Possums and rats can cause damage in the roof by eating through electrical wires.
Is it a possum or rat in my roof.
That factor also creates a distinctive possum smell which is easily recognised with a bit of experience.
This often means getting up on the roof and having a look.
Rodents are hard to prevent getting in but we do have ways.
See how to determine what s making the noise in the roof.
It s usually a possum or rodents.
So it is common to be mistaken.
If they are nesting on the insulation in the roof this can become damaged through constant urination and will require replacing.
If you catch a possum you must release it within 24 hours and it must be at night.
Most councils have wire mesh possum traps you can rent.
The first thing to note here is that trapping possums requires a permit.
Determine what it actually is.
Rats and mice constantly move around except when nesting.
Other tell tale signs that a possum is living in your roof can be stains on a ceiling or drip marks down your walls caused by urine.
Remove the trap from the roof put it in an area of your house that is quiet and cool and cover it with an old towel or blanket to keep the light out.
The subsequent liquid release will leave a mark as well as a pungent odour.
Unlike rats and mice they produce a large volume of urine so stains on a ceiling will usually indicate possums.
Assuming it s possums you can then work out how it gets in there.
The most effective and humane way of killing rats is an electronic rat trap it zaps them and they die instantly so no dead rats in your roof has to be a good thing.
Urine may also seep through and damage your ceiling.