What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Possums? A Pest Controller Perspective

Got loud bangs in the ceiling and the scent of something you can’t quite place hanging in the air? That’s not your pipes, your fridge, or your imagination. That’s a possum. And once they’ve moved in, they don’t leave like polite guests. They dig in, scratch up, tear down and keep you up like they’re rehearsing for a midnight concert.

In Australia, possums aren’t just a mild annoyance. They’re protected, clever, territorial and shameless about turning your home into theirs. So, getting them out takes far more than a broomstick and a torch. Here’s the truth about what it really takes to remove a possum, straight from someone who’s done it day after day.

Here’s the twist most people don’t expect. Possums are native wildlife. You can’t just trap them and toss them out like rats or cockroaches. They’re protected by law, which means rough handling is out of the question and random DIYs are a fast track to fines or worse.

But legal protections don’t mean you have to put up with them. Possums can:

• Scratch and claw through ceilings, walls and insulation
• Spread strong odours through their scent marking and waste
• Cause electrical damage by chewing wires
• Attract ticks and other parasites
• Trigger asthma and allergies, especially in kids

They might be part of Australia’s ecosystem, but that doesn’t mean they belong in your roof cavity.

You’ll often hear people say possums are quiet or harmless. That’s only because they haven’t had one crawl across their ceiling at 3am. Most people ignore the early signs until the damage is too far gone.

Watch for:

• Greasy stains around roof tiles and entry points
• Persistent thumping, crashing or dragging sounds at night
• Ceiling stains or sagging spots from waste build-up
• Unusual pet behaviour, especially barking or growling at walls or ceilings
• A sudden sharp, musky odour

Possums rarely come alone. If you’ve got one, more could follow. So, every day of delay is a day closer to your insulation becoming bedding and your ceiling becoming their personal loo.

Forget mothballs, garlic sprays, and motion lights. Possums are sharp. They’ll sniff you out and call your bluff. Once they know your roof is warm and safe, they’ll ignore the gimmicks and settle in deeper.

Some people try to block entry holes or throw around loud music and flashing lights. These don’t work long-term. In fact, blocking a possum inside your roof is not just cruel, it’s illegal. And it almost always ends with a decomposing body in your ceiling and an unforgettable stench in your house.

Possum removal is legal, technical, and needs to be done the right way. That means:

• Identifying exact entry and exit points with precision
• Installing one-way possum doors that let them out but block re-entry
• Sealing access points only once the possum has safely exited
• Using species-specific tricks that only a trained pest controler will know

Complying with wildlife laws while still protecting your home

Here’s the real kicker. Even after you remove a possum, it’ll often try to return. And not just once. It will attempt again and again. These are creatures that mark their territory and remember it. If they’ve claimed your ceiling, they’ll claw their way back unless every trace of scent, sound and access is neutralised.

That’s where most attempts go wrong. You might evict them for a night or two, but without complete site sealing and scent control, they’ll circle right back like they own the place. Because in their mind, they do.

Think of your ceiling like a fortress. If you leave one crack open, it’s only a matter of time. Possum-proofing is not about brute force. It’s about forensic attention to entry points, roof structures, overhanging branches, vent gaps, and even air bricks.

Here’s what a thorough possum-proofing operation includes:

• Thermal imaging or motion-sensor checks to identify movement
• Secure one-way exits that are approved under wildlife regulations
• Sheet metal guards or heavy mesh over vulnerable roof gaps
• Pruning back trees and climbing points near your structure
• Deodorising possum scent trails to break their homing instinct

Each possum, each house, each block has its own layout, quirks and weak points. The right strategy is always personal, not textbook.

You wouldn’t ask a friend to perform surgery just because they’re good with a knife. Same logic applies here. Possum control isn’t about brawn. It’s a legal, biological, and architectural challenge.

Only someone who knows…

• Wildlife legislation
• Possum biology and habits
• Building structures
• Environmental clues
• Roof mapping and night activity

…can actually get the job done without causing damage, breaking laws, or wasting your money.

Possums have adapted to urban life. They’re smart, they’re agile, and they’ve got nowhere else to go. That makes your house their target, and their patterns tougher to break than most people expect.

Possum removal is never just a chore. It’s a precision job that balances legal safety, technical know-how, and pure street smarts. And getting it wrong isn’t just a minor slip. It invites repeat invasions, property damage, fines and a trail of expensive mistakes.

If your home has become the neighbourhood possum hotel, it’s not a situation to leave to luck or guesswork. It’s a job for people who’ve seen it all and solved it for good.

If you want it handled the right way, with no shortcuts and no second chances for the possums, Hire Us 4 Pest Control does exactly that. We know the moves they’ll make before they even try them.