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When it gets so cold the water bowls inside the buildings
won't stay defrosted for at least part of the day, a heat lamp is hung
over the water dish. This also brings the air temperature up inside the
shed slightly. When the temperature dips below -15 C, a second heat lamp
is added that the wallabies can sit under. Additional bedding is added
to the corners where they tend to lie down and they are given warm oatmeal
with salt and vitamin E mixed in and sweetened with honey in the morning
and the evening in addition to their regular feed. Even in extreme temperatures
they will still go outside for short periods. I have never had a case of
pneumonia or frostbite.
You must be careful under these weather conditions to
not overheat your wallabies' buildings. If an animal is always going from
hot to cold and back again, it cannot properly acclimatize and grow a winter
coat. Only provide as much heat as necessary and make sure that the building
provides sufficient shelter from the wind and the wet.
Canadian summers are as blastingly hot as the winters
are bone-rattling cold. Sometimes it gets as hot as 40 C in the height
of the summer ( 104 F). Wallabies need a shady place and plenty of cool
water in this situation. As well as the bowls of water in their buildings,
we set out water bowls in shady areas where they tend to rest during the
day. We often turn the irrigation system on when it gets really hot in
order to simulate a rain shower (the sprinkler heads are set on poles 6
ft off the ground).
Wallabies & Stress Related Illness
When
I initially thought about buying wallabies I was tempted to buy Dama wallabies
(also known as Tammar wallabies) because they were much cheaper to buy.
However, I soon learned that the Damas had several disadvantages; while
they are nice from a size perspective (they are only half the size of a
Bennett), I didn't like their overall appearance quite as much. More importantly,
they were not hardy in cold weather and were much more prone to stress
related illness and death than their larger cousins. Living in Canada,
the ability to adapt to cold temperatures was a major consideration. I
learned that, in general, the smaller the wallaby or kangaroo species,
the more skittish it is in its temperament and the more likely it is to
suffer from stress. Stress is of major concern with wallabies and kangaroos.
If they are stressed over a long period of time, or severely stressed even
for a short period (being chased by a dog for instance), they can develop
a condition called stress myopathy or white muscle disease. The animal
may collapse, become weak, stop eating and have a great deal of difficulty
moving around. In the latter stages the heart muscle may start to die and
the kidneys shut down. Upon autopsy the animal's muscles often have a whitish
appearance hence the name "white muscle disease". Sometimes the
process can be arrested by removing the source of the stress and administering
a series of shots of selenium and vitamin E. It is a good idea to make
sure that the animal gets sufficient amounts of these nutrients in its
diet in order to ensure that it has sufficient reserves to deal with stress.
  
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