Things to consider:

• Kangaroo carers tend to be people who do not work full or part time away from home.
• Joeys require 24hr care (as you would give an infant) and need to be with you at all times whilst small.
• Raising a joey is long term, and quite expensive for  around 10 – 12 months. (a joey of around 2 kilos  is approximately 7 months old)
• Depending on the species, joeys are weaned at 14 – 18 months old.
• Gradually as they start to emerge from the pouch they require supervised time outside several times a day, which over months becomes less supervised as they gain confidence and are less reliant on you.
• Joeys need a quiet garden large enough to get up to full speed as they grow.  Or preferably carers with property where the carer has room to have a compound and can keep kangaroos for their lifetime (approx 14 -20 years)
• Preferably no dogs (or dogs can be kept separately) loud machinery or noisy neighbours that could frighten the animals.
• Joeys must be kept away from cats and their litter or toilet area as cat faeces can carry a protozoan called toxoplasmosis (even if the cat shows no symptoms) which is fatal in joeys.
• Kangaroos are mob animals and crave others of their kind which  reduces the stress on the animals and gives them others to bond to.
• Kangaroos are not released in South Australia and are best cared for by people with properly constructed compounds  in which to house them for their for their lifetime.
• If you keep a kangaroo you must get a permit from Dept Environment and Heritage.  Although a joey is very cute, it will rapidly become a very large animal with specialised needs (including feed requirements, habitat and the need to be with others of its species).  When larger they do not make good pets.  It is essential to think long and hard about whether you have the facilities to care for this animal for its lifetime (up to 20 years) or whether it is the interests of the animal that it be handed to someone who is able to do so.

They rest during the day in the shade of woodland moving on to the grasslands to feed.

Kangaroos eat a variety of plants but mainly grasses.

Kangaroos are unique, being the only large animals that use hopping for locomotion.

Red kangaroos & Euro’s breed continously under good conditions but Grey Kangaroos are usually seasonal breeders.

Kangaroos have a long gestation period compared to other marsupials ranging from 31-36 days.

With Euro’s & Red Kangaroos the joey is continually attached to the teat until 120-130 days old.

Mother kangaroo can change the composition of her milk, one strength for the newborn joey and another for the joey that has emerged from the pouch.

The young first emerge from the pouch usually by falling out. This usually occurs around 185 days for Red Kangaroos & 298 days for Grey Kangaroos.

Red Kangaroos are also known as Marloo or Blue Flyers (females).

Grey Kangaroos are also known as Mallee Kangaroo, Sooty Kangaroo or Scrubbers.

A male Red Kangaroo can weigh up to 90kgs or a female 35kgs.

A male Grey Kangaroo can weigh up to 70kgs or a female 35kgs.

A male Euro can weigh 58kgs or a female 25kgs.