In the past carers have fed their wombats anything from dog biscuits to tropical muesli and oats.
Clearly, wombats should not be fed dry dog food which was once a standard component of the captive diet. Dry dog food has a high protein, low fibre content and a mineral balance designed for carnivores and has no place in the diet of a hind gut fermenter.
Recent indications are that anything overly processed can and will lead to complications such as bowel obstructions and even death!
WOMBATS FEED ON NATIVE GRASSES AND ROOTS
Their gut is designed to deal with the very basic diet available to them. It is not designed and cannot cope with anything too nutritious.
You may think you are improving their diet by supplying highly nutritious food but you may be killing them!
No Tropical Muesli, Oats or Anything Processed. Native Guts are Designed for Native Vegetation
SOMETIMES YOU MAY NEED TO SUPPLEMENT GRASS FEEDS
This may be the case in summer when grass is hard to find. Barastoc Calm Performer Pony Pellets are ideal or Gumnuts by Mitavite. These grass pellets are a basic cool food (free from oats) and suitable for wombats that are designed to eat a low fibre diet.
ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD SUPPLY OF WATER AVAILABLE WHEN FEEDING ANY TYPE OF DRY FOOD.
Do not feed dry pellets to male wombats under 6kgs in weight. At this size joeys are not usually drinking enough water on their own to compensate for the dry feed. This can result in crystals forming in the urine. If you notice your joey hunched and straining (but unable to wee) and the penis extended, this may indicate a urinary tract problem. Seek veterinary advice immediately. Delays can be fatal.
A wombat in it’s natural habitat