Can I ask all you nature lovers to please, please, please refrain from feeding bread to native animals.
While they will eat it, it's not good for them and their digestive system, especially white bread.
Milk Arrowroot biscuits are acceptable, and yes, they love 'em.  They'll come a long way for arrowroot crumbs.  Or you can mix the biscuits with some warm water to make a porridge for really young birds, and some animals.
Some birds eat meat such as insects or small reptiles.  If you're camping long enough you can feed them the really cheapest mince, or minced pet food if it doesn't have too many additives.
Feeding isn't always a good idea, because the cheeky little buggers will get lazy, and depend on you.  When you leave, what happens to your camp "pets"?
The little critters can be entertaining, and reward you for your kindness.
"Sandy Roo" was brought to me by the stationhands after her mother was killed. She had to be fed marsupial formula as they're lactose intollerant.  She also acquired a taste for crunchy peanut paste on grainy bread (yeah, I know), washed down with her milk.  One roo cough call was enough to bring her bounding around the house. Grainy bread is preferable to white bread.
Please be kind, and have fun.
Cheers Chris

white bread will give the animals three things, "lumpy jaw" a horrid disease that you wont easily forget once you see it and also "twisted bowl" horrid painfull way to die, the third is "bloat" an extremly painfull way to die best way to feed them is to pull bits of grass and give them that!

A mate has a Wallaby that decided to stay - great mates with his dog and eats dog kibble, Wheat Bix and rolled oats they are apparently safe to give these marsupials for a treat.
I put out wild bird mix in winter for my local avian friends....

-- Edited by Basil Faulty on Wednesday 13th of May 2009 06:39:05 PM

spot on Basil!! good tucker and just what i feed our little mates when they are a bit hungerfied!!!

I used to go walking every day to collect different plants and grasses for the Swamp Wallaby I raised, when she started on solid foods. Prior to that, it was 4 hourly feeds 'round the clock.  Didn't have a ready-made Marsupial food in those days, so I used Digestalact [ no lactose ]  with a quarter teaspoon of egg yolk, and some powdered charcoal  to stop her scouring.  Worked well. 
I used to carry her in a pouch I made, like an old fashioned peg-bag, tied around my waist.
Used to take her shopping in to Bundaberg and all like that.
Only trouble was, it took a lot longer to do the shopping, as when she poked her head out, older people would come up and chat about feed, and have a pat, not to mention any kids who happened to notice her.
I discovered that [wallabies at least] like some charcoal available to nibble on, and bird droppings.
Couldn't work that one out, but a few days after I'd seen her doing that, went to a neighbours, and saw in a Docco. that Possums do the same thing, as the enzymes in bird droppings helps them to digest their food. I assumed she was eating it for the same reason.
Raised her 'till she wanted to go, then released her.

Used to hang her in the wardrobe of the caravan at night, and she'd make a noise to let me know when she needed to go out for a wee.

Bit of a wrench when she went, as I'd had her since before she had any fur.   Mum had tossed her out of the pouch during a bushfire, and she was brought to me.

-- Edited by xina on Wednesday 13th of May 2009 07:56:30 PM

Also raised a young Owl that had been blown out of the nest. The most fascinating thing I remember about that one, is the fact that [I used to feed it chopped heart] it started using the food I gave it, to catch its' own live food. I couldn't work out why so much food was ending up on the floor of the [ big walk-in] cage, so I hid one morning, and watched as it dropped some on the floor, then waited 'till a lizard came to investigate, and bingo. Hot living breakfast! Cheers, xina.

I love the way nature adapts, using our good natured offerings. While on the station apart from Sandy Roo, who fell tragically victim to a visiting dog, I was presented with 7 cygnets of various ages and stages, a calf with a mal-formed jaw which literally sucked the milk up between 2 fingers - hand reared. His mother abandoned him because he couldn't suck the natural way. He survived and eventually ended up on the next door station, and is still there according to Ken at the Sandfire Roadhouse. A broody hen adopted 3 doz day old chicks, and clucked them into order. What a great thing to watch. I was raised on a farm in the Adelaide Hills, and we often had sitting chooks, but I'd never seen anything like this clucky mum. Tawny frogmouths raising their young and teaching them to hunt. Fledgling peaceful doves adopted me in Carnarvon when 1 of 2 young was blown out of the nest. Mum and dad dove moved the fluffy young one to shelter under my van until it could fly. They tolerated my ins and outs around the van. I felt very honoured. Here in the Cairns park I've watched the Stone Curlews nest, hatch and care for their young. Yes, nature is wonderful.

