Boodies are thought to be the only Australian macropod to shelter in underground warrens, although it is possible that the extinct Nullarbor Dwarf Bettong B. pusilla also used warrens. Warrens on Bernier, Dorre and Faure Islands typically have two or three entrances in sandy soils, but at rocky sites or where calcareous layers are present, such as at Barrow Island, Matuwa-Kurrara Kurrara and Yookamurra, warrens may have up to 120 entrances (Short and Turner 1993; Palmer et al. 2021). Warrens constructed by Boodies are still obvious in a variety of rocky and stony landscapes in central Australia and on the Nullarbor Plain (Burbidge et al. 2007); European Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus now occupy some of these. Reintroduced Boodies have been recorded successfully recolonising them (Palmer et al. 2021). Before the decline of Boodies, Brushtail Possums Trichosurus vulpecula and Chuditch Dasyurus geoffroii and other animals also occupied their warrens (Burbidge et al. (1988). At reintroduction sites a variety of species including Brushtail Possums, Numbats Myrmecobius fasciatus and Bilbies Macrotis lagotis have been recorded occupying Boodie warrens (Palmer et al. 2021). In large and long-established warrens, the habitat heterogeneity and alterations to soil structure caused by burrows promote herbage productivity and plant diversity (Noble et al. 2007). 

Boodies are nocturnal and gregarious. They emerge from warrens after sunset and return before sunrise. Food is procured largely by digging and appears to be located by smell. They are omnivorous, eating underground fungi, fruit, seeds, tubers, roots, bulbs and arthropods, particularly termites. At Heirisson Prong, the diet comprised hypogeal fungi, fruit, seed, forbs, and arthropods in winter, and browse from shrubs such as Acacia ligulata, Senna glutinosa subsp. chatelainiana, Eremophila spp., Pimelea microcephala, and Olearia spp., fruit, seed, stem, and some forbs in summer (Robley et al. 2001). The average home range sizes for males and females at Heirisson Prong were 107 and 86 ha respectively (Robley 1999), and on Barrow Island were 133 and 98 ha (Short and Turner 1990) for males and females respectively.

The Boodie once had one of the widest distributions of any Australian mammal, occurring in most of Western Australia south of the Kimberley (where it occurred on the Dampier Peninsula), almost all of South Australia, the southern half of the Northern Territory, western New South Wales and south-western Queensland. It became locally extinct on mainland Australia and on Dirk Hartog Island. By 1970, it was restricted to four islands off the Western Australian coast: Barrow, Boodie, Bernier and Dorre, but became extinct on Boodie Island in c. 1988.

The Boodie was reintroduced to Boodie Island in 1993 and was introduced to Faure Island in 2002. It has been successfully reintroduced to mainland islands (fenced exclosures) within its original range at Yookamurra (2007, 11 km², South Australia), Scotia (2004, 80 km², New South Wales), Roxby Downs (1999-2000, 123 km² and Arid Recovery Project, South Australia; Moseby et al. 2011), Alpha Island (1.2 km²) Montebello Islands, in 2010 and Matuwa-Kurrara Kurrara National Park (11 km²) in 2010, with the last group being from both Shark Bay and Barrow Island. A reintroduction to a mainland island at Heirisson Prong (1992, 12 km², Shark Bay, Western Australia; Short and Turner 2000) did not persist due to fence disrepair and consequent Cat predation. There are three natural (island) subpopulations and eight assisted colonisations that are self-sustaining and have survived and reproduced for more than five years.

Since 2019, the species has been reintroduced to mainland islands at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary (2022; 94 km²) and a mainland island within Mallee Cliffs National Park (2023; 95.7 km²).

The Boodie was introduced to Kangaroo Island, South Australia in 1924 and 1926, but did not survive (Short and Turner 2000).

Recent confirmation that the Desert Bettong Bettongia anhydra occurred in central and Western Australia suggests that some of the oral history locations of the Boodie could possibly be of that species. However, this is unlikely to significantly affect its known former geographic range.

The Boodie has been the beneficiaries of a sustained, coordinated, well-resourced and strategic conservation program, mostly involving translocations to fenced mainland sites and to islands (naturally without invasive predators or from which invasive predators have been eradicated), extending over at least 30 years. This conservation effort has led to significant increases in population size, area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and number of locations and subpopulations, and hence improvements in conservation status, and represents one of the exemplary cases of conservation successes in Australia (Woinarski et al. 2023a). Nonetheless, this recovery still falls far short of return to the distributional extent and population size it had prior to European colonisation of Australia, and is largely dependent upon ongoing investment and maintenance of predator-exclusion fencing at mainland sites and biosecurity for island sites (Woinarski 2021, Woinarski et al. 2023b, Read et al. 2023).

Since 2011, this species has been managed largely through a multiple-species recovery plan (Richards 2011). It had seven actions that related to the Boodie:

• Protect the wild populations and their habitat.
• Maintain captive populations
• Maintain existing reintroduced populations.
• Reintroduce … to additional mainland and island sites.
• Conduct research to determine the genetic relationships of isolated populations of each species.
• Enhance community participation and education in the recovery of … boodies. 
• Manage recovery program.

Implementation is well progressed. Conservation of the Boodies is coordinated by the Shark Bay Mammals Recovery Team. Wild subpopulations are managed. For translocations, see Range. Reintroduction is proposed to Dirk Hartog Island National Park, a large island (620 km²) recently cleared of introduced predators. Studies into the relationships of Barrow Island and Shark Bay subspecies suggests taxonomic distinctiveness (Rick et al. 2019, Nistelberger et al. 2023). Hybridising the Shark Bay and Barrow Island subspecies has occurred at Matuwa-Kurrara Kurrara with positive outcomes for genetic diversity and no evidence of outbreeding depression. Significant participation by community groups occurs at the Arid Recovery project (South Australia).

Barrow Island and Boodie Island are managed by the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and Chevron Australia. Management includes the implementation of a detailed biosecurity plan. Bernier and Dorre Islands are managed by DBCA. Faure Island, Scotia, Yookamurra and Newhaven are managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Mallee Cliffs is managed under a joint agreement between the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the New South Wales Government. Matuwa-Kurrara Kurrara National Park is managed under joint agreement between DBCA and Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation. Alpha Island, Montebellos, part of the Montebello Islands Conservation Park, is managed by DBCA. The Arid Recovery Project is a joint conservation initiative between BHP Billiton, the local community, the South Australian Department for Environment and Water and The University of Adelaide, supported by Friends of Arid Recovery.

Both extant subspecies are listed as Vulnerable under Australian environmental legislation and a recent Conservation Advice provides some overall management direction (DCCEEW 2023).