wombat question?

Question

how big do they get?
can you keep them as pets?
are they dangerous?

Answer 1

There are actually 3 species of Wombats. The Common, the Southern Hairy Nose, and the Northern Hairy Nose. The Northern is on the verge of extinction. The other two would be the one you would most likely come across as pets. It is possible to keep one legally providing you have the appropriate license issued by your state's wildlife permit department. While they are cute when little, wombats grow up to be pugnacious and destructive. They would not normally be suitable as pets. Have a look at this website www.marsupialsociety.org. If you have any questions that is the best place to find the answers. The man who runs the website is Wombat Bob from Wombat Rise Sanctuary in SA. He is also my neighbour. He has many wombats, and almost all of them are territorial and aggressive.

Answer 2

Wombats grow to the size of a small pig. You can't keep them as pets but if you have a licence as a wildlife carer, you can look after sick or injured animals or young abandoned animals. They can bite but are generally not dangerous.

Answer 3

I think you can keep wombats can be kept in captivity but you will need conractal permission by the NSW since they are protecting the species

Wombats

What do wombats look like?

Wombats are stout, sturdy marsupials. They grow to about 1.3 metres in length, and can weigh up to 36 kg. They have a large, blunt head with small eyes and ears, and a short, muscular neck. Their sharp claws and stubby, powerful legs make them great diggers. Wombats have been known to live for up to 27 years in captivity.

Two of the three species of wombat occur in NSW:

The common wombat, most widespread of the two, has a large, naked snout covered in grainy skin.
The much rarer southern hairy-nosed wombat has larger ears than the common wombat, and its snout is coated with fine hairs.

The northern hairy-nosed wombat is presumed extinct in NSW.
Where do they live?

The common wombat lives mainly in wet, partly forested areas on the coast, and on the ranges and western slopes.

The southern hairy-nosed wombat prefers dry, open country. Southern hairy-nosed wombats are very rare, and until recently were thought to be extinct in NSW. They are currently listed as endangered.

What do they eat?

Wombats spend between three and eight hours each night grazing on their favourite food, which is native grasses such as the tussocky 'snow grass', wallaby grass and kangaroo grass. They will also eat sedges and the roots of shrubs and trees. They cut their food with sharp, chisel-like front teeth which grow continuously. A wombat may wander up to 3 km a night looking for food.

Setting out territory

Wombats live in burrows, liking well-drained soils that are easy to dig in. The burrows, which are often built on the sides of gullies, can be up to 30 m long, and several metres deep. Wombats generally stay in the burrows during the day, kept warm in winter and cool in summer. They will often share their home with other wombats.

Although they will share burrows, wombats are possessive about their particular feeding grounds. They mark out these areas by leaving scent trails and droppings around the boundaries. If an intruding wombat moves in on their territory, it will be discouraged through a series of snorts, screeches and even a chase.

As a result, the wombat population of an area is dependent on the number of available feeding grounds. A young wombat can sometimes take the place of an adult that has died, but often it will be forced to move to another area to find its own feeding ground.

Growing up

A wombat can reproduce after it reaches two years of age. Mating occurs between September and December, and usually results in one offspring. The newborn wombat, which weighs only 1 g and is less than 3 cm long, has to crawl from the birth canal into the mother's pouch. This pouch faces backwards, which stops dirt and twigs getting caught in it when the mother digs. The young wombat will stay in the pouch for between seven and 10 months.

Wombats and people

Because of settlement and agriculture, wombats in most areas have been pushed into the rugged hills and mountains. As long as they remain in these areas, wild dogs and collisions with cars are more of a threat to these marsupials than landowners. However, because of their habit of wandering down to the flats to enjoy the tasty morsels growing there (knocking down fences on the way), they are sometimes killed by farmers.

Wombats have also had to compete with introduced animals – such as cattle, sheep, and particularly rabbits – for food. This competition appears to have been a major factor in the decline of the northern hairy-nosed wombat in NSW.

Since 1970, wombats have been protected in NSW.

Answer 4

You DON'T want one as a pet.