What you need:

• 2x Steel Wire Hanging Baskets with Coconut Fibre inserts.

• Wire Cutter or Bolt Cutter

• Netting Clip Pliers

• Stanley Knife or Scissors

• Netting Clips 

• Metal Wire

• A File

• A Skewer

• Recycled plastic - for added protection from the weather

Instructions:

Using a Wire Cutter or Bolt Cutter remove the middle piece of wire on either side of the top half of the basket to create an entry and exit point (Cut the wire in the middle and gently wiggle the wire from side to side to fatigue the wire and break it off).

Using the file gently file down any rough edges of the wire so they are smooth.

Place the recycled sheet of plastic in the basket and cut off any excess plastic from around the edges.

Place the coconut fibre in the top basket ensuring that it is level all around the basket.

Using the Stanley Knife or Scissors cut a square opening at the entry point. Leave the top side of the square uncut so it can be folded up to make a doorway. To do this use fold up the coconut fibre and use the Skewer to push a hole through it, push the piece of wire through the hole and twist to secure (Please tuck the wire underneath so there are no right edges that may hurt the possum.

For the exit point, make a single cut in the coconut fibre using Scissors or a Stanley Knife. This allows the possums an escape route in the event of a predator invasion.

Push a few more holes around the top of the Drey to secure the Coconut Fibre to the steel wire ensuring it does not collapse. Remember to keep tucking in any loose wire so there are no sharp bits.

Join the Top and Bottom baskets together. Make sure the Coconut Fibre on top is tucked over the top of the bottom basket, this is so that when it rains the water will run over the top of the basket rather than instead the bottom basket.

Taking your Netting Pliers and Netting Clips begin to close the wire basket together all around the middle section whilst also pinching some of the coconut fibre to hold it in place.

You can then reattach the hanging wire and look for a suitable place to hang the Drey. Make sure this in in a tree with dense foliage, ensuring that the type of tree does not loose its leaves over winter.

Installation:

Install the Drey as high as possible, ideally no less than 2.5 meters from the ground. The lower the drey the more susceptible they are to predator attacks.

Attracting a Ringtail Possum into it’s new home

Entice the Ringtail Possums to the drey by placing Rose petals, Lily Pilly or Bottlebrush flowers inside.