Joeys!

The most fun part of our job here at Roo Ranch is getting to feed the "inside" joeys and getting to watch those who are still with their mothers. This is Keith with Smores, a male swamp wallaby. We love to hold him because he is a cuddler, which is somewhat unusual for 'roos. He loves to be petted.

And here I am with Smores. Didn't I pick a good day to wear my maroon cap? It goes so well with the orange "Australia" motive on the walls.

Here we have Axile, a male Agile Wallaby. He's the only one of his kind at Roo Ranch. What a character! He is constantly underfoot while we're trying to clean his and Smore's room, investigating every little thing we bring in.

It is quite a thrill to get to see a joey poking its head out of its mom's pouch. This is a wallaroo mom. The little one will sometimes stick out its paws and scrabble in the food bay while mom is eating. It won't be long before it is out and about on its own, but never far from mom.

Matilda is an eastern grey kangaroo whose joey has just started poking its head out. It looks so new and bewildered at the outside world. Matilda is very tame, since she was a rejected joey who was raised by hand by the Roo Ranch owners.

Here is a close-up view of mom's nose and her little one.