Do Kangaroos make good pets?

The short answer is no! Many Australians in the '70's were mesmerised by the Australian TV series "Skippy", a charming serial about a young Aussie family with a pet Kangaroo named, of course, "Skippy". The world over, this iconic animal remains the epitome of Aussie cuteness, but in reality they are not suitable as a pet and they are not kept as pets by Australian families, contrary to popular belief. There are exceptions of course, but the average family does not have the resources (the land and a very high fence) to keep these animals responsibly, even if they were legally able to do so (not allowed in some Australian states).

The Kangaroo is a native Australian animal that is timid by nature and used to living in colonies or groups with other kangaroos. They are adept at covering huge distances in search of food and water and have adapted to Australia's harsh climate, tolerating a wide range of climatic conditions. In spite of this, the sheer size and habits of a full grown kangaroo means that, although it would seem to be an unusual and appealing animal to keep as a pet, it just isn't practical.

A kangaroo needs at least an acre of land in which to live comfortably and a very high fence to contain it. In order to responsibly keep a kangaroo, a fence of approximately 2 metres would need to be erected in which to contain the animal, as a kangaroo roaming free near public roads is a danger to both itself and traffic. Kangaroos are amazing jumpers, helped by their incredible tales, which propel them along at speeds of over 40k per hour, but are also quite flighty, and if startled by traffic are unpredictable.

Most kangaroos that are kept as pets are in rural areas, with people who are experienced in raising them from a young age.

In most of the cases where people have pet kangaroos, they have hand reared them as a young joey. Obviously the kangaroo then remains close to it's human rescuers , who in turn have the knowledge, capacity (and land) to keep them.

Hand reared kangaroos are quiet and playful, but it is worth noting they can become overly enthusiastic and aggressive as they get older – the kangaroo equivalent of a "teenager" They have sharp back claws, used for "boxing" each other in the wild, and sometimes can square up to their human with the same behaviour which has the potential to be dangerous – those back claws have the ability to inflict a serious injury. This is another factor which indicates that they are only a suitable "pet" for someone who has the experience to provide for their needs and know their particular behaviour. This can be limited to wildlife experts or people who have lived in rural areas all their life and are well versed in animal handling. These people are unlikely to keep the kangaroo confined, it is more likely that it is hand fed when it appears and is left to roam off in the bush at will.

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