Leave the possum to someone licensed
Don't try to trap, bait, catch or corner a possum yourself. It's protected in Queensland, and a frightened animal in a roof space is hard to get away from. Keep children and pets out of the roof and away from any gap it uses.
Possums and the law in Brisbane
Protected under state law
Brisbane City Council says every native species is protected under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992. Redland City Council adds that trapping or moving a possum is illegal without a permit.
Released within 25 metres
Only licensed commercial possum relocators may catch one in Queensland, and they must let it go within 25 metres of where it was caught. So a possum caught in your roof stays right beside your house.
Another one moves in
The Queensland Government warns that when a possum is moved, another one nearby often takes its place. The entry points have to be repaired or the problem simply changes tenant.
The council's paper test
To find the way in, Brisbane City Council suggests stuffing paper into a suspected gap during the day. After dark the possum pushes its way out, and the torn paper shows you the gap it uses.
Brushtail or ringtail?
The common brushtail is the one Queensland's government describes moving into roof cavities for a dry place to sleep, heading out at night to feed. It's usually silvery grey with a dark band across the snout and a black tip to its bushy tail. Deep coughs and sharp hisses in the ceiling, especially in breeding season, are a brushtail.
The common ringtail is about the size of a cat, grey with white patches behind the eyes, and carries a curling tail with a white tip. It's almost entirely tree dwelling and builds a round nest of grass and shredded bark called a drey, so it's less often the one in the roof.
Heavy thumps and running at dusk and dawn point to a possum. Fast scratching and gnawing through the night sounds more like rats or mice.
How a possum job usually goes
Inspection
The technician checks the roof space and the outside of the house to find every gap the possum could be using, not just the obvious one.
Making sure it's out
Gaps are closed only once the possum has left to feed at night. Closing a possum inside the roof creates a new problem fast.
Proofing
Entry points are sealed with something a possum can't push or chew through, and loose roof sheets or broken vents are fixed.
Somewhere else to sleep
Brisbane City Council suggests putting up a nesting box or hollow log nearby, and using disinfectant to clear the smell from the old spot.
Catch and release, only if needed
If the possum won't leave, a licensed relocator can catch it and must release it within 25 metres, under Queensland rules.
Your part, and the technician's
You can
- Don't feed possums: Brisbane City Council says human food can be dangerous to them.
- Note what time the noise starts and stops, and where it seems to be.
- Cut back branches that touch the roof, if you can do it from the ground.
- Keep pet food and fruit scraps inside overnight.
Leave to a pest business
- Confirming the possum is out, then closing every entry point.
- Any catch and release, which needs a licence in Queensland.
- Roof work, ladders and anything near power lines.
Questions to ask first
- How will you check the possum is out before the gaps are closed?
- What will you seal the entry points with, and how long should it last?
- If catch and release is needed, do you hold the Queensland licence for it?
- Will you put up a nest box, and where?
- What happens if it finds a new way in a week later?
Where we'd start with possum removal in Brisbane
Try the council's paper test for a night or two so you know where it's getting in, then tap Possum or birds. Proofing with a nest box nearby is the fix that lasts; moving the possum alone rarely is.
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.
