Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

• Breeding programs
  • Breeds readily in managed care settings (e.g., zoos); is most common marsupial found in zoos across Australia, Britain, Europe (Merchant & Calaby 1981)
  • Care must be taken to prevent mating between species of wallabies and kangaroos kept in mixed group enclosures (Jackson 2003)
    • Hybrids are almost always infertile
• Caring for orphaned joeys is more difficult than for many other mammals 
  • A natural response occurs when joey experiences a fall in nutrition quality:
    • Thymus glands shrink
    • Immunity to infection is lessened
    • Joey may die of bacterial infection
  • Caregivers need to provide adequate nutrition to overcome this problem
• Orphaned joeys require sunshine and exercise out of the pouch substitute in order for strong bones to develop
  • The Achilles tendons need exercise to stretch as the leg bones grow
    • Without exercise the young kangaroo eventually will be unable to walk or hop
  • Joeys need encouragement (from their mother or caregivers) to gain enough confidence to exit their pouch and explore the outside world 

Red-necked wallabies at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

© San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

An albino red-necked wallaby at the San Diego Zoo.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Jackson (2003)
Merchant & Calaby (1981)
Staker (2006)