wombat husbandry
Housing Requirements:
Under the Exhibited Animals Protection Act (EAPA), the minimum housing requirements for the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat includes a surface area of 23 square metres for a single wombat, 30 square metres for a pair and an extra 9 square metres for each extra animal following this (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Due to the highly destructive nature of the wombat and their digging habits, enclosures must be strongly built. Treated timber must be avoided at all costs due to the wombat potentially chewing these materials. The underlay of the enclosure must include a mesh or concrete layer under the soil to prevent the animal/s from escaping under the fence. The fence/surrounding wall must be 1.2 metres high, minimum, and may be constructed out of pool fencing, brick walls, cyclone wire or any smooth surfaces (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006).
In any enclosures where the wombats are unable to construct their own burrows, it is essential to provide them with adequate shelter so they can feel secure and thermoregulate behaviourally. This can be in the form of hollow tree trunks with overstorey planting, concrete pipes with appropriate camouflaging or rock burrows (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Where wombats are able to dig their own burrows within an enclosure, the substrate must consist of appropriate clay material to avoid the occurrence of a burrow collapsing (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Furthermore, shading and sprinklers must always be provided, especially during warmer weather (greater than 25°C) and water features or moats must be avoided as wombats have been known to drown.
Under the Exhibited Animals Protection Act (EAPA), the minimum housing requirements for the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat includes a surface area of 23 square metres for a single wombat, 30 square metres for a pair and an extra 9 square metres for each extra animal following this (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Due to the highly destructive nature of the wombat and their digging habits, enclosures must be strongly built. Treated timber must be avoided at all costs due to the wombat potentially chewing these materials. The underlay of the enclosure must include a mesh or concrete layer under the soil to prevent the animal/s from escaping under the fence. The fence/surrounding wall must be 1.2 metres high, minimum, and may be constructed out of pool fencing, brick walls, cyclone wire or any smooth surfaces (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006).
In any enclosures where the wombats are unable to construct their own burrows, it is essential to provide them with adequate shelter so they can feel secure and thermoregulate behaviourally. This can be in the form of hollow tree trunks with overstorey planting, concrete pipes with appropriate camouflaging or rock burrows (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Where wombats are able to dig their own burrows within an enclosure, the substrate must consist of appropriate clay material to avoid the occurrence of a burrow collapsing (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006). Furthermore, shading and sprinklers must always be provided, especially during warmer weather (greater than 25°C) and water features or moats must be avoided as wombats have been known to drown.
Note: Temperature in burrows must remain between 17 and 20°C and humidity between 60 and 70%. Heat stress may occur when a Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat exceeds 33-35°C and death has been known to occur when temperatures exceed 38°C (New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006).
The image to the left shows the wombat enclosure at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Queensland (Zoo Chat 2011).
The image to the left shows the wombat enclosure at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Queensland (Zoo Chat 2011).
Feeding Requirements:
In captivity, it is easy for a wombat to become obese due to their low metabolic rate, therefore, it is necessary to provide a captive wombat with a low protein, low energy diet predominantly based on grass and/or low quality, yet palatable, foodstuffs (Hume 1999). According to MacCallum (2003), the maintained energy requirements of a Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat of approximately 23 kilograms is 140 kj/kg and therefore the required diet for an adult captive Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is as follows: 200g of a commercially produced feed, meadow hay ad libitum (and during the breeding season) and fresh native grass daily (MacCallum 2003). Note: vegetables such as beetroot and carrot may be offered in small quantities once a week.
For females carrying pouch young, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient nutrition to feed both the mother and young. The Western Plains Zoo feeds their females carrying pouch young twice a day (morning and afternoon) on sweet potato, corn, kangaroo pellets and grasses (MacCallum 2003).
In captivity, it is easy for a wombat to become obese due to their low metabolic rate, therefore, it is necessary to provide a captive wombat with a low protein, low energy diet predominantly based on grass and/or low quality, yet palatable, foodstuffs (Hume 1999). According to MacCallum (2003), the maintained energy requirements of a Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat of approximately 23 kilograms is 140 kj/kg and therefore the required diet for an adult captive Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is as follows: 200g of a commercially produced feed, meadow hay ad libitum (and during the breeding season) and fresh native grass daily (MacCallum 2003). Note: vegetables such as beetroot and carrot may be offered in small quantities once a week.
For females carrying pouch young, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient nutrition to feed both the mother and young. The Western Plains Zoo feeds their females carrying pouch young twice a day (morning and afternoon) on sweet potato, corn, kangaroo pellets and grasses (MacCallum 2003).
