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Possum Removal Melbourne | Same Day Service, 7 Days
Possum in the roof at night? We remove possums across Melbourne and seal the entry points they are using, seven days. Call 0436389114 for a free quote.
- Licensed for wildlife work, seven days a week
- We check for joeys before anything is sealed
- Entry points closed, not just the possum caught
- Fixed price before we travel
No obligation. Your details are only used to quote your job.
What our customers say
Filmed by our customers, not scripted by us.
How does possum removal in Melbourne actually work?
A licensed technician confirms the species, finds every opening into the roof, and checks for dependent young. A brushtail living inside the building is trapped and then released on your own property, after dark, within 50 metres of where it was caught, because that is what Victorian law requires. The part that actually fixes the problem is the next step: every entry point is closed with steel mesh or re-seated capping so the roof is shut. Catching the animal without sealing the roof simply gives it somewhere to come back to the same night. If a joey is present we fit a one-way door and return once the roof is empty. Call 0436 389 114 for a free quote, seven days.
That is the whole process. Tell us what you are hearing and we will quote it.
Brushtail or ringtail? It changes what is lawful
Melbourne has two common possums and they are not treated the same way under the law, so this is the first thing we work out.
You can usually tell from the tail and the noise before anyone comes out. Plenty of people also search for opossum removal near me: the opossum is a North American animal, and the one in your roof is an Australian brushtail.
- Brushtail. Cat-sized, grey, with a bushy dark tail. Heavy on the roof, loud thumps, hisses and coughs. This is the one that lives in roof voids and the one that can be trapped by a licensed operator.
- Ringtail. Smaller, with a thin tail that has a white tip and curls. Builds a nest of leaves, usually outside in a tree or a dense shrub. Ringtails are not eligible for trapping unless the landholder holds an Authority to Control Wildlife from the Conservation Regulator.
- Neither can be trapped in the open. Possums in your garden, in trees, on the fence or nesting outside a building fall outside what any licence covers.
- Not sure? Describe the sound and the hour you hear it and we will usually place it over the phone.
Not sure which one is in your roof? Describe the noise and we will place it.
Possum Control Melbourne: what the job covers
Most possum problems in Melbourne come down to three things: the animal, the opening it uses, and whatever it has left behind. One visit covers all three.
Roof and cavity inspection
We get into the roof void where it is safe to do so, find the runs and the droppings, and work out every point of entry rather than the obvious one.
Lawful trapping and on-site release
A brushtail living inside the building is trapped and released on your property after dark, within 50 metres, exactly as the law requires.
Joey check before sealing
Nothing is closed until we are satisfied there is no dependent young inside. Where there is, a one-way door goes on and we return.
Entry-point sealing
Steel mesh, re-seated capping and closed weep gaps. This is possum proofing, and it is the part that stops the problem repeating.
Dead possum removal
Locating and removing a carcass from a roof, wall or subfloor, then treating and deodorising what it has attracted.
Damage report in plain English
What we found, what we did, which openings we closed, and anything on the roof we could not safely reach.
One visit covers the animal, the opening and the mess it left behind.
Why removal alone does not fix a possum problem
This is the thing most people are never told, and it is the reason a lot of possum jobs get done twice.
Victorian law requires a trapped brushtail to be released on the same property, within 50 metres, after dark on the day it was caught. So the animal you paid to have caught is back in your garden that same night, a few steps from the roof it was living in.
If the opening it used is still there, it simply walks back in. Catching is the visible half of the job. Sealing the roof is the half that actually works.
- A roof is usually entered at more than one point, so we look for all of them, not the first one.
- Broken or lifted tiles and displaced ridge capping.
- Gaps behind fascia, barge boards and box gutters.
- Open eave vents, weep holes and unscreened gable ends.
- Overhanging branches that give a clean run onto the roof.
Catching is half the job. Get the roof sealed properly the first time.
Possum Proofing Melbourne: sealing the roof for good
Proofing is what turns a one-off callout into a solved problem. It is also the work we would rather quote than repeat.
Every opening we find is closed with material a possum cannot chew or lever: heavy steel mesh, properly fixed capping, screened vents. Where possums are walking a fence line or a pergola onto the roof, possum spikes and deterrent strips can break the run. On their own, without sealing, they just move the problem along the roof line.
