A Message from Russell...
My foster folks have received a number of questions from interested readers and members of the public regarding wombats. On this page they have put up a list of the most commonplace or frequent questions that they receive.
Do the wombats that you have in care know their names when you call them?
Yes...and no.
We believe that the wombats that we have in care know the sound and pitch of our voices (similar to you knowing how your friends and relatives voices sound). We could 'call' them a variety of names, and chances are that they will come to us if they are so inclined. For example, we could call for Chomp to come to us and Maggie would come instead (Chomp taking no notice of us!). However, if a friend of ours was to visit and call them by name, the chances are that they would not respond at all.
One particular wombat would answer our calls if we spoke to her using the wombat 'huff-huff' noise (see the sound files on our multimedia page to hear what this noise is like). At night, when she was grazing on grass, we could make the 'huff-huff' noise to determine where she was in the garden by her answering us back. She would then continue to happily munch grass and normally would not come to us.
Wombats are easily distracted and prone to going off on their 'own mission'. If they are inclined to come to you if you call them, they will. Other times they'll just ignore you and go about their wombat ways. It does depend on the mood of the wombat at the time and if they want to come to you.
I have a wombat burrowing underneath my house and I would like it removed. What can I do?
Wombats burrowing underneath houses is a very commonplace occurrence, yet this can be rectified quite easily.
Firstly, wombats are territorial animals. Simply removing the wombat creates a vacuum in the territory and provides an opportunity for another wombat to move into the now vacant area. Chances are that you'll have another wombat digging under your house in the future and you will be constantly removing wombats. Park rangers or wildlife volunteers will generally not be receptive in helping members of the public move a healthy wombat. Removing a wombat from a territory is generally a last option as it does not provide a long term solution.
Secondly, wombats, by their very nature, are very clean animals. Sure, they dig in the ground and become dusty and dirty, however their burrows are not generally filled with rubbish (they like a tidy house). 'Fouling' a wombat's burrow under your house is one way to make the burrow unattractive and cause the wombat to relocate and dig a burrow elsewhere. Placing something offensive and foul smelling in the burrow will cause the wombat to 'abandon' the burrow and look elsewhere for another place to dig.
Fouling a burrow can be done in a number of ways, however we have had success with the following two smelly items:
Fresh dog scats (poo)
Blood and bone (fertiliser for the garden - also called bonemeal)
These are liberally spread in and around the wombat's burrow (make sure that the wombat is out of the burrow first). Note that we have not used anything that is toxic or chemical related in and around the burrow. We don't want to hurt or poison the wombat, just force it to move out from under the house and dig another burrow elsewhere. When the wombat returns to its burrow from where it has been, it will notice that its burrow is foul smelling and will move on to dig elsewhere.
We have had a number of successes by utilising the above method. If you are having this problem and would like some further assistance, please email us at
A success story...
From: Ross Miller [mailto:address withheld]
Sent: Monday, 18 July 2005 7:02 AM
To: Donna Stepan
Subject: RE: Thanks re help on relocating wombats
Hi Donna,
Just thought that I would give you an update on our successful efforts to relocate a wombat on our property in the Southern Highlands.
We followed your directions. Made sure the wombat was out of the burrow where our house was to be built, and then filled it in.
Well, that was almost a year ago. Our house has been built and we were thrilled last week to see a "late-finishing wombat" just before sunrise running back and forward between two burrows some 30 metres from our house. It was quite big (about 80 cm long) and moved very quickly. I have attached a photo (very poor quality taken through a window and the flash went off).
It is apparent that we still have a number of wombats on the property and that at least one of them comes very close to the house each night. Luckily so far they have shown no inclination to dig under the house.
Thanks again for you help,
Ross
I have a paddock with wombat burrows in it and I have horses, what can I do?
We have received a number of emails regarding this issue. No matter how much we try to help, some people become overly 'precious' with their horses that we have written this into our FAQ for advice. Bottom line - don't buy a property that has wombat burrows in it and you want to run horses as the horses are likely to break their legs (this also applies to stock). Check ALL of your property first (which as a prospective, responsible land holder, you should do first). We cannot stress this enough, and please do not email us as we will simply state that the wombats were there first - tough!
IF, however you do have a paddock with wombat burrows in it and have horses or stock, then please read on.
Firstly, we would recommend that you read the above text on wombats burrowing beneath houses. The key point to consider is this:
Wombats are territorial. If you remove a wombat it creates a vacuum in a territory in which another wombat will eventually move into. It is not a long term solution to remove a wombat. Your best option is to co-exist with the wombat(s) whilst minimising the risk to your horses.
One solution is to try and 'fence' off the wombat burrow(s)
in a rectangular shape using a minimum of 4 star pickets
and fencing wire (in a similar fashion as you would construct
a boundary or property fence). Depending upon the terrain,
more than 4 star pickets may be required - use as many as
necessary to totally enclose the wombat burrow site.
Leave the bottom wire strands free on the pickets so that the wombat can enter
or leave it's burrow easily. We would recommend that you use star pickets that
are at least 1.8m in length and drive them into the ground as far as possible
surrounding the burrow entrance, but not so far that a horse can easily step
over. Be careful when driving the pickets into the ground that you do not pierce
the burrow - the wombat is likely to dig around this and use this area as
it's exit point.
