Rat or possum? How to tell from below
| Rat | Possum | |
|---|---|---|
| The sound | Rapid gnawing and high pitched squeaks, says Hume | Deep coughs and sharp hisses from brushtails, especially in the breeding season |
| The timing | Scratching and gnawing through the night | Scampering across the roof, then out at dusk to feed |
| The way in | Small gaps and gnawed holes | Loose tiles or roofing iron, broken eaves, holes in timber or brickwork |
| What's allowed | A pest business can treat and proof | Protected wildlife, so proofing, with any catch and release kept to Victoria's rules |
Broadmeadows, between houses and wetlands
Creeks either side
Hume describes Broadmeadows as hugged between urban sprawl and lush parks and reserves, about 25km north of the CBD. The Broadmeadows Valley Park walk starts at Jacana Wetlands and ends at Shankland Wetland, sitting between the Yuroke and Moonee Ponds creeks.
Snakes follow the frogs
Hume says Eastern Brown, Red-bellied Black, Lowland Copperhead and Eastern Tiger snakes live in the city, and they're commonly seen near waterways and wetlands, more so from spring through to autumn. Homes backing on to the park will want the grass kept short.
European wasps are on the owner
Clause 43 of Hume's General Purposes Local Law No. 1 2023 says an owner or occupier of private property must ensure any European wasps on the land are destroyed. In practice, that means calling a pest business, not getting close yourself.
If you meet a snake
Stay calm and don't approach it or try to catch it. Move away when you can, and keep children and pets back. If someone's bitten, call 000. A bitten pet goes straight to the vet.
Once you know which it is
Rats are a job for a pest business, who'll look for the way in and any nests, then treat and proof. Bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait) are a common part of that, so tell the technician about kids and pets at home.
A possum is different. It's protected, so the work is finding the gap and closing it after the possum has gone out for the night. Our possum page for Melbourne has Victoria's rules, and the rat and mouse page covers the other result.
Yours and theirs
You can
- Listen for a few nights and write down the times and the sounds.
- Look from the ground for loose tiles, gaps at the eaves and holes in timber or brick.
- Keep bins shut, and pick up pet food and fallen fruit at night.
- Keep grass short along any back fence near the creek.
Leave to a pest business
- Going up into the roof space.
- Treating rats and sealing the way in.
- Treating a wasp nest while everyone stays clear.
Our take on pests in Broadmeadows
Listen first. Rapid gnawing points to rats, and coughs or hisses point to a possum, and the answer is very different for each. Tell us what you're hearing and your postcode, and leave the roof space to the technician.
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.
