Wearing Army Boots Stomping Up And Down!
Many of us have had the experience where a possum ends up in our roof – often sounding like they are wearing army boots as the stomp up and down. But why does this happen and how can we prevent it or get the possum out without hurting it?
As more trees are cleared, sadly we have less mature trees with hollows in them, which are homes to a variety of wildlife. Our Common Brushtail and Short Eared Possums in the Hinterland sometimes have to resort to making a home in our roof space. Possums will have numerous hollow sleeping spots, where they will alternate use according to weather and nearby food sources.
If your local possum has no choice but to sleep in your roof, then there is a simple and harmless process to evict them:
- First find the entry point into your roof
- Wait till the possum goes out for the evening – it should be out by at least 9 PM
- When its out then block up the hole so it cannot re-enter
- It is always a good idea to put a Possum Box up in a nearby tree as an alternative home for it
- Nest boxes can be sourced on line or instructions how to build them can be easily googled
- Some Mens Sheds also do projects that include Possum Boxes
- The Possum Boxes need to be at least 4m high and attach the side of the box to the tree so Possums can easily climb up and enter
- Possums are highly territorial – so relocation is not an option as they will be attacked if put in another Possum’s territory
- There are of course laws and regulations around trapping and relocation as they are a native species.
How Can We Help?
• Retain old growth trees on your property so they can be nesting sites for the future. It takes 100 plus years for a hollow to form large enough to nest in – so these trees are very valuable.
• Put nesting boxes up in your trees as an alternative for all native species that use hollows if you don’t have any old growth trees on your property.
By Sherryn Fraser
Registered Wildlife Rescuer, Rehabilitator and Vet Nurse
