Before you do anything
Don't trap, bait or handle the possum yourself. Redland City Council puts it plainly: under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992 it's illegal to trap or relocate a possum without a permit. Keep pets inside at night until it's sorted.
Possums on the Gold Coast
Which possum is it
In a Gold Coast roof it's usually a common brushtail: silvery grey, with a black band across the snout and a black tip to the tail. Ringtails, about cat sized with a white tipped tail, are almost entirely tree dwelling and tend to build a round nest of grass and bark called a drey.
The 25 metre rule
The Queensland Government says only licensed commercial operators can catch possums, and they must release each one within 25 metres of where it was caught. The aim is to get it out of your roof, not out of the neighbourhood.
Another one moves in
A possum that's been caught and let go is often replaced by another from nearby, the Queensland Government notes, so repairing the entry points is the part that solves the problem.
Check for termites while the roof is open
The termites that go after Queensland houses travel in enclosed mud galleries, and a technician in your roof void is well placed to notice one. Ask them to mention any mud leads or damaged timber they see, and leave it untouched.
Possum, rat or mouse?
Brushtails move into roof cavities for a dry place to sleep through the day and head out at night to feed. The Queensland Government says you may hear them scampering across the roof at night, with deep guttural coughs and sharp hisses, especially in the breeding season.
Lighter scratching, squeaking and gnawing, with small droppings in the pantry, points to rats or mice instead. Watching the roofline from the yard at dusk is the simplest way to see a possum leave and spot the gap it uses.
What a lawful job involves
A technician inspects the roof void and roofline to find how the possum gets in: a lifted tile, a gap at the fascia, a broken vent or a tree branch resting on the gutter. Where Queensland's rules allow, the possum is caught and released close by, then the entry points are repaired so the roof stays shut.
Timing matters. Brushtails leave the roof at night to feed, so the gaps get closed once it's out, never while it's still inside. Some owners also put a nest box up in a nearby tree, so the possum has somewhere else to sleep.
What you can do, and what you can't
You can
- Note when you hear it and roughly where in the roof.
- Watch the roofline at dusk from the yard to see where it comes out.
- Cut back branches that touch the roof or gutters.
- Bring fruit scraps and pet food inside at night: in suburbia, brushtails will eat almost anything.
Leave to a pest business
- Catching and releasing the possum, which needs a licence in Queensland.
- Getting into the roof void and finding every gap.
- Sealing the way in once it's confirmed the possum is outside.
Ask before they start
- Do you hold the Queensland licence to catch and release possums?
- Where will it be released, and is that within 25 metres?
- Which gaps will you seal, and when, so nothing is shut inside?
- Can you fit a nest box in the yard?
- What happens if it finds another way in after you've finished?
If it were our roof on the Gold Coast
We'd watch where it leaves at dusk, then tap Possum or birds and ask for proofing with a lawful release. Paying for a catch with no repairs often just makes room for the next possum.
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.
