|
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! | 
