EnTER Fantasia Exotics
Wallaroo -(the red wallaroos are Macropus cervenus, also called Euros, and the common greys are Macropus robustus)

Interview with Larry Munchrath

Email: Lmunchrath@netzero.com
Website www.munchranch.com

Do they have scent glands or an offensive smell?
No, they do not have any specific odor. Their fur is very soft, and they are clean animals. I keep diapers on my house animals and change them 3-4 times a day depending upon the age. The baby diapers with Velcro strips are the ones I use for the young joeys. I don't like the ones with the tape tabs because the tape pulls the hair out. Pull-ups are easy to use for the older ones. I have padded the diaper with a folded wad of toilet tissue to help absorb the moisture, but discovered that it only held moisture against their bottom, and made it irritated and raw. The contents of the diaper is the only 'smell' you will encounter.
What is their average lifespan?
Average lifespan is 15 years.
Do they enjoy interaction?
I have one in the house that thinks it is a human. When she was a baby she would tug at my shirt when she wanted to be picked up, or fed. They hate to be left alone; they will just be happy to sit in your lap, or on the couch, or get in bed and lay beside you at night. The one I have has to be laying against me somewhere before she is content.  Sometimes she will put her head on my arm. She likes to sleep on the bed, and usually has to lay right next to me.

They love to go for rides if they are accustomed to that. I used to teach school and mine became the unofficial school mascot. She seemed to look forward to going to school each day and loved the attention she received from the kids, who are 4th graders. In fact, if my morning alarm clock did not go off, she was sure to wake me at the usual time.
What is their general personality, disposition, and attitude?
I have already touched on that. But in addition, they are curious, and have separate personalities. They can play, and also get mad at you. Mine will nip me on the arm when she is mad, then turn and tear out for the other room. She will also play tug-of-war with a towel or sheet. I have to shut the bedroom door when making the bed because she thinks I am playing and will try to attack the sheets if I am shaking them onto the bed. It is a big game to her. They also understand NO, and can be trained fairly easily.  The ones outside are also calm, curious, and petable. They are not as affectionate as the one inside, but still are no trouble to catch. They love to eat sweet potatoes from your hand. Of course, these are the bottle fed ones. The Dama and Bennett wallabies that I have that were not bottle fed are not approachable, nor petable. But they are used to the routine and will stay just far enough away as to be cautious, and not catchable.
Are they sweet and petable, or mischievous and playful?
All the above. But they respond to how you raise them, and you should never hit them. A loud voice or stern voice is enough to teach them to mind, or what is a no-no. I heard that the wallaroos can be litterbox trained, but cannot speak to that. I don't know how it was done, or how you would keep the litter from going out everywhere when they were to jump in or out of the litter box. A doggy door out to a secure yard is also an option, which has worked for some.
How destructive are they for an average household?
They are not destructive, unless you have breakable items on places that they can jump up on, and they will. The bathroom sink area with the mirror is one of their favorite places. Glass bottles are not a good idea there. Mine has also jumped into the bath tub. They also love paper and paper products!  Mine especially loves the wallpaper I had in the bathroom. I have to replace it, and keep the door shut. I have had bills disappear, book covers be half eaten, and toilet paper rolls all over the house where they grabbed it and ran. They are apt to carry a whole phone book down the hallway trying to get away from you before you can catch them. They are just like a dog with its bone when it comes to paper products, such as books. Don't keep your office door open if you have stacks of papers and bills on the desk. First of all, they will jump right in the middle of the desk, and if you yell, their attempt to exit the desktop will scatter all of the items on the desk all over the floor! If you are not there, they may eat the thousand dollar bonus check you had out for deposit and you will just wonder where you put it. Recycled paper is not easy to detect in the diaper of wallaroo. It all looks the same.
Do they climb or tear up furniture?
No, they jump up on it. But they CAN be taught NO, if you spend the time and are consistent. That is most important.
Are there any problems associated with their claws?
They use them to groom and pick up and hold things.  Anyone thinking of declawing them should have their own fingers removed and see how they function!  I would NEVER, ever sell one to anyone who thinks that declawing is an option. It is cruel and unnecessary!
How messy are their droppings?
They are like sheep or rabbit pellets, unless they eat something that causes soft stool. The adults can have kingsize pellets. But, in the house, I use a diaper anyway, so there is no problem. Here is an example of droppings of a 7 month old joey wallaby. The wallaroo droppings are identical
Can they be trained?
Yes, with consistency. You can harness train them to walk, but beware of dogs. They will have a heart attack if a dog happens to get after them.
How are they with other pets, larger and smaller?
If they grow up with them, they are fine. My wallaroo will chase the cats and small dogs away if she wants me all to herself. She is not aggressive, but gets the point across. Larger animals they stay away from. They should not be raised with cats as they might get toxoplasmosis, which is dealdy to the macropods.
What size cage do they need?
They should not be in a cage of any size. They need large pens, or backyards that have plenty of grass. They will eat the shrubs, so if you have a landscaped yard, you don't want a roo for a pet unless you have a large pen, or are able to fence it off. Keeping them in the house all the time is ot a good idea. They need to be outside.
What do you feed them?
You can get wallaroo food from Purina, or Happy Hopper wallaby food from the distributor. I supplemented with a Selenium/vitamin E mix for horses. I put that on wheat bread. That is also how I worm or medicate them as adults. The Purina product was developed by a Texas breeder-author named David McCauley. His formula is the best I have used and needs no supplements. They also need clean, Bermuda grass hay, and green grass during the year. In the winter we give ours rye grass, and in the spring they get Bermuda. They are browsers like goats, and grazers like horses, and will do some browsing and eat hedged and low growth vegetation. Grass is a must due to the fiber needs they have. I have hay as a free choice available at all times for them here in the winter. 

