How to get rid of possums in the roof

Make sure it's a possum

Weight and voice are the tells. Rats are light, fast and scratchy. A possum is heavy enough that you hear individual footfalls or outright thumps, and they make a low guttural growl or hiss that nothing else in a New Zealand roof produces.

If the noise is waking you up, it's more likely a possum than a rat.

Find the branch

Possums don't climb your walls - they walk along a branch and step onto the roof. Almost every roof possum we deal with has an overhanging branch within jumping distance.

Trimming growth back from the roofline is free, takes an afternoon, and does more than anything else on this list. Do it and half the problem is gone.

Then the entry point

• Gaps at the eaves or an open soffit
• Lifted roofing sheets or damaged ridge capping
• Broken vents or missing flashing
• Gaps where a garage or lean-to meets the main roof

The insulation is the expensive bit

This is what people don't expect. Possums compact insulation as they move through it and foul it heavily with urine and droppings, and once soaked it neither insulates properly nor stops smelling.

Once the animal is gone, get someone to look at what's up there. Badly contaminated insulation needs replacing, and it's worth knowing that before you've paid for the removal and assumed you're finished.

What not to do

Don't block the access while the possum is inside - you'll trap it, and a dead possum in a ceiling cavity is a considerably worse problem than a live one. Deal with the animal first, then close the gap.