The Possum

Local, furry creatures that run around at night and live in the trees is a basic description of a possum. The common variety around my place is the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosrus vulpecula if you really want to know). Unfortunately these animals also like the safety and warmth of many people's ceilings.
One possum scrambles around in the roof a bit
Two possums occasionally fight and make a bit of noise that frightens any guest
Three or more possums in a fight sounds like a bar room brawl with a or more screaming, this frightens even the person who is used to the possums

STOPPING POSSUMS
I found a great brochure about 'Living with Possums' when I was at the Botanical gardens the other day. Here are some tips it gives and some of my own.
 

• Watch for possums to emerge from the roof after dark and block off their access point
• Make a one-way flap to allow possums out but not in.
• prune all branches that lead to the roof. Leave a gap of at least 1.5 metres around the roof.
• Build a 30 cm floppy fence on top of your existing paling fence.
• Place collars around the trunks of trees that give access to the roof. Use 60 cm wide sheet metal or perspex and fit 60 cm above the ground.

Modern technology does get back at possums though. If an unfortunate possum is jumping from power line to power line and inadvertently touches two wires at the same time it completes a short circuit and gets zapped. Not pretty but that's life.
 

As for trying to get a decent picture of a possum for you, all the tourist brochures wanted to show was Koalas and Kangaroos.

Here's a little one, I think it's of a ring-tail possum.  I haven't really looked one in the face though.
I'll have to try and get one myself, hopefully not of a zapped possum but we'll see.

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