How to Manage Possums in Your Garden

It is extremely difficult to keep possums out of gardens, there are hundreds of products on the market that say they do the job and yes, they may for a few nights or weeks, but they usually don't work for any longer than that.

Keeping possums out of trees.

If you're trying to protect a tree, I recommend trimming branches away from roof lines and away from other interconnecting trees and service lines, 2 metres is a good distance, once you individualised the tree the possum's only option then is to climb from ground level up the trunk. Now it's time to wrap the trunk with a UV rated polycarbonate sheet or a sheet of tin and secure it to itself with wire or screws. You want the height to at least be a metre.

There is no need to screw into the tree. This will then prevent the possum from climbing up the trunk. The plastic or tin you use to wrap the trunk needs to be thick enough to prevent the possums claws from penetrating it. Cheap thin plastic will not do the trick.

Keeping possums off roof tops.

If you are trying to prevent possums from running across your roof, cut away tree access to the roof. Usually, 2 metres away is a good distance. And remove any other items that would allow them easy access to the roof.

If you have service lines, power/phone running to the roof, possum wire guards can be installed by a qualified lines technician or electrician, contact your power company for assistance here. They are simple devices that spin or block the possums from walking across the service lines.

In some circumstances with rendered buildings and stone buildings that don't have an eave line the possums can simply walk up the corners of the walls, in this case it is best to do as described above with the trees, apply this to the corners of the building. But they are usually only climbing the corners of the building because they can get inside the roof. If there's noise in the roof, please call.

Ringtail possums climbing a rendered wall in Bayside Melbourne

Keeping possums off your fence line.

The only product I've seen work in regard to fence lines is Sureguard electric fence barrier, it is a small electric fence which can be placed on your fence top or around your garden, it gives the possum a static charge when touched. You will likely have to tell your neighbours you're installing an electric fence around your fence line and trim away any interconnecting trees to neighbours trees and make sure the fence line is not impeded at any points. Sureguard now has a motion sensor sprinkler that may assist too, I have no experience with this device.

At The Possum Professional we specialise in making buildings possum proof and warranty this for 3 years. As gardens and outdoors are the possum's natural habitat it is illegal for me to trap or relocate possums as Possums are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.

Also please do not call and attack me or complain to me about the laws and the possums eating your garden,

I do not make the laws, but I must adhere to them.

Below is a list of products that may assist:

Polycarbonate sheet can be purchased at your local Bunnings: Suntuf 5 x 1m x 0.8mm Clear UV2 Polycarbonate Sheet Handi-Roll - Bunnings Australia

Possum Barriers can be purchased at: Critter Guard – Possum Guards – Line Guard – Adapt Australia

Sureguard: How to get rid of Possums

Possum laws and other helpful advice in the garden: Possums