Common Problems Caused By Possums in the Roof

Why is it highly recommended to call Possum Control experts immediately? 

The title of this article may be misleading because possums are naturally solitary and territorial because there will only be “a possum” in your roof.  There can only be one male or one female possum in your roof.  However, female possums do get pregnant and have a wee possum with her for five to eight months. But having just one or two inside your home does not mean it is all right to be living with them.

There are many homeowners who do not mind having a possum in their roof and this is why they do not ask for the help of possum removal experts. You may be one of many Sydney households that have a possum in the roof who are not bothered by them, but take caution.  Possums are meant to live in the wild because there are things about them and their behavior that can be damaging or disrupting to humans and their homes.

·         Droppings on paved areas in the garden and inside the roof.   Driveways, poolside, porches are the most likely problem areas. 

·         Damage to garden plants and birds– if you do not have a garden, your neighbor may have one and this may cause them problems. Possums love buds and flowers, fruits, ferns, invertebrates, small birds and bird eggs.  Wouldn’t you prefer birds singing than possum mating calls and incessant scratching?

·         Damage to the roof cavity, insulation and wood structure.   Possums mark their territory by urinating on certain spots.  If the possum considers your home their “territory” then expect to have a very pungent smell permeating within the ceiling.  Insulations are usually damaged within weeks, leaving your family unprotected.

·         Unexpected noises at night. Possums are nocturnal and they do their business at night.  Mating calls and male possum squabbles usually happen near designated territories.  There will be days when they are relatively quiet but unfortunately the days when they decide to be noisy will give you and your family weeks of exhausting days of sleepless nights.

·         Considerable damage to property especially if the home is left unattended during vacations. If you are a homeowner who are fond of animals and have started feeding wild animals such as the possums, chances are, they will want to be fed instead of hunting on their own.  There is a good change that they will invade your living space just to get to the food source which they have gotten so used to.

So as much as there are so many who love animals in general, we should not forget that they are not meant to be domesticated, and it is bad for the animal and the human as well.  So before the possum starts getting comfortable in your roof, it is far better to deal with them in the post practical and safe way possible – Call a Possum Removal expert.

Possum Removal Don’ts

Possums are easier to deal with if they are a recent addition to your roof.  The longer it stays, the harder it is to do get rid of them.  Possum Removal may be as simple as making repairs on all possible entry points in the roof and finally securing the one entry point it uses after it leaves the roof for the night.  And hope that it gives up trying to gain entry as soon as it sees there is a barricade on its roof entryway.  But this does not happen very often.  Most possums do come back and try their best to get into the roof they have claimed as their territory.  In most cases, there is no other recourse but to call for possum removal services.  While you wait however, there are things you might be tempted to do but may make things worse and get you more exasperated than you already are.  Below is the possum Do Not list:

DO NOT:

·         Attempt to get in the roof - with our without protective gears, this is a bad idea.  There might be things there that are far worse than the possum.  Your roof may have been a very attractive living space for the possum because it is teeming with bugs and insects that the possums love to eat for dessert – some of them may be poisonous and you’ll be in a whole lot of trouble.

·         Try and borrow your neighbor’s pet snake – it’s probably easy to just let out the snake in the roof.  But snakes are harder to catch and they are much more slippery than the possum.

·         Seal the roof while the possum is still inside – it gets nastier when it gets trapped.  It will certainly fight for survival.  And if survival means getting out of the roof, it will scratch and claw on the woodwork until makes a hole big enough for it to pass through. 

·         Cover up the roof and make repairs haphazardly – Again, possums are resilient, patient and equipped with strong arms and claws.  How do you think they can climb up huge trees so fast? They can remove pieces of wood and chicken wires in less than a minute so don’t even try repairing without the proper tools and materials.

·         Wait a long time before you decide to call for possum removal services – as mentioned before, the longer they stay, the harder it is to wean them out of the roof.

Proper possum removal involves a few steps -trap, repair, install possum box and release. Possum removal does not need any high tech gadget, just an understanding of what possums are and why they do certain things.

Found a Possum in my Roof this Morning! What do I do?

Possum invasion is a usual occurrence in a lot of Sydney suburbs, even more so for residents living at very close to bush lands and wild life reserves.  Just like me. The possums may seem like small furry harmless creatures but they do become a nuisance when the possum gets in the roof and decides to make it its home. I recall as saying…

                “It would have been quite aright if the possum in my roof had not decided to take residence during a dinner party.  But hearing the scuffling noise and the subsequent throat clearing sounds outside made my guests uneasy. We were supposed to lounge around in the newly built deck but decided against it considering that the sounds continued for a lengthy while.”

 Possums are nocturnal creatures and they are up the whole night, which of course do not go well with the main residents who live downstairs. They are solitary, but, they do make a lot of noise thumping across the ceiling, chasing smaller animals, scratching posts and other possum essentials.  If the possum you have is anything like the possum in my roof (who checked in two summers ago), then you’re in for long sleepless nights, unless that is, if you decide to call the possum removal experts right away.  I tried dealing with the possum in my roof on my own and it was one of the most stressful experiences.  You see, it cannot be caught and trapped or endangered in any way, or else you’ll be fined a few thousand dollars.  So, for your sanity’s sake I have prepared a list of things so avoid in case you find a possum very much like the one in my roof.

Do not repair your roof haphazardly.  Cover all holes like you mean business. Possums are equipped with awesome claws and they are relentless and determined.  They will do anything just to get into their home and if they have been in the roof for some time, they consider it their home. 

Do not feed it with intention to poison it.   This may well be the most tempting option but, it is illegal and you might have trouble locating and extracting it when kicks the bucket up there

Do not catch it and bring for a long drive into the wilderness and leave them there.  Lots of people to think about doing this but this is still illegal.    Doing this puts the possum in danger because it may not survive, if it does, it may come back into your roof. 

Do not get rid of the possum in the roof on your own especially if it involves firepower. 

The 'Bloody possums', he hissed, reached behind him to a bureau drawer and pulled out a revolver which he fired several times up into the ceiling. It was a bit of a conversation stopper, as small pieces of plaster drifted down to the tablecloth.

On the fourth shot there was a distant squawk of possibly marsupial origin, and the host beamed, and put away his shooter. 'Got the little bastard', he said happily and resumed his glass of shiraz.

Read this whole article here.

The possum in my roof did leave but not after a battle of wills which went on for days.  I gave up in the end and called experts.  It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.  I can still hear them but I know they are far away enough not to bother my parties – tucked in possum boxes a few meters away from my property.