- The base diet for wallabies should be composed of grasses when available and a commercial kangaroo pellet or cube [6] [7].
- Some owners may also feed cracked corn or wheat and alfalfa [7].
- It is important to avoid foods that have sharp pieces because this can result in a condition called “lumpy jaw”, which is common in captive macropods. ...
- Soft, supplementary foods fed in excess may cause the wallaby to chew vertically instead of horizontally which may also result in lumpy jaw [9].
- To supplement the diet, root vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots, and produce like apples can be offered occasionally [6] [7] as hard vegetables help clean the gums and teeth ...
- Softer fruits like banana and pear may get caught in the teeth and cause infection [7].
- Supplementary salt licks containing vitamin E may provide essential minerals that replace what the wallaby would receive from dirt in the wild [6] [7].
- Parsley and spinach can also be offered sparingly [6].
What do you feed a Wallaby?
The base diet for wallabies should be composed of grasses when available and a commercial kangaroo pellet or cube [6] [7]. Some owners may also feed cracked corn or wheat and alfalfa [7]. It is important to avoid foods that have sharp pieces because this can result in a condition called “lumpy jaw”, which is common in captive macropods.
Are wallabies herbivores?
Wallabies are herbivores and survive on a diet of grasses and other plants. Their elongated faces have rows of flat teeth for chewing and digesting plant matter. Wallabies are marsupials — pouched mammals — which are members of the kangaroo clan with the genus Macropus.
How many hours a day do Wallabies eat?
Bennet's wallabies may spend up to 15 hours per day browsing [1]. Macropods tend to prefer plant species high in nitrogen [7]. The preference of the yellow-footed rock wallaby is forbs and grasses, which comprise the majority of its diet when available [4].
How do you take care of a Wallaby baby?
Baby wallabies should be maintained in specially made suspended, thick pouches that have an inner lining made out of wool, cotton, or another insulation material [6]. This pouch should be regularly cleaned [6].
What should you not feed a wallaby?
Ideally, pellets are only up to 15% of total diet offered, hay/grass should be the main food. DO NOT FEED: Bread, grains and rolled oats or root vegetables (too starchy and rich for herbivores), or large amounts of Lucerne (protein levels are too high).
Can you feed wallabies carrots?
Regardless of why people choose to feed kangaroo carrots, they are super bad for them. Carrots are naturally high in sugar, much higher than the grass kangaroo usually eat. This sugar rush is addictive and there are cases of wild kangaroos becoming addicted to carrots.
What are wallabies favorite food?
Wallabies are herbivores and they mostly eat grass. They can also eat leaves and fruits, and other plants like ferns and herbs. When grazing, wallabies will often congregate in small groups, though most species are typically solitary.
How often do you feed a wallaby?
Newly-furred joeys must be fed every four hours, 6-7 times per day. Each feeding should take approximately 5-8 minutes and be followed by defecation. Even more so than adults, young wallabies are prone to infection, so keep their environment free of feces, urine, and spilled milk.
Can you feed kangaroos apples?
In Captivity Kangaroos in zoos get fed pellets formulated for grazers as a basic diet, but they also get alfalfa hay and a selection of the garden produce they love so much (carrots, apples, broccoli and bananas), plus extra greens, such as dandelion leaves and romaine.
What type of grass do wallabies eat?
What is this? Wallaby grass is one of many perennial native grasses that grow mostly in Southern and Eastern Australia. It can be found anywhere from Victoria to New South Wales, all the way to Tasmania. It can also be found in South Australia and the southwest areas of Western Australia.
Do wallabies drink water?
Even wallabies. Wallabies and kangaroos (collectively called macropods) have thick pink tongues adept at lapping water. Many species don't need to drink if their food is very wet, but in hot dry times they will drink in the morning and evening.
How do you take care of wallabies?
Try to provide daily access to sweetgrass, orchard grass, or timothy hay. This mainly grass-based diet should be supplemented with wallaby pellets, a few fresh green vegetables, and apples as occasional treats. If wallaby pellets are not available, then rabbit or horse pellets may be used.
Are wallabies friendly?
Are Wallabies Friendly? After all, if you own one, you might want to interact with it. Wallabies are not domesticated animals. Therefore, socialization when they're joeys might make them tame at that time, but as they grow, they can resort to their wild ways.
What is the lifespan of a wallaby?
12 to 15 yearsWhat is the lifespan of a Wallaby? Wallabies can live for 12 to 15 years.
Are wallabies aggressive?
Even without feeding, kangaroos and wallabies readily accept our presence if we show no aggression towards them. But, if we get too close, they may see us as a threat. Kangaroos and wallabies that are used to being fed can approach people expecting food. When there is no food, they may become aggressive.
How do wallabies sleep?
Where do wallabies sleep? They rest at midday in long grass or like this mum and joey on a soft mossy verge. That's why they're difficult to spot during the day if you go out wallaby searching. It's best to go at dawn and dusk when they're most active.
What vegetables do wallabies eat?
Kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons and wombatsMacropod (kangaroo) pellets (rural supply stores) if not available use high fibre, low energy horse pellets (not high performance)Leafy green vegetables (including silverbeet, baby spinach, endive, cos lettuce)More items...•
Do kangaroos eat carrots?
The kangaroos and wallabies get things like beets, carrots, broccoli, raisins, bananas, and apples in small amounts cut up into appropriate-sized pieces to be sprinkled over their pellets. They also get different greens like dandelion and romaine.
What do wallabies eat in captivity?
Try to provide daily access to sweetgrass, orchard grass, or timothy hay. This mainly grass-based diet should be supplemented with wallaby pellets, a few fresh green vegetables, and apples as occasional treats. If wallaby pellets are not available, then rabbit or horse pellets may be used.
What can I feed rock wallabies?
What does a Rock Wallaby Eat? In the wild, without tourist handouts, they mainly eat new grass after rain and forage for small herbs. As well they find other nutritious items like native fruit, seeds and flowers and non-vegan foods like insect larvae.
How long should a wallabie be fed?
Each feeding should take approximately 5-8 minutes and be followed by defecation. Even more so than adults, young wallabies are prone to infection, so keep their environment free of feces, urine, and spilled milk. Joey milk should be heated with hot water to achieve a tepid temperature.
Where are wallabies found?
They are found on the Australian continent (Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea) of which they are indigenous.
When do baby wallabies wean?
They will wean at 13-15 months depending on the species [9]. Baby wallabies should be maintained in specially made suspended, thick pouches that have an inner lining made out of wool, cotton, or another insulation material [6]. This pouch should be regularly cleaned [6].
Can you bottle feed a joey?
In conjunction with bottle feeding, furred joeys can be offered water from a bowl to lap up, which will take them some getting used to. Joeys are ready to be weaned when their stool changes from light and soft to dark brown and firm, which indicates they have developed gut flora for digestion of solid food.
Do wallabies have a kick?
Still, wallabies have a powerful kick that should not be underestimated [7]. While wallabies are relatively easier to care for, inadequate husbandry can make them prone to infection [7].
Is it legal to have a wallabie as a pet?
Like most uncommon exotic pets, wallabies are unfortunately not legal in all states in the United States. They tend to be legal in more states than primates, exotic felines and canines, venomous reptiles, bears, and other commonly prohibited species. In general, states that ban these marsupials have laws that restrict most non-traditional pets based on that factor alone.
Can wallabies be kept in zoos?
Wallabies breed easily in captivity and may be the most commonly-exhibited marsupial in zoos [1]. Relative to other uncommon exotic pets and based on the criteria of the typical pet keeper, wallabies can make good pets when kept as mostly outdoor animals.
What to feed a wallaby?
This mainly grass-based diet should then be supplemented with wallaby pellets and a few fresh green vegetables and fruits like apples and grapes; avoid very sweet fruits. Some breeders recommend a small amount of monkey chow in addition to wallaby pellets.
What do wallabies eat?
Food and Water. There are a variety of food options for pet wallabies but it is important to remember that all wallabies are herbivores. They spend the majority of the day grazing on grasses and sleeping.
How to size an outdoor enclosure for a wallaby?
A common formula to determine a nicely-sized outdoor enclosure is to make the minimum height and width four times the length of your wallaby; make the length of your enclosure eight times the length of your wallaby. This size will need to increase exponentially if you have more than one wallaby. In comparison to the size of the dama wallabies and the red-necked pademelo, Bennett's wallabies require the most space. A minimum of a 50-foot by 50-foot by 6-foot-high fenced outdoor enclosure is needed to allow them space to move and graze outside.
How big of a space do Bennett's Wallabies need?
In comparison to the size of the dama wallabies and the red-necked pademelo, Bennett's wallabies require the most space. A minimum of a 50-foot by 50-foot by 6-foot-high fenced outdoor enclosure is needed to allow them space to move and graze outside.
What is the temperament of a wallaby?
Wallaby Behavior and Temperament. Some wallabies are docile and friendly while others are jumpy and anxious; many do not have a mild temperament at all. Usually affectionate toward each other, they do best in groups.
What diseases do wallabies get?
It is common for wallabies to get intestinal parasites like roundworms as well as vitamin E and selenium deficiencies. They can also get ringworm, salmonellosis, and a disease caused by a bacteria in the mouth referred to as lumpy jaw.
How long does it take to wean a baby wallaby?
Baby wallabies need to be weaned humanely and safely from their mother. At the stage of bottle-raising wallabies, weaning is at least a seven-month process.
What do wallabies eat?
Wallabies are herbivores and survive on a diet of grasses and other plants. Their elongated faces have rows of flat teeth for chewing and digesting plant matter. Wallabies are marsupials — pouched mammals — which are members of the kangaroo clan with the genus Macropus.
How big are brush wallabies?
Brush wallabies are built like kangaroos and are measured between 45 and 105 cm. Rock wallabies are extremely agile and colored in shades of brown, gray and other sundry stripes. Forest wallabies are native to New Guinea with the smallest, the dwarf wallaby, measuring in at 46 cm.