# Marsupials, are they PETable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557 "2006-06-06T00:47:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/21 "2006-06-06T16:20:35Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > [Lyrics By XVR27 - Harris, Rolf - Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport](http://www.com-www.com/musiclyrics/harrisrolf-tiemekangaroodownsport.html) Vetbridge, have you treated marsupials before? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/22 "2006-06-06T16:22:44Z")
When I was a kid my family found an injured kangaroo at he side of a suburban road in Canberra, We put it in the car and took it home (it wasn’t very big). My parents got advice on how to nurse it back to health. I remember it used to sleep in a sugar sack hung on the back of the door. We didn’t have it long before it was released back into the bush. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/23 "2006-06-06T16:43:45Z")
When I was in Australia, they told me that wombats are social and able to be domesticated when they’re little, but become insular, withdrawn, solitary, and crochety as they mature, and thus don’t generally make good pets. That, and they’re incredibly strong (as has already been noted) and shockingly massive for all their apparent small size. They’re better off in the wild, by all accounts. Sad, too, because they are the most endearingly cute critters. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/24 "2006-06-06T16:51:18Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Many people have kept kangaroos as pets. They aren’t really affectionate animals once they become mature. The females aren’t too bad to have around, but they are more like sheep than cats or dogs. If you want that sort of aloof pet I would suggest a pig or a chicken. > > Possible yes. Widely available, no. Having said that, if you have a good relationship with your vet she should be able to pick up sufficient knowledge for general consultations fairly fast. Most surgery or unusual illnesses will probably stay beyond the scope of most vets. > > Roos don’t actually need much in the way of exercise, being one of nature’s laziest animals. They can travel many miles in a day but are just as happy on a quarter suburban house block. > > The real problem isn’t space for exercise, it’s hygeine. Roos in the wild live in low densities and cover large distances. They really don’t tolerate land contaminated with their own faeces very well at all and are susceptible to a _lot_ of gut infections if kept confined. > > The other problem is stress. Something as normal as a dog barking for prolonged periods can be incredibly stressful on even the tamest roos and lead to severe stress related illnesses. > > The sad truth is that macropods kept in urban areas have an average life expectancy of about 6 months. It makes me wonder what the average life expectancy of those thousand dollar wallabies is. > > The tail is used primarily as a fifth leg while moving slowly. It is vital to a kangaroo’s ability to walk and for the males while fighting fight but surprisingly doesn’t seem to have any discernible effect while hopping. > > And yes, they can sit in a car just as easily as a dog. Kangaroos mostly move around on four legs and while doing so they move and lie pretty much like any other four-legged animal. > > What’s that Boing? > Sonny’s fallen over a cliff? > And he’s broken his leg? > And the plane with the smugglers has crashed and started a bushfire? > Nah, it’ll never work. Pigs are not aloof, they are quite affectionate and can be easily trained, just like dogs. Many people believe them to be smarter than dogs. They are territorial and protective of their owners if you’ve established a bond. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/25 "2006-06-06T18:46:51Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > When I was a kid my family found an injured kangaroo at he side of a suburban road in Canberra, We put it in the car and took it home (it wasn’t very big). My parents got advice on how to nurse it back to health. I remember it used to sleep in a sugar sack hung on the back of the door. We didn’t have it long before it was released back into the bush. Out of curiousity, do vets in Australia learn about marsupials along with dogs, horses and livestock or is it an elective? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/26 "2006-06-06T19:04:50Z")
> [@BluePitbull](#): > > Vetbridge, have you treated marsupials before? All the time. Sugar gliders. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/27 "2006-06-06T19:06:53Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > Pigs are not aloof, they are quite affectionate and can be easily trained, just like dogs. Many people believe them to be smarter than dogs. They are territorial and protective of their owners if you’ve established a bond. Pig shit is nasty, however. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/28 "2006-06-06T19:16:17Z")
Not only pet-able, but deliciously [edible](http://www.aussiegamemeats.com.au/cooking.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/29 "2006-06-06T20:59:52Z")
On a Canadian note, I knew a forestry guy who had a beaver. He had discovered the baby orphan one day after mom was killed by being hit by a car. That thing was so cute, sociable and never quite able to understand why people didn’t want it on their laps. _He was heavy!_ He used to build “dams” out of shoes at the patio doors. What a cutie. he also like potato chips. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/30 "2006-06-06T21:19:49Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > On a Canadian note, I knew a forestry guy who had a beaver. He had discovered the baby orphan one day after mom was killed by being hit by a car. > > That thing was so cute, sociable and never quite able to understand why people didn’t want it on their laps. _He was heavy!_ > > He used to build “dams” out of shoes at the patio doors. > > What a cutie. > > he also like potato chips. I remember wanting an otter, ever since I watched Danger Bay. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/31 "2006-06-06T21:26:57Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Pig shit is nasty, however. OK, so they might be a little aloof after taking a crap on the livingroom rug. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/32 "2006-06-06T21:45:01Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > On a Canadian note, I knew a forestry guy who had a beaver. I saw a beaver once for a wildlife rehabber. My receptionists were in a tizzy after her phone call. I guess that was the first time a woman called and said, “I’d like the doctor to check my beaver.”. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/33 "2006-06-06T22:41:00Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Not only pet-able, but deliciously [edible](http://www.aussiegamemeats.com.au/cooking.htm). Kangaroo is good meat. But for all that we grow the damned things, it’s hard to find it in supermarkets and butchers sometimes. And usually when they do get it in, they put the packages labelled “For Human Consumption” in with the pet food! Fiends. Plus hubby doesn’t like it, so it’s a rare day now when I get to eat a kangaroo steak… sigh. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/34 "2006-06-06T23:16:44Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > I saw a beaver once for a wildlife rehabber. My receptionists were in a tizzy after her phone call. I guess that was the first time a woman called and said, “I’d like the doctor to check my beaver.”. I see many humorous comments in the dope which bring a smile to my face, but it’s the rare one that elicits a belly laugh. You got me w/ that one. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/35 "2006-06-07T01:37:35Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > I see many humorous comments in the dope which bring a smile to my face, but it’s the rare one that elicits a belly laugh. You got me w/ that one. Yes, that was dam funny. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/36 "2006-06-07T02:46:11Z")
I got to hold and pet a koala when I was in Oz. I have no idea what kind of a pet they’d make, but that one was pretty darn cute and cuddly. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/37 "2006-06-07T02:59:13Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > I got to hold and pet a koala when I was in Oz. I have no idea what kind of a pet they’d make, but that one was pretty darn cute and cuddly. Perhaps it was drugged so that it wouldn’t object to being handled. Koalas have a reputation for being very cranky buggers and they can do a lot of damage with their claws. I wouldn’t touch one. They feed only on certain types of leaves as well, so I think keeping one as a pet would be difficult and thankless. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557/38 "2006-06-07T03:02:26Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Perhaps it was drugged so that it wouldn’t object to being handled. Koalas have a reputation for being very cranky buggers and they can do a lot of damage with their claws. I wouldn’t touch one. > > They feed only on certain types of leaves as well, so I think keeping one as a pet would be difficult and thankless. The males also have a scent glad on their stomachs, so you can get real stinky if you cuddle one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsupials-are-they-petable/359557.md?page=1)