Bandicoots
What is a bandicoot?
This group includes bandicoots and the lesser-known bilbies.
They are terrestrial and all have long, pointed heads and compact bodies. They are omnivorous, feeding on small vertebrates and succulent parts of plants.
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| Long-nosed bandicoot | Short-nosed bandicoot |
Capture
| The best way to catch a bandicoot is to grasp it by the shoulders. These animals can also be caught using a bag (put the bag on your hand, hold the animal and pull the bag up over its body). Tame animals can be held gently around the chest, supporting the rump. While bandicoots can be easy to catch (they will sit, stunned), they will run if they see an opportunity to escape. |  |
| Holding a bandicoot |
Housing
| Young bandicoots can be housed in a fish tank. As they grow they can be moved to a 3m x 3m x 0.5m cage. Initially, sick or injured adult animals can be housed in a pet carry box covered with a blanket. They can then be moved to an outside cage. A mound of straw in a covered area will double as a nesting area and leaf litter, logs and branches will provide the animal with an exercise area and cover. |
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| Bandicoot feet |
Feeding
Bandicoots should always have access to fresh, clean water.
Bandicoots love eating insects (e.g. mealworms, crickets, moths, cockroaches, worms and grasshoppers) and should be given these daily.
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Leaf litter on the floor of the cage is a good source of insects and fungi. Occasionally bandicoots will eat baby mice, fruit, vegetables, mushrooms and natural muesli. You can supplement these with boiled or raw eggs. You can also give them a meat mix similar to that given to dasyurids. In the final few weeks before they are released, a bandicoot's diet should mainly consist of live food. The food should be scattered through the leaf litter to encourage the animal to forage. |
| Southern brown bandicoot |
Last updated: 11 January 2005