Macropods = Kangaroos, Potoroos, Wallabies

G’day guys,

Since I’m so obsessed with mammals, I had to break up the mammal section into different parts or I don’t think anyone would have read it fully :P And.. I wouldn’t blame you! Haha

So this section is about Macropods or the Kangaroos and Wallabies and such. These guys are pretty cool. Most of them are pretty sweet and they let you pet/feed them while others are a little more skiddish. But I must say, my favorite macropod would have to the… Pademelon! I may be biased since I had the most interaction with these guys.

One my first day of mammals, I really proved myself. A pademelon, which is a small wallaby, escaped from his exhibit with the echidna. The gate is really high so we’re not sure how he kept getting out. He must be pro jumper or something. Anyway, a zookeeper, Mark and I set off to go catch him. We grabbed a net and went off to the large kangaroo paddock to find this naughty pademelon. So we looked around for a while and finally found him near what will become the new emu exhibit, which is a little outcropping in the kangaroo paddock area. I gave Mark the net since I didn’t feel confident that I would be able to grab him fast enough. So we corner him behind this plank, I’m on one side and Mark is on the other side. So he makes a run for it toward me. I kinda grab him by the back and Mark is like, “Nice! Pick him up! Pick him up!” and I’m like “How do I pick him up?!?!” then mark said, “Pick him up by the base of the tail!! Base of the tail!” so I grab this pademelon from the tail and try to hold him like a cat or another mammal and he starts scratching me. Mark then says, “No just hold him at the base of the tail and he won’t scratch you. So then I let him go and just held him by the base of the tail and the pademelon wriggles a little bit then settles down and we took him back to his old exhibit. So that’s how I went down in history as being a pademelon wrangler ;)

Marvin

Marvin Begging

There is this one pademelon named Marvin. Oh Marvin. He was in the “wallaby walk” area but apparently he was getting beat up by the other wallabies and scratching/boxing little kids. Therefore he had to be kicked out. So he has become Marvin, the free ranging pademelon. He’s quite a character and he loves people. He’ll come right up to people and let them pet him and take pictures. He’s a little punk since he acts like he’s starving all the time. One of the zookeepers call him “Starvin Marvin”. He’ll come up to you and basically beg for food. Except, he does that to everyone… Mammal people, Reptile people, bird people, maintince, guests. Everyone. So now he’s getting really chubby. He even started begging for water, I saw this one guest put out his hand full of water bottle water to give to him! Haha he’s such a good actor. 

Marvin Looking Angelic About to go to Sleep

 
It’s really cute, at lunch, you see him bound down the hill to sit with all zookeepers. However, he’s starting to get into places where he isn’t suppose to be. Bad boy. They were trying to find places to put him so he wouldn’t be as much of a nuisance but he either escapes or gets beat up by the other animals. Haha, he definitely relates to humans more than other animals. He’s a sweetie though, I miss Mr. Marvin. 

The other pademelon I had some contact with was… Theodore!!

He’s just a baby! His mom died and so one of the zookeeper is hand raising him. He is so cute. He looks a little scraggily since he’s just getting over ringworm, but his fur has been growing in nicely so I’m sure he’ll be quite handsome :) He’s our other lunchtime companion. The zookeeper lets him out during lunch to eat, use the toilet, and run around a bit. He’ll run/hop around and you have to make sure to look around your seat before you get up or you might hit him. He really loves kiwi skins, banana skins, and some grains.

He really loves people as well. If you sit near him, he’ll hop right up on your lap and groom himself and relax. We have become good buddies and I miss him a lot. I hope I can see him again soon. I hope I have the opportunity to be able to hand raise a little pademelon and that he’ll be half as cute/sweet as Theodore.

Near the front of the zoo, there is a “Wallaby Walk” that has some wallabies and kangaroos that guests can feed. Near the food trough sits a little grandma red kangaroo named Skippy. She is the sweetest little grandma kangaroo. Nothing really fazes her; she won’t even get up when you start raking around her. She’ll just look up at you, yawn, and lay her head back down. She also has the softest, velvet-like fur I have ever felt. I wish I had a jacket or boots lined with something that soft!

Skippy and Raffie

Me Harassing Skippy for a Picture

Nom!

One unnerving thing about kangaroos is how buff the males can get. The males and females are separated because they apparently mate like madness and there would be 1000 joeys running around left to their own devices.

GIRL LOOK AT THAT BODY

But it’s not that they are buff, it’s how human-like their upper body looks. Their biceps and pecks are so toned and large, they are bigger than most guys I know, that’s for sure. Haha

I WORK OUT!~

 

In Snoopy and Jack’s exhibit there is a pademelon and two little Potoroos. The Potoroos are really cute. They are very rodent-like so I know Brianne will like them.  (and she did c: )

 They are usually pretty shy so I didn’t see them too often, but on some mornings they would run/hop around the exhibit and me. Also on some days when I’m bringing out their afternoon feed they would come up and check out what I have brought them. It was pretty cool to see them up so close and personal!

So there's a little taste of my macropod experience :) Very fun! They are so sweet and fully of personality!