Elsie is thriving in care! She is now over eight months of age, weighing nearly four kilos! She’s an active and happy wombat. Wombats stay with their mum for over 18 months and create a bond that is strong and very necessary. Elsie has that bond with me – she needs that bond to feel safe so she can develop and grow. Elsie plays, runs, bites and pounces!
Elsie loves running around the room trashing whatever she can and stealing what she can!
Elsie is still drinking 4 bottles a day. Her first bottle is at 6 am and the last at 11 pm. The other 2 bottles are spaced out in the day. She’s still a baby but she’s also beginning to experiment with the taste and texture of grass, sweet potato and carrot.
But Elsie being Elsie means there has to be a drama! With her past illnesses – read my earlier blogs about her constipation, wombat herpes, mange, low iron, reaction to the enema and her sun reaction – I was just beginning to think life was too easy! Then one afternoon we stood by the window with the late winter sun coming through, when she had a huge reaction! In less than three minutes her eyes watered and became swollen and she developed a red rash. You guessed it – her sun reaction returned!
Poor Elsie ! Once away from the window, the rash and swollen eye returned to normal Now every afternoon Elsie and I spend 10 minutes outside in the late winter sun slowly becoming de-sensitized to the rays. I am slowly increasing the amount of sun exposure and Elsie is adjusting well.
And Barney? Barney is seven months old and weighs nearly three kilos. Barney is a more robust and confident little wombat. When he plays – it’s serious! He is like a bulldozer – he is learning with every bite, bounce, donkey kick and attack. He’s developing the skills he will need to survive in the wild.
At first Elsie was hesitant with Barney – she didn’t seem very impressed with having a wombat in the house! Besides, Barney never stops! Poor Elsie is even disturbed when she’s trying to catch a quick nap!
But it didn’t take these two wombat joeys very long to realise that they could create twice the trouble working together!
So with two delightful and lovable wombats in care what could go wrong? Is it all smooth sailing? Surely they are the best of friends? More in my next blog about the love / hate (?) relationship between Elsie and Barney! Stay tuned!
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Working with Australian Wildlife - Helen Hardy 