Possums As Pests: Signs, Symptoms, Prevention and Control

In Australia, the brushtail possum is pervasive and can be found all through the country. Possums harm recovered backwoods, blossoms, natural product trees and pine estates. They'll likewise chomp on vegetables and enhancing plants when they figure out how to slip into your nursery causing significant annihilation.

Being true omnivores, possums also feed on frogs, snakes, birds (and their eggs), mice, rats, voles, and snails. Their love for eggs is threatening to native bird species as it affects their ability to reproduce.

Possums can also cause some serious damage to your property by chewing on electrical wiring creating a fire hazard and an expensive problem to fix. Their fur could also be teeming with smaller pests such as ticks and fleas which they could introduce into your home. These smaller pests will cause trouble to both you and your pet.

What is a possum’s life cycle?

Possums are like kangaroos in that they carry their young ones in pouches – animals with this trait are referred to as marsupials. A possum will go through a 17 day gestation period after which they’ll produce a single offspring. They usually breed between the months of May and June.

A newborn possum is very tiny weighing in at 2 grams and measuring about 1.5 cm. Despite the small size, a baby possum can climb into their mother’s pouch unaided. Once it gets there, the newborn attaches to a teat and begins feeding.

The fragile possum will remain inside the pouch for about 5 months as it develops. After this period, the more mature possum will shift to its mother’s back where it will stay for 2 months. Males do not play a role in the rearing of offsprings.

After seven months of dependency, the young possum can now live independently and will have matured fully by the tenth month. Females start breeding as early as twelve months while males will stay up to 2 years before reaching sexual maturity.

How do you prevent a possum problem?

There’re several things you can do to discourage possums from moving into your property. These are:

• Covering openings that possums can use to gain access to your house. You can use wire mesh for large holes and slotted vent covers for ventilation holes.

• Trim tree branches to at least 50ft from your homes roof as possums can use the overhanging branches to access your roof – they’re pretty good climbers.

• Install grid screens or any other suitable barrier to protect your low decks from possums.

• Cover your outdoor bins. Leaving your outdoor bins uncovered will attract possums and other wild animals due to the presence of food.
• Clean up food leftovers on your property. Leftovers from barbecues should be cleared immediately to avoid attracting wild animals including possums.

What possum control options are available in the home?

If possums have already found their way into your home or are a persistent problem on your property, there’re several control methods that you can use to get rid of them.

Live Possum Traps

Live traps are a great option, but you had better check to see if you need a permit to trap any possums at your home.  Pestrol live traps are large enough to capture a possum and hold it until you can release it.  The open size of the trap is 24 cm wide by 66 cm long and 26 cm high.  The possum will not be injured when it is captured.  These traps are very easy to bait and can be put together very quickly.  You do not need to use any fancy tools to put the trap together.  Once you capture a possum you can transport it and release it into the wild.  There is also some mesh around the area of where the bait is located that prevents the possum from stealing the bait and eluding the trap.  The handle is shielded for your protection so that you can carry the trap and not have to worry about being bitten or scratched.

The trap arrives in a folded flat condition with the instructions needed to unfold it into a usable position.  Cable ties are then cut to allow the trap to expand open.  Instructions will show you how to set the trap up and get ready for your first capture.  Always ensure that you are permitted to trap possums in your local area before you get started.  The best way to ensure that the trap is effective is to place it on a flat surface, bait it beyond the trip plate and use canned pet food.  Try to camouflage the trap itself with the use of leaves and twigs around the trap.  Check the trap every day in case you have caught a possum, you don’t want it to suffer for an extended period of time in the trap.

Motion sensor outdoor lights

This is activated when pests are in range and are detected by the device. There are two modes:

1. Continuous Sweep:  This mode utilises a wide range of ultrasonic and sonic frequencies at random intervals.  The motion detector does not function on this setting.  This is useful to repel a variety of pests.
2. Constant:  this setting will activate the sonic noises and the ultrasonic device which will cycle through a wide range of varying intervals.  If you use the constant setting the motion detector is automatically deactivated.

This useful device can be placed in a variety of locations including in the garden, in a carport, in workshops, under the eaves of your home, around your yard, in a campsite while you are camping, in a barn, on your rooftop, balcony, patio or porch.  You can also use the device in a ceiling cavity, in a greenhouse, near a pond or around a food storage area.  The control box is completely waterproof and has a remote control.  The device is also completely portable and can be powered with the use of four C cell batteries.

Why poisoning is not a desireable possum control solution

Using poison bait to get rid of possums is quite a harmful way of controlling possums. This is because the control method is non-specific and will harm other untargeted animals. The carcasses might also be fed on by other wildlife which will effectively transfer the poison to their system.

Poisoning might seem like a good permanent solution, but at closer scrutiny proves to be more harmful than it is useful. It’s also illegal, so don’t do it.

For effective possum control at home, use humane and non-lethal possum control solutions to get rid of these stubborn pests.

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