Quokkas: Adorable but Aggressive – Why They‘re Not Ideal Pets
With their rounded ears, smiling faces, and overall plushy appearance, quokkas have charmed people across the internet who have encountered images and videos of these marsupials native to a few Australian islands. Their friendly, approachable demeanor makes them seem like a dream pet. However, the reality is that quokkas can be quite nippy thanks to their sharp teeth, aggressive territorial instincts, and especially fierce protectiveness over their vulnerable young. Keep reading for an explanation of quokka behavior, laws, and reasons why turning these photogenic creatures into pets would be ill-advised.
An Introduction to Quokkas
Quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) are a species of small macropod, or marsupial mammal, found in specific regions of southwestern Australia. Mainly herbivorous, they fill an ecological niche similar to small grazing animals in other parts of the world. Most recognizable from their appearances on Rottnest Island, a popular tourist destination off the coast of Perth, quokkas in this isolated environment tend to exhibit the friendly, smiley demeanor that thrills visitors hoping for that perfect quokka selfie.
However, such docile behavior mainly reflects the lack of predators on Rottnest Island. On the Australian mainland, quokkas face threats ranging from introduced species like foxes and cats to native predators including pythons and birds of prey. Consequently, mainland quokkas show far more skittish and defensive behavior compared to their island-dwelling cousins. So while Rottnest quokkas may allow humans to approach them quite closely before hopping or waddling away, mainland quokkas are primed to bite and scratch when feeling nervous or trapped. Even Rottnest quokkas will react aggressively in certain situations, especially when defending their vulnerable joeys (babies).
Why Quokkas Don‘t Make Good Pets
Legality
It‘s important to note right away that it is illegal for members of the public to keep quokkas as pets in Australia. Their protection as native wildlife means that even qualified institutions require special licenses to house quokkas for conservation, research or education purposes. So attempting to catch a quokka from the wild to raise as a pet would violate multiple laws. Furthermore, their specialized island habitat and dietary needs would make providing appropriate care for a captive quokka very challenging for the average pet owner.
Aggression and Biting
The primary reason quokkas pose substantial difficulties as pets stems from their potential aggression, especially biting and scratching behaviors. As grazing herbivores, quokkas have sharp front teeth for cutting vegetation as well as sharp claws for digging up plant roots and tubers. While these features suit their natural lifestyle, they can also be turned against perceived threats – including humans.
Quokkas use biting and scratching as defensive reactions when feeling frightened or trapped. Even usually peaceful Rottnest Island quokkas may react this way if cornered or handled incorrectly. And mainland quokkas with their greater vigilance against predators are even more prone to bite or scratch when nervous around humans. There are stories of quokkas biting children who have approached them too closely. So even though their rounded features give them a harmless appearance, quokkas have the capacity to deliver painful and even infectious bites thanks to oral bacteria that can cause nasty swelling and other symptoms collectively termed "quokka bite."
Maternal Aggression
Yet while bites can happen even from otherwise calm quokkas, the creatures show their highest aggression levels when mothers perceive a threat to their vulnerable offspring. Female quokkas give birth to a single joey after roughly a month-long pregnancy. This tiny, undeveloped joey makes an epic crawl from birth canal to pouch over the mother‘s abdomen and attaches itself early on to one of her two teats located inside the pouch. Joeys remain protected and constantly nursing within the pouch for roughly six months as they continue developing. Even once they begin occasionally exiting the pouch, joeys continue nursing until at least eight months old and remain closely associated with their mothers as juvenile quokkas for another couple months beyond weaning.
Consequently, mother quokkas feel an especially fierce defensive instinct to protect young joeys both in and out of the pouch from potential harm. This protectiveness reaches an apex during the early months when joeys are utterly helpless. If a mother quokka senses danger to herself or her joey from a predator or human, she will respond with maximal aggression: biting, scratching, kicking, and vocalizing. In this state, her strong maternal instincts combined with the vulnerable joey‘s utter dependence override any docile or flight tendencies. Numerous stories exist of people receiving their "quokka bites" from unwittingly getting too close to a mother with a tiny joey in her pouch.
Myth of Throwing Babies
A certain viral video purports to show a mother quokka flinging her baby joey out of her pouch at an approaching threat. However, researchers have debunked this as a misinterpretation of natural quokka behavior. When joeys first begin cautiously exiting the pouch at around 6 months old, they often jump or fall out awkwardly as they test their still-developing motor skills. The mother may also forcibly eject an older joey to encourage weaning or make room for a new pregnancy. But she does not abandon her joey, instead staying nearby to continue protecting it from harm. So rather than a purposeful "throwing" behavior, apparent joey tossing stems from the youngster‘s ungraceful movements combined with the mother‘s efforts to train her maturing baby‘s survival abilities. Nonetheless, it remains a myth that quokkas utilizie joey-flinging as an anti-predator device the way some lizards detach their tails.
Other Challenges of Keeping Quokkas
Beyond aggression issues, the specialized needs of quokkas pose further difficulties for keeping them pets rather than wildlife. Their natural diets of vegetation from their island habitats would prove tricky to fully replicate in captivity. And their wild instincts to tunnel and forage could spell trouble housed in a human dwelling. Quokkas breed up to twice yearly, increasing the chance of recurrent aggressive maternal behaviors and need to properly accommodate growing, active joeys. Male quokkas may also exhibit aggression toward one another as they mature, especially in confined quarters. They require outdoor enclosures mimicking their natural settings as well as carefully managed interactions to avoid excessive stress and fighting. Overall their complex needs and penchant for aggression means that successfully keeping quokkas falls far outside the capabilities of the average pet owner.
Admiring Quokkas from Afar
So for all their internet fame stemming from cute smiles and playful images, quokkas ultimately rank low on the list of suitable pets for people seeking friendly companionship from an animal. Their potential biting and scratching behaviors, intensely protective maternal aggression, illegal poaching status, tricky habitat needs and overall disruptive wild instincts make them a very risky bet, especially with children or other pets in the home. However, many opportunities exist to enjoy quokkas and those winning smiles through wildlife tourism like visiting Rottnest Island at the right time of year for safaris and guided photography encounters in their natural habitat. For a satisfying quokka experience minus the bandages and antibiotics from keeping them as pets, admiring them from a slight distance in a responsible wildlife setting proves the wisest choice. There you can bask in their charming appeal through that perfect selfie – no rabies shots required!