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Gallery | Wombat at Kyabram Fauna Park

By Djembe Archibald

Feb 20, 2024

Play with your food: Sniff and his ball of food. Photo: Jo Howell. Photo by Jo Howell

Kyabram Fauna Park has unearthed a new challenge for Sniff the southern hairy-nosed wombat by providing his daily diet inside a giant hay ball.

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Mammal keeper Jessica Lyne said offering food in this way was mentally stimulating and supported physical activity for a healthy wombat lifestyle.

“Sniff will push the ball around his habitat, finding the easiest food to grab first, then spend more time looking for the rest of the food,” Ms Lyne said.

“He uses his head to push the hay ball around; however, sometimes he will use his bum, which is interesting to see.

“After that, he takes a midday nap and then goes back to the ball for afternoon zoomies.”

Breather: Sniff takes a second away from his ball to have a good scratch. Photo: Jo Howell. Photo by Jo Howell

The hay ball is filled with Sniff’s favourite foods, including corn, sweet potato and tough native grasses to grind down his teeth and keep them in the best condition.

Wombat teeth are open-rooted, which means they grow continuously throughout their lifetime.

Park visitors can see the wombat in the middle of the park near the finch aviary.

The best time of day to see the wombat is first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon, as he is often seen sleeping on his back in his den.