How To Get Rid Of Bandicoot Around House (Easy Solution)

The bandicoot is a strange and remarkable creature, with many traits and talents that have made them a loveable part of nature – both for wildlife lovers and experts alike.

Unfortunately though, their size and speed makes it easy for them to enter the homes of locals and potentially cause trouble for the homeowners.

How To Get Rid Of Bandicoot Around House (Easy Solution)

But what exactly attracts bandicoots, and what is the best (and easiest) solution to removing them from your home?

What Is A Bandicoot?

Technically speaking, the ‘bandicoot’ is not a single animal, and the term in fact refers to a group of 20 species of small/medium sized omnivorous marsupials that are found all throughout the Australia and New Guinea region.

While the term is a blanket description for several similar species, it is generally used to refer to the ‘bilby’ – a desert dwelling marsupial, and a member of the Peramelemorphia family.

Where Are Bandicoots Located?

As mentioned above, bandicoots – and the various species the term refers to – can be found all throughout the Australia – (see also: Desert Bandicoot: Another Scar On Australia’s Biodiversity)New Guinea region.

Generally speaking, bandicoot species tend to favor shrubland, woodland, and rainforests located throughout Australia – something that can make rural human abodes at risk of unwanted bandicoot habitation.

What Attracts Bandicoots Into Homes?

As a rule, the thing that attracts bandicoots into human homes are the same things that attract most animals – namely warmth, shelter from the elements, and the presence of food.

As with possums and racoons in the United States, bandicoots are scavengers, and will seize any opportunity to find comfort, shelter, and a good meal – even if that means entering a human home and putting themselves in potential danger.

Are There Any Benefits?

Depending on the damage they cause, and just how much you happen to notice their presence, there can be some minor benefits to having bandicoots in your home or on your property.

Pest Control

How To Get Rid Of Bandicoot Around House

While viewed as pests by some, bandicoots actually help to control the amount of real pests that are in and around your home.

Generally speaking, bandicoots will feed on insects and their larvae – including spiders – making them a good source of pest control within your home, and the surrounding area.

Likewise, they have also been known to eat smaller rodents, which can likewise be a nuisance to rural homeowners.

They even consume potentially dangerous spiders – such as the funnel web spider, a species that is venomous to humans.

Gardening

Surprisingly enough, the bandicoot can actually be beneficial for your garden – helping to aerate the soil, penetrate seedlings, organic mixing, and improving the nutrient availability for your plants.

They can also help break down mulch, litter, and debris into useful nutrients for your plants and flowers.

This is of course not a conscious decision on the part of bandicoots, but their natural diet and eating practices means that they can be useful to those with lush land.

How To Remove Them From Your Property

Of course, most people with any kind of animal problem would want them removed from their property – ideally in a way that is easy, humane, and cheap.

Luckily there are a few methods you can use to deter and remove unwanted marsupial guests from your home.

Chicken Manure

As gross as this might sound, chicken manure – as well as any other high ammonia animal product – is a great way at deterring bandicoots from setting up shop on your property.

Just like us, bandicoots are put off by strong and horrible smells, and as such this can be a great way to keep your property animal free.

What’s more, if you have a lush garden, or if you grow fruits and vegetables, the manure can also be a great addition to your garden, and could encourage plant growth and development at the same time.

Flood Lights

You could also install an outside light to deter bandicoots. They are not keen on bright lights – due to their nocturnal nature – and as such will tend to avoid areas that are well lit.

Of course, having a light on all night could be costly, depending on your energy plan, but if you are having a lot of trouble with bandicoots tearing up your garden, then having some good lighting could be a great solution.

Remove Their Food Source

If the bandicoots on your property are attracted to a specific food source, then the obvious answer is to remove this from the equation.

Once they have realized that the place is no longer viable for mealtime, then they will soon move onto somewhere else.

This could be a specific vegetable or plant they seem to like, or indeed if you have or store animal feed outside your home.

Moving these to a more secure location could be an easy and effective way to end your problems over night.

Build Fences

It is also possible to build bandicoot-proof fencing, specially designed to keep them from entering your garden.

This requires a small mesh – no larger than 20mm – and with a foundation that is at least 150mm deep so that the bandicoots cannot tunnel beneath or push it over.

By simply putting an obstacle in their way, and making it seem like too much effort, the bandicoots will soon go elsewhere for their food, and you can rest easy knowing that your property is protected.

Can Humans & Bandicoots Live Harmoniously?

How To Get Rid Of Bandicoot AroundHouse

Of course, if you have tried everything and the bandicoots still continue to show up, then it might just be a case of living with them in harmony.

This might be deflating, or potentially stressful, but with a few simple changes you can make it a situation that will work for everyone.

Create A Separate Area

If you have the space, then you could always create a specific area of your garden that they can access easily.

This would also involve securing your own patch to stop them from choosing both, and after time they will go into the area that is easiest for them to access – especially if there is a viable food source for them to consume.

Keep Pets Under Control

If you want to encourage more bandicoots to come to your garden, then one of the main things you need to do is keep cats and dogs under control.

This means controlling where they go to the bathroom – as the smell of cat/dog urine and fecal matter can dissuade other animals from entering.

Final Thoughts

And there we have it, everything you need to know about bandicoots, and the best (and easiest) ways to remove them from your home.

It’s true that the bandicoot is a remarkable animal, with many traits and talents that makes them so fascinating and loveable.

However, if you are a homeowner, the last thing you want is a couple of wild ones making themselves at home in your personal space.

So if you want to get rid of bandicoots from your home, then why not give some of these methods a try? Something tells me you won’t be disappointed!

Olivia Kepner