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Keith's Possum House
Keith's Possum House
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Keith's Possum House
Hand-Built in Red Hill, on the Mornington Peninsula
Keith Hendry, seventy-six. His father kept the last old manna gum standing when everyone around him cleared theirs, and Keith has spent thirty summers writing down what became of every box he hung. His father saved the hollow. Keith builds what had to replace it.
146 left · final run · no restock"Everybody thinks the job is to give her somewhere to sleep. In February it isn't. The job is keeping her under forty degrees."
What arrives at your door
Why one gets used, and a hardware-store box sits empty (or cooks)
Ringtails cope with heat by letting their body temperature climb to almost 39 degrees, and on a 39-degree day they risk dehydration within about 20 hours. In one Victorian study, nest boxes reached 52 degrees while tree hollows in the same forest peaked at 38. A box in the wrong place is an oven with a door. This one is pale, untreated timber, built to be hung on the shady side of the tree. "Where you hang it matters more than anything I do at this bench."
A 7.5 cm round doorway, narrower than the 8 to 8.5 cm most "ringtail" boxes use. Wide enough for a mother with joeys on her back, too tight for the shoulders of a grown brushtail. "She wants the one she can block with her own body."
A landing step under the door, so a mother coming home with two passengers has something to grab. Inside, a climbing grip on the wall, because young ringtails get in more easily than they get out. "Every decent plan asks for one. Half the bought ones leave it out."
The whole roof lifts on a hinge and shuts on a metal latch. Thirty seconds to check for feral bees, top up the leaves or see who's home, and it stays shut against anything that isn't you.
About 38 × 23 × 25 cm: room for a mother and her two joeys, the average litter, and no more. Drainage holes in the floor keep the bedding dry. "She's after a hollow, not a hall."
Solid, untreated pine, left pale. No paint, no stain, no treated timber and no plywood, so there is nothing in it she can't safely chew. Every box is cut and fitted by Keith himself, and once the shelves in that packing shed are clear, there is no second batch.
"People treat the ringtail in the eaves as a nuisance problem and the ringtail on the ground in a heatwave as a wildlife problem. It's the same animal with the same shortage. Ringtails build their dreys in dense scrub and rely on old hollows, and both are disappearing from our suburbs: a possum-sized hollow takes 150 to 200 years to form, and most of our urban areas have lost tree and shrub cover in the last decade. So they move to the next best thing, an eave, a roller door, the gap under the solar panels, and in a heatwave there is nothing between them and the sun. A box can help with both, but only if three things are right: a doorway sized for a ringtail rather than a brushtail, pale untreated timber, and a spot on the shady side of the tree. Get those right and you have given her somewhere cool that is still there next summer."
Dr Fiona Carrick, Wildlife Ecologist
Merricks Creek Wildlife Carers
Perfect for
Quality you can check yourself
- Untreated pale pine: no paint, no treated timber, no plywood, no preservative. Nothing in the walls she can't safely chew.
- The 7.5 cm Ringtail Door: put a tape measure across it. Most boxes sold for ringtails are 8 to 8.5 cm.
- A climbing grip inside and a step outside: look in through the lid. Many bought boxes are smooth-walled.
- A lid that lifts and latches: because a box you can't open is a box you can never check for bees.
- Drainage holes in the floor: turn it over and look.
- Final run, built by hand: every box made by Keith himself in Red Hill. Once the shelves are clear, there is no restock and no successor.
GUARANTEE
Money-Back Guarantee, No Deadline
Nothing about a possum happens quickly, so the guarantee is not tied to a clock. Hang it and live with it. If the box is not everything you hoped (the timber, the lid, the door, the weight of the thing), send it back for a full refund. One email is all it takes, and delivery is free Australia-wide.
A note on handmade variation and wild tenants: Every box is cut and fitted by hand from natural timber, so grain, knots, colour and small marks vary from one to the next. That is the mark of real handwork, not a fault. And ringtails are wild. Hung properly (three to four metres up, on the south-east side of a trunk or post, tucked into foliage and out of the afternoon sun), a box is often found within weeks, sometimes only in the second season. The timing belongs to the animal, not to us.
Two free things make more difference than anything else: a shallow dish of water in the shade with a stick in it so nothing small drowns, and the cat inside at night. If one is living at your house, the order matters: box first, seal second. Hang the box close to where she has been getting in, put a bit of apple in it for the first few nights (not longer), and seal the gap only at night, once she has gone out to feed and you are sure no joey has been left behind. No towels or fabric inside; a handful of dry native leaves is plenty. Spring into early summer is the best time to hang one.
Product details
| Material | Untreated pale pine, solid timber (not plywood) |
| Finish | Bare natural timber: no paint, stain, sealant or preservative. If you want to paint it, pale and water-based, outside only, never around the doorway. |
| Set contents | 1 possum box with climbing grip & landing step fitted · mounting screws · Keith's hanging card |
| Dimensions (outer) | approx. 38 × 23 × 25 cm, height × width × depth (15 × 9 × 10 in) |
| Entrance | Round doorway 7.5 cm (2.95 in), landing step directly below |
| Inside | Climbing grip on the inner wall so joeys can climb out on their own |
| Floor | Solid base with drainage holes |
| Roof | Hinged lift-up lid with metal latch, for bee checks and cleaning |
| Suits | Common ringtail possums, including mothers carrying young. Sized to keep out adult brushtails. |
| Colour | Natural pale timber |
| Siting | 3 to 4 m up, south-east side of a trunk or post, in foliage and out of the afternoon sun; close to where she has been getting in |
| Care | Lift the lid now and then to check for bees. No fabric inside. Otherwise, leave her be. |
| Made | Hand-built by Keith Hendry in Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula |
| Delivery | Free Australia-wide · sold only through Cedar & Tin |
| Availability | Final run: 146 only, no restock · 4.9 ★ from 312 reviews |
The Final Sale
The Final Sale
Message from the Artist:
After years of making things by hand, our workshop is closing. These are the last pieces we'll ever ship. Every item on this page was made slowly, carefully, and with more love than any factory could replicate. Nothing rushed. Nothing outsourced. Just real craft from real hands.
We're proud of every single one. We hope they find good homes.
When they're gone, they're gone — and so are we.
Free Shipping
Free Shipping
Free shipping across Australia
- Delivery time: 7–14 business days
- Insured: Every package is fully insured
🌳 Carbon-neutral shipping
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
My wife and I personally respond to every single email — as fast as we possibly can. Whether you have a question about your order or just want to talk craft, we're here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CT)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (CT)
Email: info@cedarandtinco.com
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Of course. We stand behind everything on Cedar & Tin Co. 100%. If you're not happy, neither are we. Just shoot us an email within 90 days and we'll make it right — no hassle, no headaches.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Every single product on Cedar & Tin is 100% handmade — crafted by hand, using only premium quality materials. We're proud to carry on a tradition of craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations.