Antechinus using nestboxes
Two Agile Antechinus using a nestbox.
This nestbox may seem a rather large for these little fellows, but its a safe haven, at least. This and several other nestboxes were installed in July 2011 at Happy Valley in Flowerdale, by Chris Coburn and the Upper Goulburn Landcare fire recovery project. These boxes are actually designed for Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and were built by volunteers from Rotary, South Australia.
Agile Antechinus (Antechinus agilis) are carnivorous marsupials related to quolls, devils and thylacines. You’d know it too, if you were ever to hold one in your bare hands, as they have a mouth full of sharp teeth used to catch and eat invertebrates. Their bite hurts, but rarely draws blood! You can see their dentition and skull on the Museum of Victoria website.
These two are last years babies. Either they’re just visiting, or they haven’t yet begun making a nest in this box. At this age, they’ve only recently been weaned and this could be two animals looking for a new home. Sexes are similar so its not possible to tell the sex of these two. In a recent study here in the Strathbogies, dispersing Antechinus travelled between 400m and 1750m (straight-line distance) from their mother’s home range!!, so these fellas might be strangers in town and very grateful to find an empty hollow.
Agile Antechinus, by Michael Sale/Wikipedia
Focus On Fauna 
Finally an antecinus and not mice! It is great to know they are in our area.
I have some of these living in my house down the coast and kind of want to make them a nesting box. About what size should it be
Hi Sara – lucky you! In our limited experience of antechinus in nest-boxes they don’t seem too fussy about size of the box, but it’s probably best to limit the entrance hole size to about 40 or 45 mm. There is some good info on nest-boxes at http://www.strathbogierangescmn.com/projects/landscape-linkages-project/nestboxes-for-wildlife/ , including a pdf download of guidelines for nest-box installation called Nest-box Know-how .
is there anyway to rid them of my house and encourage them to move into the nest box as there right at my bedhead and bloody loud