and before release is when the repairs need to take place to exclude the possum. This may take some careful and committed organisation if the roof has repairs that require another tradesperson as the possum must be released on the property and cannot be held for longer than 24 hours.
Release the possum after sunset and in urban areas are released back on the property from which they are captured.

If you have questions about possums, our people have many years of experience with pest control in Sydney and dealing with possums correctly. Get in touch if you would like help or advise you on this topic.

Contact Us For Pest Control In Sydney

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Address: 3 Stringer Pl,
Oatlands NSW 2117
Phone: (02) 9638 4099

Address: Level 5 Nexus Norwest, 4 Columbia Ct,
Bella Vista NSW 2153
Phone: 1300 652 855

Address: 18/8 Hannah Street,
Beecroft NSW 2119
Phone: (02) 8007 4666

Address: 11/627-635 Pittwater Rd,
Dee Why NSW 2099
Phone: (02) 8350 2929

Address: Suite 15, L22,101 Grafton Street,
Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Phone: (02) 9184 7777

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Possum Pest Control Sydney

How should I deal with a possum on my property?