Removing Possums in the roof in Canberra?

Been living with our possums for more than 15 years without any problems. For a brief period of time, during a renovation, they resided in the roof, but didn’t like it once the roof was closed off again. I somehow doubt you have a possum up there, and also think its rats. Rats can be a hygienic problem and should be removed. A possum, in my experience, will simply move on to meet other possums at night, collect food, etc. Mind you, our possum lives in the garage, but only to sleep during the day. In the night, it’s out and about…

movement sensor light – even a solar powered one may be the go – stick the panel out on the tiles above. That way you dont have to hook up to mains or run extension cord through. set the sensitivity to high on the motion thingy and see if that works?

Sorry to restart up an old thread…
Will a rat trap harm a possum, or are they too small for them to get at the bait/poison?

We’ve just moved into a new brick house with heavy tiles that seems secure, although we have a possum in the tree outside every night that clambers over the roof and scoots around scratching.
There’s something in the roofspace, clambering around at night and up to about 10am each morning. Sometimes we hear it during the day, but only shifting weight around and not running about.
To me it sounds like something heavy…..but I’ve never had rats or possums so can’t judge.

Is there any recommended company that will come round and deal with this…rat or possum?
I’m quite willing to go up there and sort it, but never having seen a possum I’m a bit worried I’ll kill the darn thing accidentally with poison.
I see that ACT just offer advice on trapping, they don’t offer a removal service for newbies or novices…

Thanks guys! Spoke with my neighbour who suspects that it is probably rats too. He hasn’t seen any possums around here, and has had rats in his roof before. I think I will go ahead and throw down some rat bait, and see how that goes.

Sammy said :

“If it sounds like an elephant, it’s a human”

Mine sounded like a whale…

S***. How did an elephant get into my roof??

Put a light in your roof. Possums don’t like light.
They also don’t like moth balls.

If it’s a possum, you’ll probably only hear it leaving in the evening and coming back in before first light. If there’s noise at other times – or more often – it’s much more likely to be rats. Possums actually move quietly in the roofspace (I have had lots over many years) while rats actually sound heavier. Jasann – possums protected, you’re not supposed to poison them. That’s pretty cruel, given that unlike rats, you can possum-protect a roof space.

neanderthalsis said :

This advice from the RSPCA:

Step.1 Contact RSPCA or an equipment hire company to determine hire arrangements for a possum trap.

Step.2 Obtain a permit to trap and release possums from ACT Territory and Municipal Services (6207 6376).

Step.3 Obtain the possum trap and position the trap inside the roof space near the possum’s roof access point. Ensure the trap is secure and stable to avoid potential injury to the possum.

Step.4 Release the possum within 50 metres of your house. This is the law as set out in the Nature Conservation ACT (1980).

We had a possum that occasionally made a nuisance of himself for us and the neighbours. We didn’t mind, but the neighbours called a pest controller who caught him, made an attempt at blocking access points, then let the possum go right next to where he was caught. The little bugger just found another way back into the roof.

A possum box can often help in these situations. Give them a nicer home to curl up in during the day, and they will accept it gratefully.

This advice from the RSPCA:

Step.1 Contact RSPCA or an equipment hire company to determine hire arrangements for a possum trap.

Step.2 Obtain a permit to trap and release possums from ACT Territory and Municipal Services (6207 6376).

Step.3 Obtain the possum trap and position the trap inside the roof space near the possum’s roof access point. Ensure the trap is secure and stable to avoid potential injury to the possum.

Step.4 Release the possum within 50 metres of your house. This is the law as set out in the Nature Conservation ACT (1980).

We had a possum that occasionally made a nuisance of himself for us and the neighbours. We didn’t mind, but the neighbours called a pest controller who caught him, made an attempt at blocking access points, then let the possum go right next to where he was caught. The little bugger just found another way back into the roof.

Agree with PPs, if it was a possum it would sound like 50 rats doing badly synchronised drill exercises up there. Also, there is a good chance that your house would smell like a Paris pissoir in August.

The main thing is to find out how it/they are getting in – the rat real estate network is awesomely effective, so getting rid of the current occupants will just open up new opportunities for the next lot.