To keep possums away, you can spray strong-smelling, natural deterrents like homemade garlic/chili/vinegar mixes, tea tree oil, or buy commercial sprays, focusing on entry points and plants; motion-activated lights also scare them off, but remember strong tastes often fail when possums are hungry, so smells are key, and use ammonia/mothballs with extreme caution.
Possums hate strong, pungent smells like garlic, peppermint, eucalyptus, and ammonia, as well as sudden physical disturbances like motion-activated lights/sprinklers and unpleasant tastes (like chilli or bitter sprays), which disrupt their sensitive noses and sense of security, but they can get used to static deterrents, so regular reapplication or movement is key.
Possums are repelled by strong, pungent odors like ammonia, garlic, vinegar, peppermint, camphor, and chili, which mimic predator scents or overwhelm their sensitive noses. You can create deterrents using sprays with these ingredients or place items like mothballs or predator urine in problem areas, but remember to rotate scents and use caution with chemicals, keeping them away from pets and children.
Yates® Possum Repellent Spray helps protect your precious plants by deterring possums from browsing on sprayed plants. Since the susceptibility of different plants varieties can vary it is recommended to test the product on a small number of plants first in order to assess the level of plant safety.
Lemon, lime, and orange peels can be placed near areas where possums have been seen or used to create a simple citrus spray. While the smell of orange peels might be refreshing to you, possums find it offensive. These fruits contain compounds that act as natural repellents, irritating their sensitive noses.
Here are 10 proven ways for removing Possums from your property—and keep them gone:
Possums come around houses seeking easy food, water, and safe shelter, drawn by unsecured trash, pet food, fallen fruit, compost, and cozy spots like roof cavities or woodpiles for warmth and protection from predators. They're opportunistic, so your yard becomes an appealing buffet and hotel, especially when natural food sources are scarce or your home offers ideal nesting.
Quassia chips (T) (Chips of bark from a South American tree): add 100 g chips to 2 litres water and heat for one hour before straining. Add one tablespoon detergent. Dilute at rate of 1 part of solution to four parts water and apply as a spray.
Australian possums are nocturnal, meaning they become active after sunset, typically leaving their nests (like roof spaces or tree hollows) around dusk to forage for food, with activity peaking in the first half of the night before they return around dawn. You'll usually hear them start moving, scratching, or thumping around after dark, with noises often heard closer to 10 pm as they venture out.
If spraying on your plants, use a diluted vinegar solution around the base of plants, fences, or other areas where possums are frequent visitors. Otherwise, consider soaking rags in vinegar to place near entry points or areas where possums are trying to access your garden.
Possums are opportunistic feeders, which means they'll keep returning to places where food is easy to find. Open garbage cans, fallen fruit in the yard, bird feeders, or leftover pet food are irresistible to them. Once they discover these resources, they often return night after night until the supply runs out.
Re: Your tips for keeping possums away
They absolutely hate the smell of Vicks. And the Vaseline helps to dilute the Vicks I suppose, and helps it make it that much more slippery. That was until the mixture eventually wore off after wet weather. So it's a good idea to reapply after heavy rainfall.
While active, possums can cause a lot of disturbance to pets and make a lot of noise while foraging through garbage cans. But, what attracts them to a yard? They are attracted to your yard whenever food is plentiful, so leaving food scraps in your garbage will definitely keep them around.
Possums are repelled by strong, pungent odors like ammonia, garlic, vinegar, peppermint, camphor, and chili, which mimic predator scents or overwhelm their sensitive noses. You can create deterrents using sprays with these ingredients or place items like mothballs or predator urine in problem areas, but remember to rotate scents and use caution with chemicals, keeping them away from pets and children.
Possums are skittish creatures, so unexpected noises and movement can help deter them. Here are some easy and safe possum scare tactics that will be of a lot of use to you in the long run: Wind chimes: Hang wind chimes near your garden to create a constant source of noise that possums will find unsettling.
Possums are known to avoid strong minty scents, especially peppermint. Its menthol content overwhelms their nasal receptors and causes discomfort. You can soak cotton balls or cloth strips in pure peppermint oil and place them in roof cavities, gutters, and near known entry points.
To get rid of possums fast, eliminate their food and water sources (trash, pet food, fallen fruit), secure entry points to your home (roof, vents, under decks) with mesh, and use strong deterrents like motion-activated lights/sprinklers, ammonia-soaked rags, or predator urine, while also trimming tree branches near your house to block access. For persistent issues, humane trapping and professional removal are options, but always check local wildlife laws first.
You generally shouldn't worry about a possum in your yard as they are shy, beneficial pest-eaters that usually move on, but you should be cautious if it seems sick, injured (out during the day, acting lethargic), or trapped, as they can bite in defense and carry diseases, so keep pets away and call wildlife rescue if needed. The main concerns are preventing them from nesting in your home and avoiding contact, not immediate threat to people or pets unless cornered.
Opossums, like most of our local mammals, are nocturnal. During the day they shelter for sleep in abandoned rodent burrows, attics, under brush, buildings any place offering safe shelter for a good days sleep. They don't build permanent dens. They only stay in one place for a day or two.
Do not feed possums almonds, cheese, onions, dairy products, green potatoes or junk food. Put food in containers in high, sheltered areas. Spread the food throughout the enclosure to promote natural foraging. Possums need fresh water daily.
Possums dislike the smell of blood and bone, making it an effective deterrent when spread around the base of plants. It also nourishes the soil and promotes plant growth. A spray concocted from crushed garlic and hot chilli can provide an additional line of defence.
Security – Keep your yard well lit all night. Do this for quite awhile so that transient opossums will not consider your property attractive – being nocturnal they *like* darkness. This is one of the most effective things you can do.
Generally, opossums tend to avoid confrontation but may hiss or growl to deter predators. When it comes to biting, opossums only bite if they are cornered or feel extremely threatened. They usually prefer to flee or play dead rather than engage.
Solution: In general, opossums are docile, non-aggressive animals and will not attack your pets. They prefer to avoid confrontations. If escape is not possible then the threatened opossum may “play 'possum”, show its teeth, or bite in self-defense, as any animal would.
Opossums are nocturnal animals, which means they are most active during the night. During the day, they hide in hollow logs, trees, under brush piles, in road culverts, in rock and stump crevices or under buildings, decks or porches.