How to Keep Possums Out of Your Roof
It’s only natural for our furry neighbours to want to seek refuge in a warm attic, but when possums and rodents are damaging your property, you’ll want a way to get them out and keep them out. While a possum is a harmless neighbour, they can cause expensive damage to your property, chewing on electrical wiring and spreading disease.
Chances are when you’ve got rustling and roaming in the attic you’ve got a few different animals settling into their new home, but this blog outlines steps to keeping our native marsupial, the possum, out of the roof.
How can you tell if it’s a possum?
The main ways to determine whether you’re sharing your house with a possum is through sight, sound and smell. You’ll notice the pungent odour of rats, mice of possums from their urine, but possum urine will likely last longer and leave stubborn stains.
Listen for footsteps
The three main animals in your roof have distinct patterns in their movement.
- Signs of rats will be intermittent footsteps, lasting an hour or so and repeating every 24-48 hours.
- Mice scurry around more frequently, so the sound of continuous light footsteps will indicate their presence.
- Possums are nocturnal, so they’ll leave for the night to forage and return in the morning to sleep. Keep an eye out for regular footsteps at dawn, and again at dusk.
The other thing about possums is the sound they make. Screeching and growling is a major indicator of a possum.
You can also inspect droppings to confirm the critters. A possum dropping is a blackish brownish pellet around seven millimetres in length. Rat droppings are similar, but usually have a more pointed end while possum pellets are rounded. Mice droppings are much smaller and a lighter colour.
Possum urine has a strong odour similar to rats, but a possum will leave large unsightly urine stains that will be difficult to hide and stained gyprock may need replacing
Droppings and nesting material. A possum dropping is blackish brown pellet around seven millimetres in length.
How to deter possums
If you’re trying to deter local possums before they find an entrance to your roof, try some of these methods to possum-proof your house.
- Netting and cloth bags over your plants – so there’s no temptation for hungry possums
- Deter climbing with a harmless shock tape system.
- Motion activated sprinklers
More than the possum
While you can use pest removal methods for rodents, possums are a protected native Australian animal, so it’s illegal to relocate or exterminate them. Instead, identify the entry point and close it off. A one-way door can then let the possum exit, but prevent it from re-entering.
Can you befriend your possum?
Some homeowners might find benefit to neighbouring with a possum, and while you don’t want them nesting in your roof, if a possum claims your yard as its territory it will discourage other possums from taking residence. One way to prevent your neighbour from moving in is to install nest boxes in trees so they’ve got a spot equally as comfy as your roof.
For more information contact our team on 1300 933 789.