Wallaby is eating my veges:(

[happy]

This year I've started growing some veges for the first time - mainly leafy greens.  Mostly going much better than I thought and starting to save me some money. I decided to be thrifty and not go for raised beds etc, just put them in an existing  garden bed.

We do have 2 or 3 wallabies that visit usually down the back yard, often at dusk, early morning etc. (Joey the wallaby turned out to be Josephine with joey in pouch..looking "well conditioned")

Today one of them is brazenly grazing its way on my day lilies and the veges... in the front yard. Whats more, hardly retreated when it spotted me. Stood there with a day lily hanging out of its mouth wantonly chewing.

I was "CROSS" about my veges but couldn't bear to scare it away. :(

Pffft if this keeps up look like I'll need a net/ tunnels/ raised beds or something to keep them away.

[arebelspy]

I have nothing helpful to add (sorry).

Just wanted to say that the title of this thread makes me smile.

You silly Aussies.  Next thing you know you'll be complaining about a dingo eating your baby!  ;)

[TomTX]

Eat the wallaby.

[Jamesqf]

Not a problem hereabouts (Northern Nevada), but I've found that a couple of good-sized dogs help keep down squirrels, rabbits, and so on.  I do get the occasional bear that comes around to snack on the windfall apples and pears, but I have way more than I can ever use.

[Russ]

When my parents had a garden we used hair clippings to keep the deer out. Just spread them around the perimeter of your garden after haircuts. I don't have any wallaby experience but I bet it works the same.

[arebelspy]

Here's an earlier thread about protecting your garden from animals.

www.mrmoneymustache.com/forum/welcome-to-the-forum/f'in-squirrels-eat-my-food/

[garden girl]

Happy, I have the same problem. They love fruit trees as well. I've found a fence works quite well.

[Self-employed-swami]

It's a cute problem to have, I think.

However, my grandma keeps deer out of her garden with a scarecrow.  I bet you could make something up, and as long as it has something to flap in the wind, it might do the trick. My uncle used to leave an old radio (tuned to classical music) out in the hay shed to keep deer out, but I'm not sure how well this would work in a garden, if you've got neighbours.

[marty998]

Eat the wallaby.

Not as far fetched as it sounds. Kangaroo meat is lean and pound for pound a great source of protein

[happy]

It's a cute problem to have, I think.

I thought so too. And its good to keep the Rebel Spy smiling.
We are in the suburbs with bush down the back, so its a bit of a novelty to have a wallaby in the front yard.

I'm not sure what action I will take yet but its boy Howdy NO to:

Shoot, eat or otherwise harm ( protected species), music (neighbours too close and like it quiet), hair clippings (really ?????), don't want a dog and folks, they're nothing like squirrels but thanks for the link.

We have no fence, but maybe I could just fence the veges, and a flappy scarecrow thingy sounds like its worth a try.

Tried to post a little photo for your entertainment, but failed, sorry bit of a tech-tard

[PJ]

Do keep trying with the photos though - I for one would love to see it! 
 
Seems to me you can't be the only Aussie gardener with the same problem - maybe someone else will chime in with suggestions, or point you in the direction of some Aussie gardening forums?  When it comes to critters, the suggestions do need to be pretty specific.  For example, if you've got skunks under a shed, putting a radio in the shed can be part of the plan to scare them off, but it needs to be talk radio, not classical music. 

[PJ]

I knew I'd seen some S Hemi gardening blogs mentioned somewhere, but took me a bit to remember where ...

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/osprey's-journal/msg32495/?topicseen#msg32495 
 
Maybe you can find some suggestions there or at least more people with experience of the issue,

[okits]

Do keep trying with the photos though - I for one would love to see it! 

I second this.  Wildlife around here consists of raccoons the size of dogs. That's not making anyone smile!

Growing up in the 'burbs, I remember a neighbor stealing ("borrowing") some of the nicer veggies from our garden once. At least the wallaby adds some cuteness to your front yard.

[Sparky]

I hate Aussie animals too! Items lost down under include:

-Double Chocolate Tim Tams
- Knock off Tim Tams from ALDI
- Pita Bread
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Emu beer (knocked over by a Quoka)
- (Friends) Tent destroyed by Quoka
- Apples, oranges, bananas and kiwi's (magpie)
- Sense of smell (dead kangaroo's on the side of NSW roads)

Cute little buggers though :)

[AdrianM]

Hi Happy, 

Are there any large gum trees in the area you may be able to encourage Drop Bears to inhabit, as they are known to prey on macropods (roo's)
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear

Aside from drop bears, the only effective solution is to shoot one every time they make a move on your greens. A mob of roo's is smart enough to learn to stay away from an area if they keep getting killed when they go there. You will probably have to shoot one a month until it rains and there is plenty of green feed for them to eat elsewhere. 

As for fencing, roo's can jump most fences easily.

[happy]

Yeah righto, Adrian, I reckon the Drop bear is the way to go.
Currently over-run with fruit-bats eating gum blossom at night...maybe they might drop some hendra or lissa virus?

One of them ate my tomato plants - tomato plants are nightshade species and are deadly to lots of animals.  I have Swamp Wallaby ( total of 3, one at a time, they are a solitary species), which is apparently tolerant to a number of toxic plants... unlike roos they don't graze grass, but eat bushes etc that they pluck and hold in their hands....looks like they can eat tomato plants since he and she are still coming back.

Fortunately they are paying just as much attention to the rose bush and the day lilies, so the veges are surviving better than I first thought.