Brush-tailed possums like to live in roof cavities. A possum in your roof can be very frustrating, but just removing the possum will not solve the problem. You need to take further steps or new possums will shortly move into the vacated space.
Possums are territorial, and relocated possums will not survive in a new territory as it will already be home to a dominant possum. You need to rehouse them away from your roof, but nearby, ideally in a tree in your garden. It is illegal to relocate or kill a possum and to trap or catch and release them without a licence.
It is possible to rehouse a possum without needing to apply for a licence and trap them.
Steps to move a possum out of your roof
Here's how you can persuade possums to move from your roof and stop others moving in:
- Find out how the possum is getting into the roof space by watching it at dusk when it will leave to forage.
- Make sure it is a possum and not a rat or mouse – sprinkling flour near suspected entry points and checking the footprints will determine this – possums are the size of a cat.
- Set up an alternative home for the possum. You will need a nesting box – you can either purchase one from a retail outlet in New South Wales or build your own.
Build your own possum house. - Where possible, get inside your roof and locate the possum's nest. The nest, which has the scent of the possum, should be placed in the new possum house to encourage the possum to move to its new home.
- Encourage the possum to investigate their new home by putting pieces of fresh fruit in or near the nesting box.
- Locate a suitable tree in your garden to site the box, securing it at least 4 metres above the ground.
- Repel possums by sprinkling the roof cavity with quassia chips (from hardware stores) and putting a light into the roof cavity, leaving it on for 3 days and nights. The combination of the light and the smell should drive the possum out of your roof and, hopefully, into the possum house you have provided.
- After you are certain the possum has moved into its new home, block its access into the roof by installing a one-way door or filling the hole with chicken wire or wood and trimming any overhanging branches. Block off the access points only when you’re sure the possum has left the roof to forage for food (usually at night).
- Find and block other possible access points in roof cavities, chimneys, drainpipes or other areas around the building to stop possums from entering.
If the possum returns, there must be another access point. You will need to find it and repeat steps 1 to 9.
How to get a licence when you need it
Possums are protected in New South Wales under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Catching and releasing possums is illegal in this state and prohibited without a licence.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service encourages you to try the steps to move a possum out of your roof and stop new ones from moving in. However, if all options are exhausted, you can apply for permission to remove possums by applying for a landholders licence to harm protected native animals.
Possum removal services
If you have tried the removal steps and prevention methods without success and don't want to remove the possum yourself, you can hire a professional licenced catch and release possum operator to do it for a fee.
Catch and release possum operators are licensed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service Wildlife Team by completing and submitting the application form.
It is important to ask if the individual or company you hire to remove possums holds a current catch and release licence. It is illegal to remove and relocate a possum without a licence.
Once the possum has been removed, be sure to locate the access points around buildings and block them to prevent new possums from moving in.
Releasing a possum
A possum must be released at dusk no more than 150 metres away from the point of capture and near something it can immediately climb, such as a tree or tall fence.
Possums are very territorial. It is quite stressful for the possum and it may not survive after being released into a new and unfamiliar territory.
Bushland areas rarely have any vacant territories, so other possums could already live in the new area. There is likely to be competition for shelter and food in new territory.
Moving possums out of your home and into their own nest box and taking steps to keep them from going back into your roof is the best option (see the tips above).
For more information about living with possums, contact the Wildlife Team.