Health Requirements:
Daily health checks should be performed on all captive wombats for any sign of injuries or illness and should be done so when food is presented to the animal to distract them or during the times when the animal is least active (i.e. in the afternoon). Each individual wombat should be examined for the following: coat condition, signs of discharge from the cloaca, eyes or nose, appetite changes, changes in behaviour – i.e. aggression, depression, injuries, quality of faecal matter and presence or development of pouch young. A complete body condition report should also be conducted yearly with the wombat under anaesthetic and weight, temperature, pulse and respiration rate, ect should be recorded.
Daily health checks should be performed on all captive wombats for any sign of injuries or illness and should be done so when food is presented to the animal to distract them or during the times when the animal is least active (i.e. in the afternoon). Each individual wombat should be examined for the following: coat condition, signs of discharge from the cloaca, eyes or nose, appetite changes, changes in behaviour – i.e. aggression, depression, injuries, quality of faecal matter and presence or development of pouch young. A complete body condition report should also be conducted yearly with the wombat under anaesthetic and weight, temperature, pulse and respiration rate, ect should be recorded.
Handling and Transport:
Wombats should ideally be caught during the day when they are the least active and should be placed into wooden boxes or strong hessian bags for transportation - strictly one animal per box/bag. Juvenile wombats aged around 18-24 months can generally be easily picked up from under the armpits before being place into a hessian bag; however, adults may pose to be more difficult due to their weight, size and often aggression (MacCallum 2003). Adults will often readily attack and may, potentially, cause serious injury. However, they may retreat into a conveniently placed log, pipe or box with their rump towards you. In this situation, the wombat may attempt to crush an arm against the roof or side of the box and therefore care needs to be taken.
Wombats should ideally be caught during the day when they are the least active and should be placed into wooden boxes or strong hessian bags for transportation - strictly one animal per box/bag. Juvenile wombats aged around 18-24 months can generally be easily picked up from under the armpits before being place into a hessian bag; however, adults may pose to be more difficult due to their weight, size and often aggression (MacCallum 2003). Adults will often readily attack and may, potentially, cause serious injury. However, they may retreat into a conveniently placed log, pipe or box with their rump towards you. In this situation, the wombat may attempt to crush an arm against the roof or side of the box and therefore care needs to be taken.
If dealing with an aggressive animal and manual restraint is necessary, the animal must be approached from behind before being held into position with a foot placed against the rump to prevent it from backing up. A hand would then be placed firmly onto each of the shoulders while one arm moves under the armpit and across the chest before picking the animal up and using the free hand to support the rump (MacCallum 2003). This handling technique can be seen in the image to the right of the late Steve Irwin (Fairfax Media 2013).
Chemical restraint, for example hand injections or darting, may also be used as a last resort for restraining/capturing an aggressive wombat, however, this requires veterinary assistance.
Chemical restraint, for example hand injections or darting, may also be used as a last resort for restraining/capturing an aggressive wombat, however, this requires veterinary assistance.
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References:
Fairfax Media 2013, ‘Man-mauling wombat felled by axe’, The Sydney Morning Herald, Victoria, viewed 13 October 2013,
http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/manmauling-wombat-felled-by-axe-20100406-ro8z.html
Hume, I.D 1999, ‘Marsupial Nutrition’, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
MacCallum, C 2003, ‘Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) Husbandry Manual’, Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo.
New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006, ‘Standards for Exhibiting Mammals in New South Wales’, viewed 14 October 2013,
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/121537/australian-mammal-exhibition-standards.pdf
Zoo Chat 2011, 'Wombat Enclosure', viewed 13 October 2013,
http://www.zoochat.com/1415/wombat-enclosure-220805/
Fairfax Media 2013, ‘Man-mauling wombat felled by axe’, The Sydney Morning Herald, Victoria, viewed 13 October 2013,
http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/manmauling-wombat-felled-by-axe-20100406-ro8z.html
Hume, I.D 1999, ‘Marsupial Nutrition’, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
MacCallum, C 2003, ‘Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) Husbandry Manual’, Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo.
New South Wales Department of Agriculture 2006, ‘Standards for Exhibiting Mammals in New South Wales’, viewed 14 October 2013,
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/121537/australian-mammal-exhibition-standards.pdf
Zoo Chat 2011, 'Wombat Enclosure', viewed 13 October 2013,
http://www.zoochat.com/1415/wombat-enclosure-220805/