Considering a Wallaby as a Pet

Why go to Australia to personally see a kangaroo when you can have a “miniature kangaroo” at your own homes? If you are searching for loving and affectionate, cute and cuddly pets you can always have a dog or a cat. However, if you want something unique, something uncommon in the neighborhood, then a wallaby can perfectly make a cute, cuddly pet without the barking, the digging and the meowing.

A Wallaby basically is a marsupial belonging to a group or category of animals called Macropods from any of about thirty species of the Macropodidae family. Kangaroos are popular type of marsupials with the main distinction of their infants being born small. They nourish themselves in their mother’s pouch for months until they are ready to explore and socialize.

In the same way, wallabies crawl into their mother’s pouch right after they are born without fur and they usually stay for six to seven months in the pouch until they are fully furred and no longer needs the warmth of their mother. There are about 20 type of wallabies and the most commonly used as pets are the Bennett wallaby and the Damal wallaby, also called the Tammar Wallaby.

Between the two types, the Bennett Wallaby is usually chosen as pet because they are more docile and they have a mild temperament. A Bennett Wallaby grows to 2 ½ feet tall and usually weighs between 25 to 45 pounds and their life span reaches to about 12 to 15 years. Bennett Wallabies are diurnal, mostly active during the day and are known herbivores, eating mostly plants although there are available wallaby foods in the market intended for mature wallabies.

On the other hand, the Damal Wallaby or the Tammar Wallaby have the same size as the Bennett but are mostly nocturnal and loves to play during nighttime. This type is more jumpy, anxious and reacts to stimuli easily than the Bennett that is why most exotic pet handlers opt to have the Bennett Wallaby because of their nature and temperament.

Like any exotic pet, the wallaby is only for people that are essentially informed and ready to care for their pet. Before making the purchase, talk to a veterinarian who knows how to take care of wallabies and find time to research more about having a Wallaby as a pet. They are loving and affectionate but they could also be naughty and uncontrollable at times. Hence, it is important to be ready and able in terms of knowledge, space availability, enclosures, family rules, climate and even local state restrictions.

Many exotic pet lovers have wallabies in their homes as house pets. They are manageable and are easily toilet trained but a good amount of preparation is needed before finally deciding on having one.

Wallaby as a Pet Video