Possum deterrent

[echnidna]

A friend doing a major reno on his house stripped it back to about lockup stage. Though the house is now open.

A possum has taken up residence so he's going to try and catch it.

Is there any deterrent available to stop it happening again?

[Gumby]

Is there any deterrent available to stop it happening again?

I find a baseball bat pretty handy.

[Cliff Rogers]

For a while you could buy a product called 'Deter'.
It was mixed with water & sprayed into/onto areas where the animal visited & the theory is/was that the animal did not like or was warned off by the smell.
I don't know how good it is/was.

[craigb]

Making sure it's got no means of getting in I guess.

This is a problem we are having too at the moment.

We have a family of Ringtails (mum, dad and kiddie) who come and visit every night, mainly because the missus feeds them apple.

That's o.k. The're nice harmless little critters.

Unfortunately, word has also got around to a Brushtail. :(

So he comes around and p!sses all over the patio, strips the leaves of the cumquat plants and generally makes a nuisance of himself.

I'm going to start leaving the outside light on and see if that has any effect.

If that doesn't work, I'll hook up a 500 watt flood to a movement sensor. :D

Hopefully that'll scare the bugger off.

[RufflyRustic]

The latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine has a bit in it about deterring possums from eating rose bushes. I browsed through it last night and from memory said something about a brand of tea to spray on the roses and some particular type of bark boiled up with other stuff again to spray on the roses. The idea was the spray was bitter, which deterred the possums. Maybe this might help somewhat.

cheers
RufflyRustic

[nine fingers]

A few years ago we had possumn trouble in the ceiling,called Parks and wildlife ,they suggested burning inscence (sic) as they do not like the smell.
Did not get around to trying it ,found the loose tile they were using.
hope that helps nine fingers

[anthonyd]

I had this problem about two years ago. A pair of ringtails had taken up residence in the house roof and were making a racket all night.

After doing a lot of research this is what I did:

1. Found a product at bunnings that is a powder that you mix with water and repels possums,birds etc.... I mixed up 4 litres of the stuff and put it in those pressurised containers you use for spraying the garden. Took it into the roof and sprayed all 4 litres all over the roof. Next three days the noise in the roof only got worse.

2. Back to researching - I found that they apparently hate the stuff that moth balls are made from (the name slips me just now). Found some bottles of this stuff as flakes. Bought 2kg of it and proceeded to spread it all over the roof. Result - next three days the noise just got louder.

3. More research - hmmm read somewhere that they are nocturnal and lights scare them off. Back into the roof with all the bedside and portable lights and extension cordes and lite up the roof like a christmas tree. Hell would you know it the damn buggers still making that noise!

4. At this point we had run out of information and two weeks of no sleep was not helping! Then on a sunday afternoon we had some friends over and we were telling them about our new pests. While telling the story we realised that the noise started just after the landlord set people over to clear the gutters (fire season!). Then the missus also remembered that the gutter people had told her that there was a loose roof tile and they had replaced it. It was then that the penny dropped - the reason none of our repellants were working was because the damn possums were stuck in the roof.

Moved the tile and within a half hour the possums emerged! Now to put this in perspective - this is 3pm on a sunday AFTERNOON with 5 people onlooking and the NOCTURNAL possum comes out. After just under two weeks in the roof with no water or food and some crazy lunitic attacking them with repellent, moth ball flakes and lights in the sydney summer heat:p. I have never seen such a mangy looking possum ever!

We now think of our selves as the possum nazis!

Why am I telling you this story? Well I can confirm for the increase in noise levels that all three of those deterrants do work and, had our possums been able to get out would probably have done so!

[Eastie]

They hate moth balls (naphthalene) and won't eat anything with blood and bone on or around it.

[scooter]

Blood & bone eh Eastie, could be a bit whiffy tho' :D

The stuff Anthony was referring to I'd say is called "Poss off"


Cheers.............Sean

[echnidna]

Dunno bout blood and bone in the roof of a house

[Iain]

Lovely stuff blood and bone, I was away for a week in the middle of summer a few years ago when SWMBO took the Landcruiser out and picked up a big sack of the stuff, too heavy to lift out so she left in the car with the windows shut.
What a surprise when I got home and got in MY car the following day.
(Just realised it was Dynamic Lifter, wow, the power of chook poo, our new secret weapon)

[RETIRED]

A few years ago we had possumn trouble in the ceiling,called Parks and wildlife ,they suggested burning inscence (sic) as they do not like the smell.
Did not get around to trying it ,found the loose tile they were using.
hope that helps nine fingers
Neither do I.:D

[Driver]

Neither do I.:D

: Axe Wielder, Mongrel, Possum (?) - Nah, doesn't work.

[Ausworkshop]

They hate moth balls (naphthalene) and won't eat anything with blood and bone on or around it.

I had a bag of blood & bone that was getting eaten. The bag was ripped open at the side and something had its face in there feasting nightly over a few weeks, I came to the conclusion it was possums as there are no dogs loose nightly in our backyard.

Guess it was something else with sharp claws & an appetite for blood:eek:
shhhhh, I just heard a noise then, I'm going out there, wish me luck!

[Gumby]

I had a bag of blood & bone that was getting eaten. The bag was ripped open at the side and something had its face in there feasting nightly over a few weeks, I came to the conclusion it was possums as there are no dogs loose nightly in our backyard.

Guess it was something else with sharp claws & an appetite for blood:eek:
shhhhh, I just heard a noise then, I'm going out there, wish me luck!

I just had one run across the roof. It's colourbond (the roof, not the possum) and makes a bit of noise. I'm sending the large one up there. One look at her and it won't come back :D :D

Now where's that hydraulic lift .......

[Cliff Rogers]

: Axe Wielder, Mongrel, Possum (?) - Nah, doesn't work.

: Axe Wielder, Mongrel, Hairy Creature.... that works. :D

[bsrlee]

The blood & bone eater is probably a large, very fat, rat, not a possum. Get a box type rat trap & load it with something yummy - or b&b - and hide the bag of b&b - if its a rat or similar it will turn up in the trap & you get to beat it to death. If its a possum or other protected (or friendly) species you can just let it go.

I suggest the box trap as I have experienced a rate of 1 rat to 2 native birds, so I don't go for the 'one shot kill' traps until I'm sure I won't get a friendly by accident.