Plastic star picket covers can be bought from your local rural store to cover
the tops of the star pickets and to stop possible injuries to your horses. The
newly constructed 'fenced off' area is likely to be a curiosity for horses in
the next few days, so monitor the site. One other thing to consider is how far
underground the burrow lies - you don't want horses to collapse the burrow and
cause injuries if the burrow is shallow.
Important Note
Some carers have decided to adopt the above method and embellish it with their
own suggested approach which we certainly do not advocate. The most important
attribute with this method is that the bottom strands of the pickets contain
NO wire, allowing easy egress for the wombat to and from it's burrow in any direction.
DO NOT USE WIRE MESH OR A WOMBAT GATE IN THIS ARRANGEMENT. Mesh and/or chicken
wire is next to useless as the wombat will dig underneath this, making any wombat
gate worthless and ineffective.
A panicked wombat will rush to it's burrow using the shortest available route.
To be confronted with mesh and to determine which side the gate is (or where
it dug underneath the wire mesh) is the last thing on the wombat's mind - it
just wants the sanctuary of it's burrow. More than likely the wombat will injure
itself in the process of trying to enter it's burrow by pushing through
the mesh and cause such a commotion that nearby horses will panic. Serious injuries
will be caused by any impediments placed in the way of the wombat.
Be aware that a wombat may have up to seven burrows, so
you cannot just count burrows and equate that to the number
of wombats on your property. A property with 15 burrows might
be the work of only 2 or 3 wombats.
We are keen to hear any feedback from other readers who have successfully managed to solve this problem. Contact
Is there a collective noun for wombats?
(click for larger image)
As far as we are aware, there is not a collective noun for wombats in the english language. Wombats are generally solitary animals, so this is possibly the reason why such a noun does not exist. They are not a herd or flock animal by their very nature.
However, we would like to propose that an 'excavation of wombats' would be a suitable collective noun for a group/mob/herd of wombats when there are a number of them together.
(We stand corrected! A dear reader has pointed out that
the San Diego Zoo has a collection of animal
group names and that a group of wombats
is known as a 'Wisdom of Wombats'. Why does everything associated
with wombats have to start with 'W'?)
Are wombats scats (poos) square?
(click for larger image)
Yes, they are square or roughly cube shaped. As to why they are that shape, we don't know but it obviously has something to do with the wombat's stomach.
(click for larger image)
We have asked a few people in zoos, wildlife parks and other people who care for wombats and asked them the same question. No one really knows why they are square shaped. We do know that because wombats do square scats, they are less likely to roll off surfaces (such as logs) that they deposit them on.
Wombats mark their territory with their scats and will usually deposit them on high pieces of vegetation and terrain such as logs, rocks or even a mushroom that has grown overnight.
Can wombats swim ?
Yes, wombats can swim quite well over short distances.
We have not witnessed this ourselves, but have placed wombats in a child's shallow wading pool during some of the summer months in the evenings to help keep them cool during their exercise regime. Swimming/paddling seemed to come naturally for them (in fact, the wombats seemed to enjoy having a bit of a swim)...
"Wombats are also efficient swimmers over short distances. With the heavy body two-thirds submerged and the head tilted back to keep the nostrils clear of the water, the short legs 'dog paddle' under the water. There is no splashing and all an observer sees is an apparently floating wombat moving slowly and silently through the water"
There is an urban myth that wombats will quite happily walk along the bottom of a river/creek to get to the other side which we have yet to prove/disprove. Without performing an actual test (and we would like to think of them as some sort of 'super marsupial') wombats will swim rather than walk along the riverbed underwater.
I am over in Australia on a holiday and would like to help with some volunteer work with wildlife or a zoo/wildlife park. Who should I contact?
We receive this question quite often.
If you are over here in Australia and are not on a working visa or equivalent (such as a tourist visa), then you may not be able to work within Australia at all. Working within Australia could mean both paid and unpaid (volunteer) work. Australian Immigration is very strict on this matter.
Wombats, due to their strength and phenomenal earthmoving skills with digging burrows and the like, are affectionately known as the 'bulldozers of the bush'. Mounds of earth excavated from burrows, large objects such as rocks pushed out of the way, not to mention other feats of strength such as undermining house foundations (from digging) are similar tasks that a conventional bulldozer is equipped to perform (although to a much greater scale).
The D9 bulldozer by Caterpillar (picture sourced from one of Caterpillar's brochures)
The global industrial machinery company, Caterpillar Inc, is a well known producer of bulldozers that are used world wide. Caterpillar produces a number of different bulldozer varieties and sizes, starting with the smaller D3 model through to the much larger and powerful model such as the D11.
The D9 variety of bulldozer is probably the most widely used and popular amongst construction, mining and civilian companies - large enough to perform most tasks, but not excessively so. It is most likely that the high profile of this particular type of bulldozer has meant that wombats have also been labeled with the same name, 'D9s'.
References
The Wombat: Common Wombats in Australia
Barbara Triggs, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, 1988.
