Don't trap or bait it yourself
Possums are protected in South Australia, and trapping one without a permit isn't allowed. Don't put out rat bait for noises you haven't identified either: if a child swallows bait, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26; if a pet does, go to the vet now.
South Australia's possum rules
Protected under state law
All possum species in SA are protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. The City of Adelaide adds that the common brushtail has declined significantly across the state.
A permit to trap
You need a permit from the Department for Environment and Water, or a permitted possum controller, to trap and release a possum. The City of Adelaide doesn't lend traps, and says private pest control companies can arrange them.
Released close, after dusk
Permit conditions say a trapped possum goes back out on the same property, within 50 metres of where it was caught, within 24 hours and after dusk.
No moving it away
The department says it isn't possible to get a permit, or hire a permitted controller, to take a possum off your property. Anyone offering that in SA is offering something the rules don't allow.
Is it a possum, a rat or a bird?
South Australia's environment department says backyard possums are most likely common brushtails or common ringtails. Brushtails are the roof dwellers: Queensland's government describes them sleeping in roof cavities by day, scampering across the roof at night on the way to feed, and calling with deep, guttural coughs and sharp hisses.
Rats and mice tend to scratch, squeak and gnaw instead. Watching the roofline at dusk, from the yard, usually settles it: a possum leaves through a gap and heads for the trees.
What the job usually involves
A technician inspects the roof and eaves to find every way in: loose tiles, gaps at the fascia, broken vents, a tree branch touching the gutter. The usual approach is to make sure the possum is out foraging, then close the gaps so it can't get back in. Where it won't leave, a permitted catch and release on your block is the fallback.
What makes it bigger: a large or complicated roof, several entry points, branches that need trimming, and a second visit to check nothing is still inside. Ask for the sealed points in writing, with photos.
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Watch at dusk and note where the possum comes out.
- Trim branches that reach the roof, if it's safe to do from the ground.
- Keep pet food and fallen fruit picked up.
- Take photos of droppings or stained ceiling patches.
Leave to a pest business
- Finding and closing entry points on the roof.
- Any trapping, which needs a permit in SA.
- Checking the roof space for young before sealing.
Our take on possum removal in Adelaide
We'd confirm it's a possum first, then get the roof proofed while it's out at night. A one-off catch and release without sealing the gap usually just means the same possum, or the next one, is back in the roof.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
