Can you relocate possums

A trapped wild animal may injure itself trying to get out of the trap. Animals moved to another location do not know where the food and water sources are which can result in starvation and death. The territorial disputes can result in serious injuries and death when a relocated wild animal is placed in the territory of another. You may inadvertently spread disease by relocating a sick animal to a healthy population. If you remove an animal out of its territory you have opened up a territory for another to move in.

The food and nesting habitat once used by the trapped animal are now available to other animals. If trapping and relocating the animals creates too many voids, pregnancy rates and the number of young born per litter will increase in order to fill the voids and take advantage of the available resources. This ultimately results in a population increase. You must release the opossum as soon as possible and as close to where the trap was placed.

Prop the door open so when you move away, the door will remain open for the opossum to walk out. If you are setting traps to catch a feral cat, make sure the traps are not set during the night when you may inadvertently capture an opossum. Donate Now. Get Email Updates. A relocated possum will not survive in a new territory. So you need to rehouse them nearby, away from your roof, ideally in a tree in your garden.

It is illegal to relocate or kill a possum. Traps may be available for hire from some licensed wildlife rehabilitation groups or pest control companies. Remember to block off the access points into your roof and to provide a possum house if you intend to try trapping.

A possum must be released at dusk no more than metres away from the point of capture and near something it can immediately climb, such as a tree or tall fence, otherwise it will not survive. Bushland areas rarely have any vacant territories, so if you were to release the possum in another area, it would have to search and compete with other possums for shelter and food in unfamiliar territory.

If you are unable to carry out these steps yourself, you can hire a professional possum catch and release possum operator to do it for a fee. But, what is the right way to relocate the opossum, that is safe both for your and the animal?

If your decision is to relocate the animal, there are few issues you should pay attention to. First things first, your need to pay attention to handle the animal safely while you are removing it. Make sure to wear gloves, and not touch the animal with your bare hands. A possum could spread multiple infectious diseases by scratching or biting, not to mention how painful it would be.

Place a light in the roof cavity and keep it switched on. When the possum has relocated to its new home, locate their entry point to your roof space and block off access. Make sure none of the possums or any of their babies are in your roof before blocking off access. Prune any tree branches that give the possums access to your roof. How can I live happily with flying foxes? Home Wild Animals Living with Wildlife.