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When
to wean a hand raised macropod is often quite a controversial
subject within the wildlife community. As wildlife care is a voluntary
occupation, and mainly funded by the carer, finances and time
often result in macropods being weaned earlier than they would
be in the wild.
Some
carers wean their joeys not long after they emerge and this is
way too soon.
Take
these photos for example. Lilly (raised and released at at Fourth
Crossing Wildlife) in the photos at left show her still feeding
her fully emerged "at heal" son, Pond.
As
you can see he isn't that much smaller than her, and he was observed
drinking for well over 5 minutes. You can see also that Lilly
has a bulge in the pouch, so she is creating one milk for her
"in pouch" joey and another for Pond. Each milk is totally
different.
If
you are a carer wanting to know when it is the right time to wean
a hand raised macropod, think of Lilly and Pond, and don't wean
too soon!
And
here is more proof - Mother of
the Year!
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