Bennett's Wallaby

Heritage

The Bennett's Wallaby, like the kangaroo, are among the most recognized of the marsupials found in the Australian region in the wild. They are found in many different environments including open areas, brush areas, rocky outcroppings and forests. The wild wallabies feed on grasses and browse on brush. There are many varieties of the wallaby in the world. The Bennett's Wallaby is one of the most common found in the United States today.

Characteristics

When viewed, the Bennett's Wallaby has a striking beauty about it due to their graceful antics and posture. The Bennett's Wallaby, like the kangaroo and other members of the marsupial family, rear their young in pouches. At maturity the Bennett's Wallaby reaches a height of about 24 to 30 inches and weighs between 30 and 50 pounds. The males usually take on the larger size characteristics after several years. They are a brownish gray in color with light stomachs. Some albino varieties do exist, but are in limited supply in the United States and the world.

There is nothing more fascinating or heart warming than seeing the first peek of a head from the mother's pouch or a baby that scrambles back to his mother's pouch for safety. Then there is the big baby that tries to hide in mother's pouch, only to find out that he can only get his head in. He still feels safe at that point.

The Bennett's Wallaby can take cold weather with shelter. The type of shelter can vary depending on just how cold it might get in the area where they are to be kept. They require no supplemental heat.

Housing and Fencing

A pair of Bennett's Wallabies should be kept in a large enough area that they can retreat from one side of the fence to the other and feel safe or have a sheltered area for hiding. At least a 40 X 50 foot area for a pair. The more space the less problems you will have health wise. Grass should be kept growing for them to graze on. Trees and bushes are needed for shelter from heat and cold, and this also provides a hiding place for the wallaby.

Fencing should be a least 5 feet tall with as small of mesh openings as possible. The smaller openings will keep them from catching their noses and breaking their neck should something panic them. We use 5 foot 2" X 4" non-climb horse fence for our large main pen which is 150' x 150'. In a panic, with this size of an area, they rarely ever hit the fence. The smaller the pen, you should use a small mesh wire like welded wire or chain link. Keep post on the outside of pen.

Housing can be based on your area. It can be nothing more than a small three sided shelter, a large doghouse, to an elaborate building. We are in a warm climate and our wallabies rarely if ever use their building when it is cold or raining. They tend to stay outside and block the wind with tree trunks or bushes.

Care and Feeding

The Bennett's Wallaby is easy to care for and if you will faithfully follow a regular routine, you will have few problems. The wallabies are foragers and like to eat grasses and hay along with a regular feed ration. The also love carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, and other vegetables. They love treats such as bread, which makes them gentle and eat right out of your hand. A little wheat germ oil on the bread treat will keep their fur coats healthy and shining. The bread also provides a medium by which it is easy to administer wormers and drugs without stress to the animal. There are available several varieties of pelleted diets blended specifically for wallabies and obtainable anywhere in the United States. They should also have a salt/trace mineral supplement available to them along with fresh water at all times. The wallabies should be put on a regular routine worming program and watched for any different behavior as a sign of a problem.

The Bennett's Wallaby breeds easily in captivity with one baby per year. They have a short average gestation period of about 30 days and bear live young, which make their way to the pouch and attach themselves to the mother's nipple for several months.
The young are referred to as a joey. After this period, the joey begins to peek out of the pouch with their head. At about 7 months, the joey begins to take small adventures from mother, but not too far as they quickly seek safety in mother's pouch if alarmed. At 10 months they are usually weaned from mother. Wallabies are easily sexed visually at this time. Wallabies can breed for many years right up to reaching their life span of 12 to 15 years.

Habits and Behavior

Bennett's Wallabies are a social animal in nature and live in groups called mobs. They have an alertness about them when someone or something approaches them. They otherwise tend to graze and stay relaxed. They are constantly grooming their fur coat. They are very clean animal. They like to lay out and take in the sun and fresh air. They even enjoy the rain, so don't waste time trying to get them in their shelter. Bennett's Wallabies seem to be more of a silent communicator using motions and moves to get their points across. They do growl, hiss, and chatter especially when caught.

They have pecking order among the females, but not an aggressive type of behavior, just move over and get out of my way. The males do tend to be more aggressive to one another and it is not unusual to see them sparing it out grabbing and boxing with front legs and kicking with their back legs at one another. Usually after a period of time one hops away.

They are really gentle animals by nature and with easy gentle approaches to them, they will become very friendly in a short period of time. This is especially true of the young offspring, as they quickly become trusting to human kindness. They are playful and tend to hop about in a graceful way. They keep a safety zone between them and strangers, usually of about 15 feet, and then they hop away if you don't have a treat for them.

Crating and Shipping

The young are the easiest to ship. We pen the young in a smaller area to have more personal close contact with them to get them used to being around people in a small area. We crate them in a box or use a sky kennel with doors darkened with burlap so that they are not startled in the shipping process. They are conditioned for shipment prior to actual shipping. Should any appear to be too stressful, they are not shipped. We have not had any that fit this category yet, as the young quickly settle down in the darkened area and make the nearest large airport to minimize shipping time. All are accompanied with a health certificate and set of instructions on handling them.

We want you to be ready for them and know as much about them as you can prior to delivery. That includes having adequate pens, housing, feed, medications, etc. and the knowledge on what to do.

Terms and Conditions

Animals must be paid for in advance of shipping.

We mainly sell bottle started joeys.

Bottle Started Joey Females are $1,400.00 plus shipping.

Bottle Started Joey Males are $1,000.00 plus shipping.

Shipping is $200.00. You can save this cost by picking up your joey.

Other quantities and adults can be quoted upon request. Animals must be paid for in advance of shipping.

A non-refundable deposit of $300.00 is required to hold your position on the waiting list.

We guarantee live delivery, but cannot be responsible for your facilities, handling or environment that might cause deaths to the animals.

Please visit each animal category below to see what is available for sale.

Miniature Donkeys, Llamas, Miniature Zebu Cattle, Bennett's Wallabies, Other Exotic Pets

Further information via e-mail at: ahsorensen@embarqmail.com