Devil of a time for homeowners as Tasmanian devils found breeding under Greater Hobart homes

ARE you hearing things that go bump in the night? Keep calm and trade rags with the devil.

TASMANIAN devils have been found breeding under houses near Greater Hobart, surprising residents confused by the bumps in the night.

Wildlife authorities have urged people to try to live with the spring-time ruckus until the boisterous juvenile devils leave home.

Even their occasional devilish antics — such as stealing clothes for bedding — can be alleviated with an offering of substitute rags.

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program wildlife biologist Bill Brown said he had been called out several times in recent weeks to homes south of Hobart in the Cygnet, Petcheys Bay and Gardners Bay area.

Bill Brown, of Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, investigates a devil family under a Gardners Bay house.

He said it was common at this time of year to hear of young devils under homes, and he had even had reports of juvenile devils (called imps) under homes in Sandy Bay, Taroona and Lenah Valley.

“It’s the time of year when mothers are denning their young and they are now becoming big enough to get boisterous,” Mr Brown said.

“People become worried when they hear the noises and they seek advice as to what to do.

“As the imps get older, their boisterous playing can be very amusing, but the noise and mess may, for some, be a bit oppressive.

“Anyone with any concerns about devils near their home can contact the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for advice.”

Mr Brown said the behaviour generally died down mid to late December, when devils started to wean their young and the family left the den.

He urged people to try to put up with the noise until then, and leave out rags for devils if they were stealing items for bedding.

“The female devil will pinch household items to line her den with, often taking items of clothing or chair cushions,” Mr Brown said.

A Tasmanian devil imp.

He said a recent case involved a devil stealing boots and a coir pot, after discarding the plant in it.

To prove the identity of the culprits, Mr Brown set up a wildlife camera to record what was happening.

“The videos captured a mother with three imps, each about one-and-half kilograms in size, and shows the mum sunning herself on the edge of the deck with her young playing around her.”

In another instance, STDP staff responded to reports of a devil near a home at Petcheys Bay, where they found a little devil weighing just 330g.

Mr Brown said most calls were currently coming from around Cygnet and Huonville, and all the devils he had inspected had no signs of Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

Mr Brown inspected a home at Gardners Bay on Thursday, where healthy young devils about 1.3kg in size have become accustomed to offerings of rags left on a deck.

“The residents there are very taken by the devils and enjoy watching them running around on their deck.”

He said devils tended to favour older houses with stone foundations.

“They will go to the deepest darkest corner, which is nice and secure and dry.”