I agree with NOT feeding the native animals. What really annoys me is when you arrive somewhere on your travels and you get attacked by the birds, Kangaroos and emus for food. Its a disgrace to tell you the honest truth. Have even had the invasion of the goannas. People think is "Loverly" to feed the wild animals and then the animals become reliant on the free handout. These people should be shot on sight. Grassy Heads was one place where we struck the invasion of the Goanna. If you left your tent open, the insides were completely destroyed. Could have gladly did some bodily harm to those who fed the goannas. Then, at Burrendong dam, near Wellington ( BTW big black X for us) we camped over a couple nights in the bush and when we decided to have a meal were literally attacked by Emus and Kangaroos after a free handout. That was exciting (not) as we had to defend ourselves with big sticks. Then whilst visiting McKenzies Falls near Halls Gap, I was dieing for some cuisine, so purchased a meat pie and was attacked by the bird life and had to run for cover to protect my pie. That was not a nice feeling either, to be dived on by literally dozens of birds. Reminded me of Alfred Hitch****s film, "The Birds". The most disgraceful animal on this earth is the human being. Brainless twits some of them. So yes I do agree with those that say DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS OR WILDLIFE, so please adhere to the words of advice given. Have a great day.

that give me such a belly laugh that the office runner came to see what was wrong, I seen you in my minds eye being chased by the local wilfdlife all over our great country we have been in the same boat many times, had a kangaroo in our camper on kangaroo island, possums attacked us at halls gap, emus on the yorke penninsula, kookaburras down by strathalban, dingoes on fraser island and yes goannas all over the place they dont have any manners these critters the weirdest one was the big python that came to say gday in our camper trailer up on cape york, now I dont like snakes much and the dragon wouldnt scoot it out so it shared our living quarters for three days, we actually got to like it after a while, must have been 7 foot if it was an inch and about 3 inches round, harmless though

Well from a medical perspective...
I've seen the results of (mainly kids) feeding animals, and when said animal got a fright, it naturally took measures to defend itself seeing said kid worse for wear.

Little kids also want to 'cuddle' these furry creatures, or pick them up, it amazes me at the number of dumb parents out there who will actually let their kids attempt this feat.

There's also the aspect of particularly Kangaroo's who can get rather narky at picnic sites where they are regularly fed, when they don't get any food.

Emu's are also a prone to going into full-force attack mode just to scoop a sausage off the barby.

Apart from Emu's which I utterly hate, wouldn't trust one of them if my life depended on it, Kangaroo's, Dingoes, Birds and the like, if they know they will get a regular feed at a certain spot, then something goes wrong and they attack someone, the end result for said animal is in some cases been done away with, or having rocks or whatever thrown at it. It wasn't the animals fault this happened, it was ours!

Can anyone please tell me what to feed the very rare Oomoodoodle bird, I cannot find anything that is helpful on Google, so am hopeful that of you very knowlageable GN's can help. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the breed, they get their name from their most unusual call. Looking forward to your helpful suggestions. Judy

Ok I'm guilty, I've fed bread to the ducks but is is always gainy bread, I would never give them white bread, don't think it is healthy for humans never mind wild animals. However I will buy some milk arrowroot biscuits. 

Ah the "oomoodoodle bird". First you have to find it, little critter that it is. Well, first, you get a pair of tweezers and a pepper pot, open your pants, shake out some pepper, and if you grasp too hard with the tweezers when the bird sneezes, it will let out a blood curdling howl, yelling, "Oomoodoodle!!" Once you've grasped the "bird", you can feed it what ever it fancies. I guess the writ will be in the mail?

Agree with not feeding native birds and animals. Have just spent a glorious 5 days in the Warrumbungles and was constantly pestered by kurrawongs, in great numbers, and heaven forbid, was deprived of a bowl of nuts and the knocking over of a glass of red ! A kookaburra stole toast out of my hand without me seeing it coming and kangaroos begged and grabbed if something appealed. I hate to think of young children being molested in the same way. The kangaroos hogged our campfire at night, which we couldn't get cross about as it was VERY cold. In Bundaberg now for a week before heading further north. Cheers Helen

Helen these things are what makes memories, very annoying at times and I agree they should not be fed but to knock over a glass of red "MY GOD" thats unforgiveable, pinching toast is one thing but to avail itself of the the intrusion of witholding ones beverage should be a hanging offence did you get a good description of the hit and run artist he must be stopped at all costs and dealt with to the full extent of the law we had a kangaroo share our fire with us when we were on the upper reaches of the cooper, we nicknamed her "blondie" she would hop around us until she felt comfortable with one of us and then would lay down and have a nap beside us, we rarely fed her apart from the usual table scraps and she would come and go as she pleased but she just felt the cold I guess, got that way she would stand right alongside one of us and actually allow us to give her a rub, obviously an elderly beastie and near her time so every little bit of comfort helped not that many people got up to that area at that time so it was extremely rare to find such a quiet animal in such a remote place, a memory that I and about thirty others will hold very dear

Sounds like my sort of place Dave. Can't wait to return to the outback and hope to do a trip or two while at Bramston Beach, South of Cairns ( hope to catch up Granny) and will go to Groote Eylandt to see my son. Now in Bundaberg with a friend for a week. Cheers Helen

great spots all through there as well as the kimberleys but I sold my puddle jumper and along with that went my means of getting back out there, still got the camper trailer top that I built way back when, sold the heavy trailer though and this one wouldnt make the trip I often think about getting another puddle dodger or building another off road truck/motorhome just to get back up there but the daydream sits in the corner with my fly rod and ultralight theres some fantastic trips that we undertook north of cairns as well but oh boy the biteys (insects as well as snapping handbags) and the humidity and the rain but lovely all the same