Mange Treatment

Wombats are a much-loved part of our Australian landscape. Sadly, they face many threats caused by interactions with humans – motor vehicle accidents, dog attacks, loss of habitat, and one of the most devastating of all… mange.

Sarcoptic mange is a skin infestation caused by a burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei. It is possibly the biggest threat to the survival of the bare-nosed wombat. The mite was introduced by humans. Fatal if left untreated we can treat sick wombats in their home paddocks.

For wombats, the first signs of mange appear within one to three weeks, with more severe signs appearing by four to five weeks. Suffering is severe with inflamed itchy skin, dehydration, starvation and cold. The skin eventually breaks into open sores which become infected, and fly blown. Death usually occurs two to three months after secondary bacterial infection begins. It is a slow and painful death.

Early signs of mange can be subtle and easy to miss, often showing up as a scruffy or striped appearance in the wombat’s fur along its sides. As the disease progresses, the symptoms become far more obvious and distressing, with crust forming around the ears and eyes and painful open wounds developing along the wombat’s body.

Mange wombats can be easily treated with success.  We have many mange treatment programs running with our members and the community.

Our team follows the proven protocol developed by the Wombat Protection Society of Australia. This treatment is safe, effective and widely used by licensed groups. The treatment is moxydectin delivered by pole-and-scoop or burrow flaps. The treatments supplied by Hunter Wildlife Rescue are given every five to seven days for approximately three to five weeks. Flaps are placed where the wombat walks regularly, e.g. burrow, run, culvert, bolt hole

To be effective, all active burrows in a neighbourhood must be treated. That’s why community involvement is vital – the more neighbours who help, the more wombats we can save.