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A wallaby can be kept in the home for as long as the first year but an
outside enclosure is eventually a necessity, in our opinion. A fence of at
least six feet in height is recommended. Some type of screening approx.
three feet in height, to make the fence clearly visible to the wallaby, is
also a good idea. This keeps the wallaby from hopping into the fence at
high speed which is a common cause of injury or even death. The screen we
use is the dark green mesh frequently used on tennis courts. This also
keeps any creature such as a dog outside the pen from becoming to
interested in the wallaby world inside and attempting to enter it.
Wallabies are very susceptible to stress and being chased by the
neighbor’s dog is a good way to end-up with a wallaby killed from stress
myopathy. Click on the pictures below for a larger view.
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The
Bennett’s Wallaby makes a wonderful pet! When bottle raised from infancy
and provided with lots of TLC, and plenty of attention they are capable of
returning human affection to a degree astounding to most people! The most
common Bennett’s is grayish-red-brown colored with light almost white
under markings and some have black highlight markings. This variety is
referred to as a "gray". A less common variety is the albino Bennett’s
which is snow white in color and quite striking in appearance. Besides the
color, however, the two are identical in size, behavior, etc.. The albino
Bennett’s are generally much more expensive however. Valley Exotics raises
the "gray" variety. Wallabies are a marsupial which means the infants are
born extremely small and crawl into the mother’s pouch where they attach
themselves to a nipple. This is where they stay warm and happy until they
are some five to seven months of age. At which time they are fully furred
and taken to be bottle fed and socialized with humans. Wallabies are also
a member of a group of animals called macro pods. A Bennett’s life span is
approx. ten to fifteen years. The Bennett’s Wallaby is approx. three feet
tall in height and weighs approx.30 pounds when they reach maturity. Males
are generally larger and more muscular weighing as much as 50 lbs. The
height and weight of the species varies considerably from one individual
animal to another.
The
same is true of the temperament of any individual animal. The attention
given a Joey (baby wallaby) from the time he is started on the bottle, the
nourishment he receives, his environment, veterinary care, and the age at
which he is removed from his mother’s pouch are the most relevant factors
in determining his adult disposition and physical condition. Therefore,
buying a Joey from a reputable breeder with references is very important.
A buyer often gets just exactly what he or she pays for! Within reason and
current market values, that is! Buyer beware and be informed is advice to
be taken seriously!
not be of enormous size. For one or two
wallabies an area found in an average size back yard is more than
sufficient. If owning a mob of wallabies numbering ten or so is your
eventual goal then much thought must be given to the size of the
enclosure. Wallabies do quite well in a wide range of temperatures and
climates. A shelter from the cold, such as a Dogloo* or a home made wooden
shelter somewhat similar to a dog house is all that is needed in most
cases. In extremely cold climates some people use heat lamps or heat mats
on the floor of the shelter. The water supply should be kept fresh and
covered in order to prevent contamination from bird droppings which carry
disease deadly to wallabies. The food dish or hanging feeder should also
be covered. Plenty of shade should be available to wallabies in hot
weather.
