Tonight and this week
Make sure it's a possum
Brushtail possums sleep in roof spaces by day and go out at night to feed. Listen for heavy scampering after dark, deep guttural coughs and sharp hisses, then watch the roofline at dusk to see where it comes out.
Leave the trapping alone
In the ACT it's illegal for an unauthorised person to trap or harm a possum, and the penalties are severe. That includes hire traps and anything borrowed from a neighbour.
Give it somewhere else to sleep
The ACT Government suggests offering other shelter, such as a waterproof nesting box fixed 4 to 5 m above the ground in a tree near where it gets in.
Check the licence before anyone goes up
Look the business up on the ACT Government's list, which shows each licence number and expiry date and marks expired licences.
How the ACT handles possums
Protected by ACT law
Possums are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. Trapping, handling or harming one needs a licence.
A public licence list
If a business says it holds an ACT possum licence but isn't on the list, the ACT Government asks you to confirm before you engage it. Access Canberra's Animal Regulation team takes those calls.
Sealing waits until it's out
The ACT Government's advice is to block the way in when the possum is out feeding, so it isn't shut inside the roof. A good technician times the proofing around that.
Release rules: ask
The ACT's possum page doesn't spell out release distances or timing. Ask the licence holder exactly how they'll handle the possum on your property, and get the answer in writing before they start.
Hurt or sick?
Only licensed, trained ACT Wildlife Carers should care for an injured possum, the ACT Government says. Keep pets inside and keep your distance.
If you get a look at it
A common brushtail is usually silvery grey, with a black band across the snout and a black tip to its bushy tail. It's the one most likely to move into a roof, and in suburbs it will eat almost anything.
A common ringtail is about the size of a cat, grey with white patches behind the eyes, and its long gripping tail ends in a white tip. Ringtails live almost entirely in trees, building a round nest of grass and shredded bark called a drey.
What a good possum job includes
- A check of the whole roofline for gaps, including ones you haven't spotted.
- Proofing done once the possum has gone out for the night.
- The licence holder's name and licence number, matching the ACT list.
- A plan for a nest box or other shelter nearby.
- A clear answer on what happens if it finds a new way back in.
Where we'd start with possum removal in Canberra
We'd watch the roofline at dusk to find the gap, put up a nest box, and only let someone on the ACT's current licence list near the roof. Tap Possum or birds with your postcode.
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.
