How to Identify a Possum Infestation: Signs to Look Out For

Possums are mousy-looking marsupials that often wander inside human properties and adapt quickly to living in that surroundings. They hang around in quiet and dry places which include attics, roofs, trees, and gardens. They are nocturnal by habit and pretty noisy and make a great deal of mess once they settle in. Many homeowners hire possum removal Adelaide experts to remove these pests once they spot one or two.

As they say, detection is very important to prevent spread of the infestation. Possums are very active and leave a trail of signals after they start nesting in your property. So if you identify a few signs, you can take quicker action by calling in possum removal Brisbane specialists to remove them safely. Possums are in the protected list and need careful handling while being removed or relocated. Here below are a few signs that will keep you alert about possum entry and infestation in your house –

Droppings

They are referred to as pellet-shaped droppings because of their appearance which is long and crescent-shaped. Possums are notorious for leaving huge quantities of droppings that are very visible. They may be 5-15 mm wide and about 20-30 mm in length having a distinctly unpleasant odor. The texture and color vary according to the varied diet of possums. They usually leave the droppings near their nesting areas like attics, roof gaps, logs, and tree trunks, within crawl spaces, or beneath the sheds and decks of your homes or offices.

Possum nests and dwellings

They are tree-dwelling marsupials and spend the day hours in secure dens like tree hollows, caves, attics, or even abandoned houses. You can identify possum infestation in your gardens by the holes that are small and the grass around their holes usually appears ripped out which is due to their movements.

Possum foot marks and tracks

The interesting thing about possums’ forefeet is that they are different from their hind feet. The hind foot has a thumb with no nails. Whereas the front paws resemble a hand with five fingers with a curved claw at the end. The footprints are usually that of the front paws. The size of the footprint can be 3-4 cm consisting of four to five toe pads. The possum uses all four feet to walk and has a space of 10-13 cm in between the right and left paw. Being nocturnal, the possum sleeps during the daytime and walks all over your premises leaving hair, drippings, or footprints. If you find any such signs hire Possum Removal Adelaide experts for professional and safe removal.

Loud noises

Being nocturnal possums are active during the night and keep you awake with their loud thumping, growling, hissing, squeaking, and screeching noises that seem to come from inside walls, ceilings, attic, or roof. Often their activities keep you and your pets awake and turn into a real menace. For a quick solution, it is advisable to call possum removal Brisbane specialists who will do expert removal.

Urine tracks and stains

While many critters produce strong smell and urine trails, the urine of possums is particularly offensive to smell and their urine leaves very stubborn stains.

Damage to garden and external yards

One of the most obvious signs of possum infestation is damage to trees and plants in your gardens and yards. You may see leafless branches, broken branches, and chewed leaves on stems, all of which indicate a possum attack.

Possums chew young shoots, rip off fruits, and also create a mess in vegetable gardens. They chew tree bark and leave scratch marks. They also leave claw marks while climbing trees. They also spoil flower beds and chew them off causing considerable expenses to the homeowners.

Glowing red lights from trees

Possums are active at night and have beady bright red eyes that seem to be lit at night. So when you see these tiny glowing dots from trees at night in all possibility they are possums around.

Property damage

Damaged insulation: Possums attack insulation to build their nest by ripping them. Also, insulation in remote areas like the attic needs to be replaced due to excessive possum droppings.

Damaged cables and electric wiring: Possums have very sharp teeth and they bite through cable and electric wires that may cause fire hazards and threats.

New holes in the nest: Once the possum has settled and made a nest, it may make multiple holes to enter or exit the nest that damages the structure of your attic or roof. Possum activities also cause damage to your eaves, gutter, and siding. They also tear the shingles of your roof.

Upturned trash cans and attack on pet food bowls

Possums love trash and eat almost anything. So if you leave your garbage casually in loosely lidded bins the possums start rummaging through food and create a mess upturning the cans. They may eat up your pet food left in their bowls outside.

To conclude, having a possum infestation is not easy as they bring damage and risks. Having prior knowledge on how to identify their presence helps you in preventing further spread and damage by timely calling in Possum removal Brisbane service experts.