If you live in Melbourne or the Mornington Peninsula, you would be familiar with possums. They are some of the most iconic animals to make residential neighbourhoods their homes in Victoria. They love living in leafy neighbourhoods and climbing on powerlines and roofs to get to destinations. However, all too often they can get stuck, or nest in residential house roofs, and this is where our pest control Mornington Peninsula team at Infinity Pest Solutions comes in. Possums are a marsupial species native to Australia and are protected by law. So do not worry, possums will not be harmed if you require pest control. Our service is removal and relocation.

There are two main species of possums that you will come across in Melbourne and the Mornington peninsula. They are the common brushtail possum and the common ringtail possum.

Brushtail Possums

Brushtail possums are the larger of the two species of possums. If you have a tin roof on your house and have heard a ‘thunk, thunk, thunk’ noise making its way across the property overnight, chances are one of these animals was the culprit. You may also have heard piercing ghostly shrieks coming from the trees during the breeding season – also most likely a brushtail.

These possums can be found in regions all over Australia, but of course, prefer ‘bushland’ and other temperate forest regions. The abundant shelter, combined with native plant life, and vertical environments created by suburban neighbourhoods have proven to be a popular adapted home for the brushtail possum. These marsupials can grow to be around 55cm in size and have grey fur with a creamy white underbelly. The wild diet of a possum is vegetarian and consists of leaves, blossoms, fruit, and berries. However, many suburban possums have adapted to human food and will eat whatever they can find.

Ringtail possums

The smaller of the two species, with a length of 35cm; ringtail possums have a prehensile tail that is used as a 5th limb, making them adept climbers. The lighter weight and smaller size of these marsupials mean they are a lot quieter on rooftops and great at climbing along electricity wires. The diet and habitat of ringtails are very similar to brushtails, enjoying eucalyptus leaves, flowers, fruit, and berries. They are easily distinguished by their brown fur and a white underbelly. Possum families live in nests and are highly territorial. You will often see mother possums walking along with baby possums clinging to their backs.

Why remove possums?

Unfortunately, when possums crawl into the roof, they can damage the property by defecating and urinating. This leaves behind unpleasant odours and creates moisture, mould, and an unhygienic environment for the passage of bacteria and diseases. Possums scurrying in and out of the roof can also be noisy at night-time as well.

Possum pest control services – Mornington Peninsula

At Infinity Pest Solutions, our Mornington Peninsula pest control team offers relocation services for possums. We remove the animals from your building, seal the entry point and release the animal into the wild. Possums can’t be released more than 50m from the catch point; so it is essential that the access to your residential roof, walls, or wherever your possum has nested is sealed to prevent the possum from simply re-entering. We release it near the catch point to ensure it isn’t left in another possum’s territory and has adequate resources.

Possum Boxes

You might like having possums living near your property, just not within your roof or walls. Luckily, there are easy ways to relocate possums and give them shelter. They are possum boxes. These are wooden boxes that are about 25x25x50cm that you install by hammering them to a tree that can sustain their weight effectively. The boxes mimic the natural nesting site of a possum such as a tree hollow and have a hole for the possum to climb in; functioning as a suitable, comfortable, and protective nest (instead of your roof). If a member of our Mornington Peninsula pest control team is called, the possum can be safely relocated to the possum box. Given the territorial nature of possums, it is unlikely that others will visit your roof if one is occupying the possum box.

Contact our pest control Mornington Peninsula team

If you have a possum that has decided to make a nest in your roof or walls, do not hesitate to get in contact with Infinity Pest Solutions. Our expert Mornington peninsula pest control team has all the required permits to trap and relocate possums as humanely as possible, so you can get the possum removed from your house with no issues. Whether you live in Mt Eliza or Mornington Peninsula get in contact with our pest control services team today.

Give us a call on 0402 945 187  or fill out the contact form on our website for a free quote.