The Scoot, Scoot Bandicoot book series

This bandicoot is the original “Grumpy Grandpa” who was the inspiration for our first children's book, Scoot, Scoot, Bandicoot”. He was terribly injured at one point, and it appeared he had scraped his back trying to get out of a trap. Later we decided he very likely suffered injuries fighting another male bandicoot. His grumpiness didn’t extend to refusing peanuts from the hand of another grandfather. For more about the bandicoot, see the chapter “Beseiged by Bandicoots” in the Bandicoot Diary section.




This picture of the baby eating a peanut shows that just like puppies, baby bandicoots ‘grow into’ their heads and feet, which are disproportionately large.








Bandicoot ears are complex and delicate mechanisms. Here the setting sun shines through the soft membrane of the newest baby bandicoot’s ears. He can move the ears to catch any sound of approaching danger. Unfortunately the sound of approaching motor vehicles doesn’t seem to be in the ‘danger dictionary’, and many bandicoots die on the road every year due to their lack of road sense.







Bandicoots have a musky scent, which is obviously interesting this young Burmese cat. The bandicoot doesn’t mind: he or she has found a dish of cheese soufflé scraps.










Large male bandicoot, eating chicken bones. You can just see a mostly healed wound on the front shoulder, probably the result of a territorial fight.









Pregnant Stumpy, the little female bandicoot I raised from a baby. She was successfully rehabilitated to her natural environment. The bandicoot mated and had at least one baby. For more details read “Raising Stumpy” in my book "A Tree in Mundaring" .







A bandicoot has been digging in our yard for grubs and worms. This picture shows a very typical hole and the excavated trail of dirt - some 20 centimeters (about 8 inches).









If you look carefully at this picture you will see what appears to be a piece of string hanging just under this young female bandicoot's tail. What you are seeing is actually the tail of a baby bandicoot who is snug in the mother's pouch.