- Steel mesh to eave gaps, weep holes and vent openings.
- Ridge capping re-bedded where it has lifted.
- Fascia and barge gaps closed so they cannot be levered open again.
- Branch clearance advice where a tree is the actual access route.
- Every treated point shown to you before we leave.
Ask for a proofing quote and we will price the whole roof, not one gap.
Possum Catcher Melbourne: what is lawful and what is not
People search for a possum catcher in Melbourne, a possum man near me, or a possum trapper, and get very different answers from different businesses. Here is the part that is not a matter of opinion.
Anyone offering to take your possum away to the bush is either not telling you the truth or is not following the law. Off-property relocation of a brushtail is prohibited in Victoria. Release must be on the capture property, within 50 metres, after dark on the day of capture.
There is also no such thing as a lawful possum exterminator here. Possums are protected wildlife; destroying one is an offence except by a registered veterinary practitioner. If a business advertises that service, that is a reason to be careful, not a reason to book.
- Lawful. Trapping a brushtail that is living inside a building, under a Wildlife Controller Licence.
- Lawful. On-site release after dark, within 50 metres.
- Lawful. Sealing the roof so it cannot re-enter.
- Not lawful. Taking the animal off your property.
- Not lawful. Trapping possums in gardens, trees or on fences.
- Not lawful. Trapping a ringtail without an Authority to Control Wildlife, which the landholder must hold, not the contractor.
Straight answers, no guesswork. Ask us anything before you book.
Dead Possum Removal Melbourne: following the smell
A dead possum announces itself differently. There is no thumping, no movement at dusk, just a smell that gets worse over about a week and then slowly fades while the stain and the insects stay.
We find the source rather than guessing at it, whether that is the roof void, a wall cavity, the subfloor or a blocked flue. We remove it, then treat for the flies, maggots and carpet beetles that have already arrived and deodorise the area. Removing the carcass alone is why the smell sometimes returns a fortnight later.
- Source located before anything is opened up.
- Carcass removed and bagged.
- Insect activity treated, not left behind.
- Area deodorised, not perfumed over.
- Entry point closed so it does not happen again.
If the smell has started, the sooner we locate it the less damage it does.
From your call to a sealed roof
Four steps. The price is fixed before anyone travels to you.
Tell us what you hear
The sound, the hour, and roughly where in the house. That usually settles possum against rat, and brushtail against ringtail, before we arrive.
Inspection and fixed price
We check the roof void where it is safe, find the entry points, look for dependent young, and quote a price that does not move.
Lawful removal
Trapping and on-site release after dark within 50 metres, or a one-way door where there is a joey, so the family leaves on its own.
The roof gets closed
Every opening we found is sealed and shown to you, along with anything we could not safely reach.
Every step above runs on a fixed price, quoted before we travel.
Possum Removal Cost Melbourne: what changes the price
We quote a fixed price before we travel. We do not publish one figure for every job, because these genuinely change it.
- How many entry points. One lifted capping is not the same job as six separate openings.
- Roof access and pitch. A low single storey is quicker and safer than a steep two-storey with no clear access.
- Whether a joey is present. A one-way door means a return visit, and we tell you that before you book rather than after.
- How much proofing you want. Closing the one opening in use, or every weak point on the roof.
- Whether there is a carcass or mess to deal with as well as a live animal.
Get your own number, not a range. Quotes are free and fixed.
Possum removal near me, across Melbourne and Geelong
We cover all of metropolitan Melbourne and the Geelong region. If your suburb is not listed, call with your postcode and we will confirm on the spot.
Melbourne
Geelong region
Our local possum removal pages
Your suburb not listed? Call with your postcode and we will confirm.
