Texas Jackaroo

What is it?

We have been asked this question a thousand times. Sometimes people just look and gasp with their mouth wide open in disbelief. If they do ask what it is, it usually comes in a form of, "Excuse me sir, what is that in your bag?" 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 Joey's 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 Joey's (take them from their mother's pouch) we take them everywhere we go. Our Joey's 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 Joey's to hospitals, amusement centers, theme parks, malls, churches, grocery stores, Sam's, Walmart, doctor and dentist offices, banks and businesses of every type.

We some times have two or three babies in pouches with us at one time. The reason for this is that this is how we domesticate our Joey's. 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 Joey's 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.

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 & 45 pounds and is about the size of a medium dog. The other wallaby often sold is the Dama 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.

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!

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 Joey's 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!

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.