Mosman’s tree lined streets, harbourside bushland, and older homes with roomy roof cavities make it a comfortable spot for possums, and plenty of residents end up sharing their roof with one at some point. The scratching and thumping usually starts around dusk, once the possum wakes up and starts moving around before heading out to feed. This page covers why possums end up in roofs in the first place, how they’re safely encouraged to leave, and how to stop the next one from moving in.
The most obvious sign is noise at night, thumping, scratching, or the sound of something moving across the ceiling not long after dark, then again closer to dawn when it returns. You might also notice a musty smell near one part of the ceiling, small droppings around a manhole or in the garden below a particular section of roof, or a single obvious entry point, often a gap around a tile, vent, or eave, that shows signs of use like rubbed edges or scratch marks.
A roof cavity gives a possum most of what it’s after: shelter from weather, distance from anything that might see it as a meal, and an easy path down to nearby trees to feed at night. Mosman’s mature gums and figs, especially near the harbour foreshore, sit close to a lot of rooflines, which makes the jump from tree to roof an easy one. Once a possum finds a comfortable spot, it tends to keep coming back to it, which is why the same roof can end up with a new possum not long after the last one has been moved on.
Possums are a protected native animal in New South Wales, so moving one on isn’t as simple as chasing it out. The general approach involves confirming where the possum is coming and going from, then fitting a one way door over that entry point so the possum can leave to feed at night but can’t get back in through the same spot. Because possums are creatures of habit, this usually works within a few nights, once the possum has settled on a different spot to shelter. Only after it’s confirmed the possum is out does the entry point get properly sealed.
Possums are most active after dark, so a one way door only works if it’s fitted while the possum is out feeding, otherwise it can end up shut inside. Checking for young possums matters too. During the cooler months a mother possum may be carrying a joey, and rushing the process at the wrong time can separate them, so the approach usually allows a bit more time before sealing the entry point during that part of the year.
The entry point that let one possum in will keep attracting others unless it’s closed properly once the roof is clear. Beyond sealing gaps around tiles, vents, and eaves, trimming back branches that overhang or touch the roofline removes the easiest route from tree to roof. Checking the roof every so often, particularly after storms when tiles can shift, helps catch a new gap before it becomes an entry point.
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Possums are territorial and tend to return to a shelter spot they know, even after being moved on once. Unless the entry point is closed off properly, a new possum, or sometimes the same one, will often find its way back in within a few weeks.
No, and this is one of the more common mistakes. Sealing an entry point while a possum is still inside traps it in the roof, which usually ends up causing more damage and a worse smell than the original problem. Confirming the possum has left before sealing anything is a key part of doing it properly.
Possums are around all year, but activity tends to pick up in the cooler months when they’re more likely to look for warmer shelter, and again during breeding season when mothers are carrying young. Both of these periods call for a bit more care around timing.
Yes, over time. Scratching, nesting material, and urine can affect insulation and ceiling linings, and the noise alone is usually enough to prompt most people to deal with it sooner rather than later.
Once it exits through the one way door, it’s free to find a new spot to shelter, usually not far away given how territorial they are. The focus of the job is on getting it out and keeping it out, not relocating it elsewhere.
Possums are a protected species, which limits what you’re able to do yourself, and getting the timing or the one way door wrong can end up trapping the possum inside instead of letting it leave. Getting someone to check the roof and confirm what’s actually going on is usually the more straightforward option.
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