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WALLABIES
by Mike Smith
I must admit, I usually have fun with this question. "I don't know!"
I exclaim, "but could you please get it out for me!" I often ask
them, "What do you think it is?" The answers range from the
ridiculous to hilarious. They usually answer with another question
like: "Is it some kind of deer?" Or, "Well, it's a rabbit. Anyone
can see that." Or, "I want to say a kangaroo, but I know it can't
be!" Many are just plain truthful in their response, "I don't know,
but isn't it cute."
We often take our Joeys with us on vacations. One lady at a gas
station in Arkansas, after I finally told her it was a wallaby
asked, "What's that, some kind of dog?" Even among people that seem
to know what a wallaby is, there's still some confusion as to it's
relationship with the kangaroo. A wallaby is a kangaroo, it's just a
smaller version. Much like a Shetland pony is still a horse.
However, when one refers to a Shetland it is understood that they
mean a smaller sized horse.
As I said, when we pull our Joeys (take them from their mother's
pouch) we take them everywhere we go. Our Joeys have eaten in the
best restaurants, stayed in the finest hotels and been in virtually
every type of establishment one can imagine. We have taken our Joeys
to hospitals, amusement centers, theme parks, malls, churches,
grocery stores, Sam's, Walmart, doctor and dentist offices, banks
and businesses of every type.
We sometimes have two or three babies in pouches with us at one
time. The reason for this is that this is how we domesticate our
Joeys. Through this process they are acclimated to people, sights,
sounds and various types of environments. our favorite place to go
with a Joey is to an OUTBACK steak house. The food is great and the
atmosphere is hopping, especially when a real Australian hops in. of
course, we let everyone know about our authentic Aussie only as we
are leaving out on the front porch, and we always ask the manager if
it's permissible. We usually have a hard time getting away.
We take great pride in being able to provide Joeys that are totally
tame and healthy. Though most people never notice I have a wallaby
hanging on my shoulder, there are always moments when someone does
take a second look. Most just see me as a strange man with a blue
denim purse. However, there is the wonderful reward of a rare,
first-hand experience with one of Australia's unique gifts if you
are so bold as to ask, "What is it?" Then there comes the countless
list of questions. Many of these questions are the same questions we
asked before we had the opportunity to raise what we believe is the
greatest exotic pet of all!
So, the next time you see a man with a purse hanging off his
shoulder you might ask him, "Sir, is that your wife's purse on your
shoulder or a wallaby in a pouch?" I was in line with a pouch on my
shoulder at Builder's Square, a lumber and hardware chain in Texas,
and I noticed the clerk answering the phone. She glanced at me and
began to whisper with a smirk on her face to the person on the other
end. I noticed also that she was glancing over the counter to the
information desk behind me. I casually looked back to see a young
man whispering on the phone there too. Their jig was up!
After I paid my bill, I paused and told the clerk I had a message
for her to give her friend at the information desk. She blushed and
said, "Who?" "Your friend on the phone," I said. I opened up my
"denim pouch" and showed her the cutest thing she ever saw come out
of a purse. I told her I was not some strange guy with a purse, but
that I had the rare privilege or raising the most amazing pets,
wallabies. She called her friend over and he did nothing but
apologize for drawing such a wrong conclusion.
"How big does it get?"
Wallabies are one of several groups of kangaroos. Typically wallaby
refers to the medium size group. Just above them are the wallaroos
and then the kangaroos. Although there are over 20 varieties of
Wallabies, you will usually only find two main families of wallabies
sold as pets in the states. The wallaby of choice is the Bennett's
Wallaby (Macropus Rufogriseus). It averages between 25 and 45 pounds
and is about the size of a medium dog. The other wallaby often sold
is the Damal or Tammar Wallaby. They are smaller and will weigh
about 12-18 pounds maximum. The Damals looks a little bit more like
a rabbit in form and are nocturnal, meaning they are awake at night.
The Bennett's are diurnal, or active during the day. The Damals tail
is smaller and they definitely are more jumpy and seem to be more
nervous and stress easier. The Bennett's can take more diverse
climates and will withstand climate changes much better than the
Damals.
Over all, The Bennett's just seem to do much better. I believe most
would agree that they acclimate and bond with much more affection
than do the Damals. Other Wallabies that one might see across in the
country are the Rock, Swamp, and Agile Wallabies. Each of these have
their own special care and unique traits to deal with. The males do
usually get larger then the females. The wallaby does not really
stop growing in size until it is about 4 or 5 years of age. It
usually grows to its full stature by the second or third year, but
after that it will fill out in bulk weight.
Where did you Get it?"
These marsupials come from Australia and New Zealand and are quite
unique. The breeding stock are shipped in from New Zealand although
some domestically raised stock is available. Australia exports very
few marsupials, and when they do it is under strict and binding
guidelines. They are then kept in pens and raised within a mob. One
male can breed up to 10 or 12 females (more about this later). There
are several hundred people who have macropods. All Wallabies,
Wallaroos and Kangaroos are classified as Macropods, which means big
foot. This classification serves them well.
Once a female is bred, the Joey, or baby wallaby in the pouch, grows
for about 6-7 months and then is taken from his mother's pouch. We
call this procedure the "Roodeo!" The young Joey is about 2 to 3
pounds in size and fully furred out. The Joey is able to live quite
well apart from mom at this stage. Under normal conditions the Joey
will remain in the pouch until it is about 9 months old.
We "pull," or remove the Joey and raise it on a bottle and the
bonding process begins. You can buy these Perfect Pets from a
breeder or at an exotic auction, but make sure you have breeder
contact at the sale. DO NOT just buy an animal through the ring
because it is cheaper or because you have made a spur of the moment
decision. You get what you pay for and you receive what you plan
for. More on purchasing a Joey as a pet later too!
What do you feed it?"
As with any exotic pet, they do require exotic care and nurturing
regardless of "what" kind of exotic one might purchase for a pet.
There is a special feed made for Macropods here in the states that
we highly recommend, called "Happy Hopper." We have been feeding
this for years and have had great success with it! We also add a
vitamin E supplement on either vegetables or sliced, whole wheat
bread.
The bottled Joeys are fed with puppy esbilac formula. This is mixed
and fed through a special pet nurser and "VERY" special marsupial
nipple imported from Australia. ' The Joey is fed every 4-6 hours
depending on how old it is and how well it is eating solid food,
such as lettuce (green or red romaine), carrots, grass or Happy
Hopper. Wallabies are browsers so they enjoy grazing on grass,
shrubs and fresh leaves.
A concern that must really be followed is when one is administering
any medicines or medical treatment. Marsupials have very delicate
digestive systems. Always consult a breeder of experience before you
plunge ahead with any veterinarian or "home remedy" advice. The
balance of a wallaby's digestive tract is most crucial! There are
several simple and basic procedures and facts that one must consider
when tending to any exotic pet, and the Wallaby is no exception!
What sex makes the best pet?"
Both males and females make excellent pets, however the males quite
often need to be neutered. They will often exhibit what is commonly
called male aggression. Several people we have sold males to for
pets have had them neutered. It seems best to us that this should be
done before sexual maturity occurs. There is at least one situation
we know of that the neutered male wallaby will still go through the
action of sexual display, not a pleasant thing for the object being
displayed upon. Tucker, a male wallaby who does public relations for
the Australia section of Marine World Africa in California, was
purchased from us. When he began to show some signs of male
aggression, they had him neutered. He now can be petted and handled
by strangers daily without incident. To put it in the words of his
handler Lynn, "Tucker is a perfectly mannered little boy."
There is one great drawback to having a male neutered. You can never
use him for breeding if you ever intend to have a baby Joey of your
own - Too Bad! one thing we do for our customers is provide a stud
service for our buyers. The only cost is shipping and a small fee
for expenses and feed. This usually comes to around $ 300.00. Males
can be just as affectionate as females. In fact, when they are
young, they sometimes are even more affectionate. For an example, we
have a male that was raised as a premature Joey. We pulled him at
barely a pound and he was as pink as he could be. His mother had
died from a flight injury and so he was ours to raise.
As a baby and juvenile, "Mick" was very affectionate, but later we
turned him out to the mob and for over a year he had little personal
contact with me. We then brought him home and used him to breed
buyer's tame females at my house. He was very aggressive when a
female was in heat. He would scratch our arms and jump up and kick
at us. His nails would hurt. However, when the sexual frenzy died
down, I would go out while he was sunning in the middle of the day
and lay down with him and put my head on his belly and he would
gently lay his arm on my face and sigh. He was a BIG BABY at heart.
He licked me and groomed me, signs of acceptance and bonding for one
of the mob.
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