Victoria's possum rules
Protected under the Wildlife Act
Bayside City Council, citing DEECA (the state environment department), says possums are protected in Victoria under the Wildlife Act 1975. They mustn't be harmed or kept without DEECA's approval.
Ringtails: no trapping without a permit
It's illegal to trap a ringtail possum in Victoria without a permit. That matters because many people can't tell the two kinds apart in the dark.
Brushtails: tight limits on who and how
Only the owner or occupier and their family, a building manager or their staff, or a DEECA licensed Wildlife Controller may trap a common brushtail, and only in a cage trap designed not to injure it. The possum has to be let go on the same property, no more than 50 metres from where it was caught, after sunset on the day it was caught.
Lethal control is a last resort
Killing a possum needs an Authority to Control Wildlife from DEECA, issued only when every practical non-lethal option has been tried.
Brushtail or ringtail?
The common brushtail is the possum known for moving into roof cavities. The Queensland Government describes it as usually silvery grey, with a black band across the snout, and the Australian Museum notes the black tip on its bushy tail. Brushtails sleep somewhere dry by day, often a roof cavity, and go out at night to feed. Deep coughing calls and sharp hisses, especially in the breeding season, are a giveaway.
A common ringtail is cat-sized and grey, with pale patches behind its eyes and on its belly, and it curls a long, white-tipped tail around branches. It usually builds a round nest of grass and shredded bark, called a drey, in a tree hollow, a fork or dense shrubs.
If you're not sure which you've got, say so when you get in touch. It changes what anyone is allowed to do.
What the job usually involves
A pest business starts by finding every way in and out: loose roof tiles, gaps at the eaves, broken vents, and branches that touch the roof. They'll check the possum has gone out for the night before closing the gaps with sturdy materials, so nothing is shut inside.
Many people put up a possum nest box in a tree in the garden at the same time, so the animal has somewhere to go instead. If a brushtail has to be caught, the rules above decide how, by whom and where it's let go. A ringtail can't be trapped at all without a permit.
Your part, and the pest business's
You can
- Watch at dusk from the garden and note where the possum comes out.
- Cut back branches that reach the roof, if you can do it from the ground.
- Keep pet food and fallen fruit picked up at night.
- Write down when you hear it, so the technician knows its routine.
Leave to a pest business
- Working on the roof and sealing entry points at height.
- Checking the roof space is empty before anything is closed.
- Any catch and release, done only the way Victoria's rules allow.
Questions to ask first
- Is this a brushtail or a ringtail, and how can you tell?
- How will you make sure the possum is out before the gaps are closed?
- What will you use to seal the entry points, and how long should it last?
- If it finds another way in, will you come back?
If it were our roof in Melbourne
We'd go straight to proofing. Victorian rules do let an owner trap a brushtail, but a cornered possum scratches and bites, a ringtail caught by mistake is an offence, and a released possum will try your roof again unless the gaps are closed. Tap Possum or birds and tell us what you're hearing.
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.
