[LittlePom]

Hi all!

I'm not sure if I'm posting in quite the right place, but . . .
My other half and I have resently moved to a place on 5 acres. The previous owners left us a number of animals to look after which is all good if a bit of a learning curve

The only down side is that they also fed wild kangaroos, they fed them A LOT. On an average evening we get about 20 right outside the house wanting to be fed. We've continued feeding them but have cut down the amount they get to about a quarter of the amount they used to. Of course now they STILL rock up but munch on the plants

We get two biggish males on a regular basis but most of them are babies. I'd like to discourage them from coming here to be fed but I'm not sure how to do it, cutting down the food hasn't worked yet as they just go for our grass etc. They have no fear of humans and stay right next to me as I'm tipping the food out. The males scuffle with each other occasionally and of course the babies will grow up expecting to be fed and their mothers get protective of them. As my other half is FIFO, when I go to feed them I often have to take my 10 mth DS with me and although I keep him in his stroller well away from the roos I still don't really feel it is safe.

Now I actually quite like kangaroos but I don't feel the need to have 20 of them chewing plants less than a meter from my baby's bedroom window and it scares me when I look round to find one standing at my window looking in at me.

I need ideas!

TIA

[Tamzin1984]

You could try and scare them away with loud noises? Not sure where you are exactly but maybe a gun shot into the air? Loud banging on pots? Air horn?
That's about all I can think of.. You can't really do much with your fencing to try and keep them out (short of making it 2m high and dug into the ground..)

[LittlePom]

I'm not sure where I'd get hold of a gun lol but I''ll try out the pot banging. Correction, my other half can try out the pot banging because I'm a 'fraidy cat . . .

I'm thinking about putting the sprinklers on them but the controls for them are right in their escape route

[Oriental lily]

Kangaroos can be rather dangerous. Especially if a male is fighting for dominance of the mob.

If you feel increasingly intimidated by them I would call the council and get a phone number for the ranger.
He would advice I imagine to stop feeding them totally and scare them of.

However if that does not work permits can be given out for a professional hunter to cull them.

Probably a route that you want to avoid but don't totally dismiss it considering your children's safety is the priority.


Or you could get a large breed dog to give them their orders.

A great Dane or Irish wolfhound galloping around will scare them of!

[spannah]

We have a lot of Roos come through our place too. They use our property as a safe thoroughfare (no dogs/large animals) whilst feeding at night.
I would stop feeding them. They will eventually realise that the kitchen is closed and move on. If you have plants you want to save then cover them with chook wire or bird netting until the Roos start to move on. I think if you continue to feed them, even small amounts, they will always come by in the hope of a feed.

[Katie_bella]

Another one who thinks you should stop feeding them. Today.

They come for easy food, if they don't get it, they'll soon move on.

Get a dog, it's probably not a bad idea anyway if you are on your own for long periods.

[Sofia*]

I agree about not feeding them, but you will need to be careful if you have a dog around them.
Large male kangaroos can do serious damage to a dog if they feel threatened or cornered.

[Flibbertigibbert...]

Please don't think a dog will solve the problem. Sure if you can get a dog that won't chase them it might deter them long enough to realise the dog is ok to be around and then you have the issue of them not being afraid of dogs whch will cause them problems down the track. And if you have a dog that chases them, all that will do is give the animals a slow painful death, they don't handle stress well and if you see a roo or wallaby sitting in the paddock after a dog has chased it it isn't sitting there getting it's breath back, they go into shock which causes their body to slowly shut down sort of like a rigor in that they can't move and they are then vulnerable to predators if they haven't starved to death first or their organs have stopped functioning first.
Stop feeding them and call the ranger or national parks and wild life about removing them.

[adl]

Stop feeding them, what about the fences? and speak to local WIRES / RSPCA / Ranger etc for ideas..

a dog barking on a chain may scare them off but they are pretty brazen especially if used to humans.

And yes they can be quite a danger you read about golf courses having issues with them as well, males get very aggressive.

[*Spikey*]

Stop feeding them.

Spray your plants with a light coating of chilli oil.

Try some citronella around the perimeter as well.

There is a product made from the urine/poo of predators that you can use to persuade them to take up residence elsewhere. Can't find it on google though.

There is also this recipe (which stinks to high heaven after a couple of days, which is the point):

Take 6 eggs, beat and leave in sun for 3 days.
Mix in 1 ltr water and 1tbs any acrylic paint, as marker.
Get a spray gun and add mix in with 5 ltr water and spray around the perimeter (but not on plants!).

Oh, and liberally use dynamic lifter and blood and bone on the garden where you don't want the roos.