They also love vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, dark lettuce, clean alfalfa leaves and other vegetables. Just try to see what they will take. Some say also add a good rabbit pellet, but others do not. I also give my roos soft grains. They also love the scratch grains I have for the guineas that roam the pastures. Poor nutrition is very dangerous. Of course, fresh water is a must. Old, or dirty water harbors bacteria and will kill them easily. They should not have any gas producing vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage.

My entire mob loves peanut butter. I put it on their bread and then can sprinkle it with other powdered vitamins, or medicate them that way. I also have used creamed sweet potatoes from the baby food section to put on their bread when giving them supplements, or just as treats.

Charlotte was an adult female wallaroo who stayed in the house at night She would eat anything on my plate. She went tearing off down the hallway a few weeks ago with a pork chop dangling from her mouth, eating as fast as she could while running away! She was the exception.

What vaccinations/vet care do they require?
None, but some give tetanus shots. I occasionally will give a selenium/vitamin E shot. Vet care is needed when they are ill. They are sensitive to some antibiotics, so be sure to get a vet who will ask another vet who is knowledgeable if they are not sure. They will need to know what and how much wormer to give, and how to neuter the males if you want to keep them as pets.  They can also get protozoans, round and tapeworms, and trematodes. Ringworm is treatable, and lumpyjaw (necrobacillosis) is another disease that needs vet attention. Coccidiosis is another treatable problem which caused one of my animals to die.

I had a male get pneumonia, which is very deadly to the wallaroos, but he survived by receiving shots of Baytril and Gentocin, and then rebuilding up the bacteria with Pro-Bios and Bene-bac. It is not recommended to give any Penicillin orally to these animals. Baytril can cause ligament problems if given to growning joeys. We were lucky. I now have a reserve male in case of a disaster. There are some publications out that are specifically written for macropods, and the one I like is by David McCauley, called "Macropods, Their Care, Breeding, and the Rearing of Their Young" It is a 300+ page book with an interactive CD. The ease of understanding and readability makes one of the best books I have read. I suggest you get it before, or as soon as you get a joey, and maybe one for your veterinarian. His email is <info@davesanimalfarm.com>. It is under $50. I have mentioned other sources on the wallaroo page.
At what age would it be best to get one?
I recommend getting a joey after it has been pulled and is on the bottle. Bottle fed joeys bond to the owners and having one of the little guys is a wonderful experience, if you have the nurturing instinct in you. They must be bottle fed several times a day with a special formula, and diapers changed, and made to go to the bathroom by stimulating the bottom area (cloaca). Those who don't want to take that much time should not get one. They are just like having a baby. The more you put into them the more you will get out of them as far as being healthy and developing loving personalities. You can also get one that has been weaned if you plan just to have it because you want to give them a place to live and to be able to watch and observe.
Other Consideration for owners of Wallaroos?
You need space, time, commitment, and love.
What kind of person should own these animals?
Not people who think 'boxing is cool', not people who work all the time, not people who have unruly, or unmanageable kids of their own, not people who want to make a lot of money, not people who are looking for an easy investment with little time involved, not people who are just looking for a 'cool' pet. 

It takes commitment, patience, love of baby animals, and not worrying how much will it cost. If that is a problem or concern, get a puppy!  However, if you have the time, are retired, or just love the critters in general, you will be very happy with one of these wonderful animals.  They are not something that you can just put out to pasture. They are very dependent on your care and kindness. If you have love in your heart, and are not afraid to change diapers, give shots if needed, take animals to the vet if needed, or if you like getting attention from your pet, you will love the wallaroos. The personalities of wallaroos and wallabies are wonderful if you have given them time and love. They get up to 60 pounds, so you also need to consider the size when deciding. The Bennett wallabies are 10-20 pounds smaller. I keep mine in a 6 foot chain link shaded yard. It also has a shelter available. I do put a heat lamp in their shelter in the winter, although they will do fine without one in my climate.
About the author?
I have been raising exotic animals for several decades, and recently (since 1992) I discovered the joys of the macropods. I have raised several two species of the macropods, (which means big toe) I now exclusively raise the normal color and and albino wallabies. The wallabies have wonderful personalities. I also have other animals such as miniature cows called Zebu, which we show a lot,  and several types of very colorful and beautiful birds from Australia.
Also on the ranch are Chihuahuas, Chinese Crested Hairless, and Powderpuff dogs, African Serval cats, Bengal cats, Savannah cats, Russian Siberian cats, (which are hypoallergenic and a blessing to those allergic to cats) my guard dogs, and probably more that I have forgotten to mention.  At any one time, I may have to feed all the baby birds, all the joeys, and kittens or puppies depending upon who is in the nursery. Other times he may be showing some of our miniature cows or cats. We live south of Canton, Texas, which is between Dallas and Tyler. Please visit our website, MunchRanch, (www.munchranch.com) for the online ranch tour.

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