How long do Pet Wallabies live?
In captivity wallabies can live 12-15 years, sometimes up to about 20 years with excellent care.
What do Pet Wallabies eat?
Their diet is grass- and hay-based: pasture grass and good-quality grass hay should dominate, with limited pellets formulated for macropods and small amounts of leafy greens. Do NOT feed them lucerne/alfalfa-heavy diets, fruit, bread, or processed foods — macropods are prone to lumpy jaw and digestive disease from inappropriate feeds.
Housing and space
Provide a large, predator-proof outdoor enclosure of at least several hundred square feet with high fencing (1.8-2.4 m / 6-8 ft) they cannot jump, plus a dry, sheltered barn or hut for cold or wet weather. They need grazing room and shade; in cold climates a heated shelter is essential, as they are adapted to mild temperate conditions.
Common mistakes with Pet Wallabies
Serious errors are keeping one alone (social and stressed without company), short fencing they clear in a single bound, feeding lucerne/fruit-heavy diets that cause lumpy jaw and obesity, and acquiring one where permits are required or a macropod-experienced vet is unavailable.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Solitary housing — wallabies are social and stressed alone.
- Insufficient fence height — they are powerful jumpers and escape.
- Lucerne/fruit-heavy feeding — causes lumpy jaw and digestive disease.
- No permit or exotic vet plan — ownership is regulated and specialist care is scarce.