Possum control in Melbourne at a glance
| Service area | All of metropolitan Melbourne and the Geelong region |
|---|---|
| Availability | Seven days a week, with same-day appointments where available |
| Species handled | Brushtail possums living inside a building. Ringtails only where the landholder holds an Authority to Control Wildlife |
| Not eligible | Possums in gardens, trees, on fences or nesting outside a building cannot lawfully be trapped by anyone |
| Where the animal goes | Released on your own property, within 50 metres of capture, after dark on the day of capture, as Victorian law requires |
| Dependent young | Checked before anything is sealed. Where a joey is present a one-way door is fitted and we return |
| Proofing | Steel mesh, re-bedded capping, screened vents and weep holes |
| Also covered | Dead possum removal, plus rodents where both are in the roof |
| Governing rules | Wildlife Act 1975 and the Wildlife Regulations 2024, administered by DEECA |
| Contact | Call 0436 389 114 or email info@swiftpestcontrol.com.au |
Everything above in one visit, seven days across Melbourne and Geelong.
Possum removal questions, answered
How much does possum removal cost in Melbourne?
It depends on how the possum is getting in, how many entry points there are and whether the roof can be safely accessed. A single obvious gap under a capping is a smaller job than a roof with six separate openings and a joey in the cavity. We give you a fixed price before we travel, and it does not move once you have accepted it. Call 0436 389 114 with your suburb and what you are hearing.
Can you come out the same day?
Usually, yes. Same-day appointments are available across Melbourne most days and we treat a possum in a bedroom ceiling or a bad smell in a wall as urgent. People search for 24 hour possum removal Melbourne; what we will actually promise is the genuine earliest we can be there, seven days a week.
Where does the possum go after you catch it?
Back onto your own property, after dark, within 50 metres of where it was caught. That is not our preference, it is the law in Victoria. Off-property release is prohibited, so any business offering to take your possum away to the bush is either not telling you the truth or is breaking the law. It is also exactly why sealing the roof is the part that actually solves this.
Is it legal to trap a possum in my garden or off my fence?
No. Only possums living inside a building are eligible for control. Possums in your trees, on the fence or crossing the garden cannot lawfully be trapped at all, and nobody can lawfully do it for you. If that is your situation we will say so on the phone rather than book a pointless visit.
What if there is a baby possum in the roof?
We check for dependent young before anything is sealed. Under the Wildlife Regulations 2024 an unweaned animal must not be taken or transported, and sealing a mother out while a joey is still inside is both unlawful and cruel. Where there is a joey we fit a one-way door so the family can leave on its own, then come back to close the entry once the roof is empty.
Do you remove dead possums as well?
Yes. Dead possum removal in Melbourne is a separate job from live work and usually starts as a smell rather than a noise. We locate the source in the roof void, wall cavity or subfloor, remove it, treat the area for the flies and beetles that follow, and deodorise. Removing the carcass without treating what it has attracted is why the smell sometimes comes back.
Is it a possum or a rat in my roof?
Listen to the weight and the hour. A possum is heavy, slow and thumps, and it usually leaves around dusk and returns before dawn. Rats are light and fast, scratch rather than thud, and are active on and off all night. Both can be in the same roof, which is why people search for possum and rat removal Melbourne together. We will tell you which one you have before we quote.
Will the possum come back after you seal the roof?
It will certainly try, because a lawfully released possum is still on your property that night. That is the whole reason the job is about the roof rather than the animal. Once every opening we find is closed with steel mesh or capping, it has nowhere to get back into. We show you each point we treated so you know what has been done, and we tell you plainly if a section of roof is beyond what we can reach.
Do you use poison on possums?
No, and nobody lawfully can. Possums are protected native wildlife in Victoria. Baiting, poisoning or killing one is an offence, so there is no such thing as a lawful possum exterminator here no matter what you find advertised. The lawful options are trapping and on-site release by a licensed operator, or exclusion work that shuts the roof.
Which suburbs do you cover for possum control near me?
All of metropolitan Melbourne, including Camberwell, Kew, Moorabbin, Dandenong, Narre Warren, Ferntree Gully, Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, plus the Geelong region. Call with your postcode and we will confirm immediately, including telling you if you fall outside our area.
Still have a question? Ask us directly, we answer seven days.
Something heavy in the roof at night?
Tell us what you are hearing and we will tell you what it is, what the law allows, and what it costs. Seven days across Melbourne and Geelong.
Tell us what you are hearing, and where
Thumping above the bedroom, a smell in the wall, scratching at dusk. Describe it and we will tell you what you have and what it needs.
No obligation. Your details are only used to quote your job.