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Australian Wallaroos Make Excellent Pets
"I bought my first two wallaroos as pets years ago and just kept expanding," says Ruby Maulding, Silverton, Ore., who says the little known relatives of the kangeroo are easy to raise and make good pets.
Walleroos are smaller than kangaroos but larger than wallabies. That's the major difference, although the col
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Australian Wallaroos Make Excellent Pets AG WORLD Ag World 10-3-20 "I bought my first two wallaroos as pets years ago and just kept expanding," says Ruby Maulding, Silverton, Ore., who says the little known relatives of the kangeroo are easy to raise and make good pets.
Walleroos are smaller than kangaroos but larger than wallabies. That's the major difference, although the color is also different. Like kangaroos, they carry their babies in their pouch, stand on their back legs, and hold their food with their front paws. They're shy and take time to tame. Maulding keeps the herd ù about 15 in all ù in a pen near the house and says they all get along fine until you put a new male in the pen, at which time the other males will challenge it.
Female wallaroos are grey with a white stomach and are about 2¢ ft. tall when full grown. The males continue to grow in size right up to death, reaching a maximum of about 3 ft. tall. Their coloring is a darker, reddish tint.
Maulding says wallaroos live on the coastline in Australia and are excellent swimmers. They can withstand heat easily but when the temperature drops below freezing she keeps them in a small heated shed. She feeds them a diet of horse grains, corn, apples, peas, carrots, potatoes,and they also eat hay. Moulding sells pairs of male and female walleroos, which can no longer be imported to this country, for $3,500.
In addition to wallaroos, Maulding's tree farm also hosts a menagerie of other wild animals, incluidng llamas, highland cattle, peacocks, Sicilian donkeys, and buffalo. The latest addition is a pair of small Muntjac deer which are native to Asia. The tiny animals stand just 15 in. tall and weigh less than 10 lbs. Extremely quick on their feet, the Muntjac become very tame if frequently handled. They eat hay, grass, and grain, and frequently give birth to twins. Babies are about the size of a rat and can slip through 2 by 2-in. openings.
"I first saw them at Cypress Gardens in Florida and finally found some for sale from a breeder in Arizona. They're very friendly and easy to handle and some varieties develop horns. They sell for $750 for a female and $500 for a male," says Maulding.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ruby Maulding, 18663 Power Creek Loop, Silverton, Ore. 97381 (ph 503 873-5207).
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