Uninvited guests: When possums drop in – literally – and make themselves at home

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

“Hello possums” may be a famous catchphrase, but Monica Elith certainly wasn’t expecting to greet one in her bathroom.

Two years ago she was woken by a loud boom and found a possum had plunged through a ceiling exhaust fan and into the shower at her house at Belgrave in Melbourne’s outer east.

Monica Elith shows where a possum fell through a ceiling fan into her shower.Credit: Eddie Jim

“It was just sitting there looking at us,” Elith said, adding that their new furry friend was uninjured in the ordeal.

Then it bolted, with husband Alex in pursuit. “It knocked over some of our pot plants until my husband cornered it, put a shopping bag over it and took it outside,” Elith said. After the shock had worn off, the family could see the funny side.

Then six months ago it happened again — two possums fell down a flue pipe and into the glass-fronted wood heater in their lounge room, which luckily wasn’t alight because it was summer.

But Elith’s parents, who were visiting from Michigan in the United States, had an unexpectedly close encounter with Australian wildlife.

Possums in the home: Monica Elith and sons Lucas, 10, and Zachary, 7, with the wood heater that two possums fell into from the roof.Credit: Eddie Jim

Elith said the possums were freaking out.

“They’d been hanging out on the roof and suddenly went down this Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole and landed in our living room,” she said.

Elith, Alex and sons Chase, 12, Lucas, 10 and Zachary, 7, wished the animals no ill will.

“We love all of our native animal friends here in the hills,” she said. “I was hoping they weren’t hurt.”

Rohan from 1800 Possums with one of the two possums that fell into the Elith family’s fireplace in Belgrave.

This time, the Eliths called the experts: 1800 Possums came to catch the possums and close off possible entry points into the house.

Melbourne’s possum catchers get calls year-round from residents reporting the critters entering homes – and sometimes it’s a little too close for comfort.

Last week, two possums fell through the ceiling of a Thornbury house’s spare room, across the hall from the resident’s bed.

The homeowner fled the house in fright, unsure what had caused the ruckus. Catchers later found the culprits: a possum the size of a koala sleeping in her bed and a second possum nestled in the spare room.

Two possums recently fell through this hole in the ceiling of a Thornbury house.

Of course, the possums had pooed and peed all over the house. The homeowner, who asked not to be named, said the final repair and cleaning bill was about $5000.

Luke McKirdy, owner of 1800 Possums, whose staff attended the Belgrave and Thornbury cases, said public attitudes towards possums had changed.

“More people used to ring and say, ‘I just want to kill it’,” he said.

“Now more people are saying ‘I don’t want to hurt it’, which is a nice thing to see.”

A possum found indoors by 1800 Possums.

Possums are territorial and, by law, those captured must be released within 50 metres of where they were found and can’t be released in the daytime due to increased stress and risk of predators.

“They’re highly susceptible to stress and likely won’t survive relocation,” a spokesperson for charity Wildlife Victoria said.

McKirdy said it was rare to remove a live possum from a home. In most cases, they install one-way doors that let the possums out, but not back in.

It’s “the most humane way of dealing with it”, he said. They also close over any other holes in the house – some as small as a tennis ball – to prevent a return.

McKirdy said some clients returned from holidays to find a possum had trashed their house in an effort to get out. One possum stood on a laundry tap in a second floor flat – and flooded the building.

Lissette Knight, director of Possum Catchers, said clients reported possums coming down chimneys or walking through doggy doors. “People have been cooking and they’ve fallen through range hoods.”

Knight said many calls were from people in newly built homes.

“They are baffled, they say, ‘Why do I have possums in the roof if it’s new? It’s not like my tiles are falling off or there’s wood rot’.”

But Knight said possums could get in through gutters and rainheads between the gutter and downpipe.

Paul Nolch, owner of Paul the Possum Catcher, who has been in the business for 35 years, said he once removed a possum from a Clayton garage – then the next day the residents filmed it climbing up their front door.

One Rosanna resident has installed cameras to discover how possums are getting into his roof space.

“It’s been going on for months and it’s driving him mad, the noise, up in the ceiling,” Nolch said. “He’s trying to sleep and this thing’s coming in at 5am.”

The Wildlife Victoria spokesperson said the charity received about 200 calls per year about possums in houses.

The spokesperson said possums that enter homes are seeking warmth, comfort and food.

Brushtail possums – or brushies – are often found in roofs and houses, but usually live in tree hollows

“But with increased habitat destruction comes an increase of possums found in urban areas,” the spokesperson said.

“To deter possums from entering your home, or to encourage them to vacate, try installing a possum box, which creates an artificial habitat for the brushie to live in.”

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.

Most Viewed in National

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article