From about 180 days old until weaning, a koala joey is emerging or fully emerged from the pouch, its fur has gone short to dense and long, its teeth have erupted and it has started nibbling leaves — leaf takes an increasing share of the diet from 270 days. Wombaroo Koala Milk Replacer Late Lactation is the powder for that period: high in fat to cater for increased activity, high in protein to coincide with peak growth, and reduced in carbohydrate to assist weaning onto a leaf diet. It analyses at 32% protein, 43% fat and 25 MJ/kg. Wombaroo also lists it as nutritional support for sick or debilitated adult koalas, including burns patients. PeekAPaw stocks 240g and 1.2kg. Wombaroo's growth, feeding, weaning and husbandry notes are kept in full below, including their advice to consult a vet or experienced carer.
Reading this stage
Joeys at this stage are emerging or fully emerged from the pouch, and becoming more active. Short to dense, long fur. Teeth erupted and nibbling on leaves. Leaf represents an increasing proportion of the diet from 270 days.
Key Features
- Specifically formulated to match the composition of late lactation koala milk.
- High energy (fat content), to cater for increased activity levels.
- High in protein to coincide with peak growth rate.
- Reduced carbohydrate to assist weaning on to leaf diet.
- May also be used as nutritional support for sick or debilitated adults (e.g. burns patients).
Ingredients
Whole milk solids (low lactose), whey protein, casein, vegetable oils, omega-3 & 6 fatty acids, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, D3, E, K, biotin, choline, inositol, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium.
Guaranteed Analysis
| Protein | 32% |
| Fat | 43% |
| Ash | 5% |
| Moisture | 3% |
| Energy (ME) | 25 MJ/kg |
Feeding Guidelines
Use Koala Milk Replacer Late Lactation for fully-furred joeys that are emerging from the pouch and starting to consume eucalypt leaves.
Making Up Milk
To make 100 mL of milk: Mix 32 g of powder (4 scoops) with 75 mL of warm water.
To make 750 mL of milk: Mix 240 g of powder with 550 mL of warm water.
Add about half of the water to the powder first and mix to a paste. Then make up with remaining water and mix thoroughly. Water is preboiled to ensure that it is sterilised. If the water is too hot it can cause the milk to curdle. If it is too cold then it will be difficult to disperse the powder. Wombaroo contains elevated protein and fat levels, so the milk needs to be well mixed to prevent it from separating out. An electric whisk can be used for mixing larger quantities. Milk can be stored in the fridge for a day or can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. It may be useful to store frozen milk in small portions (e.g. ice cube trays), so that the required daily feed volumes can be easily thawed out. Once thawed out, discard any unused milk, and wash feeding utensils thoroughly.
Warm milk to about 30°C and feed using a bottle and teat. An LD Teat or FM Teat is recommended for smaller and larger koalas respectively. Feed around four times a day, reducing this to twice a day by full pouch emergence, when sufficient leaf is being consumed. Reduce this to once a day as increasing amounts of leaf are consumed. If the young is showing signs of dehydration (e.g. during hot weather), give extra drinks of water between feeds. Joeys can dehydrate rapidly if not maintained under optimum husbandry conditions. Water should always be available ad lib and can be sprayed onto leaves. Joeys should also have access to fresh eucalypt leaves of species that they would normally consume in the wild. Consult your veterinarian or experienced carer for further information about husbandry and feeding of koalas.
Growth
Regional differences present considerable variation in koala growth rate. Refer to the Koala Growth Chart for typical growth rates of smaller northern animals compared to larger southern animals. Weigh joeys regularly to verify weight gains and determine the volume of milk to feed. Overfeeding milk can cause diarrhoea so feed the suggested volumes in our tables.
Weaning
Leaf should be offered from 6 months (180 days) of age. From about 10 months (300 days), if eating sufficient leaf and gaining weight, milk volume can be reduced until fully weaned at 1 year of age. At this stage about 10% body weight in leaves should be consumed per day.
