Please note that JABS is registered as a private wildlife rehabilitation shelter and is not open to the public.
JABS does not have the approval from the state department governing wildlife to display our wildlife to the public.

While we appreciate every donation, we would respectfully like to make it clear that donations can not ‘buy access’ to the joeys and bats in our care.

Dry feed

Our furred Joeys (over 1.5kg) love to nibble on green oaten hay and the larger kids supplement feed themselves on this while still getting their regular bottles of milk. They also get chaff and teff to get them used to to grazing. We have found that smaller bags are more practical and feasible for us than large bales which we have no room for.

Peckish Small Animal Greens, Oxbow Hay Blends and Peters Oaten Hay are products we use the most.

Everyday Consumables

We use items like tissues and baby wipes on a daily basis to keep our joeys and bats clean and we regularly use Eucalyptus and/or Chlorhexadine disinfectants to keep the shelter clean.

In addition, we wash pouches and towels daily and use products like OMO washing powder, Canesten Hygiene Laundry Rinse, Sard or Vanish stain remover and Fluffy fabric softener.

For tissues, baby wipes and the disinfectant solution, we usually use own-brand products from Coles or Woolworths. We stick to the mentioned brands for the items related to washing pouches.

Some of our benefactors have used online shopping facilities to have non-perishable products delivered directly to us.

Milk Formula

Almost all of our Milk Formula is from the Passwell Wombaroo product line - made here in Australia for our native wildlife.
Not Just Natives is our preferred provider - they have fantastic service and the willingness to go out of their way to help.

We regularly purchase the following products:

  • Kangaroo Milk >0.4 | 900g
  • Kangaroo Milk >0.6 | 1.1kg
  • Kangaroo Milk >0.7 | 5kg
  • Wombat Milk 0.4 | 950g
  • Wombat Milk >0.6 | 1.25kg
  • Flying Fox Milk | 1kg
  • Impact Colostrum | 500g
  • High Protein Supplement | 5kg
  • Insectivore Rearing Mix | 1kg

During the 1 year period from April 2020 to April 2021, we mixed up almost 300 litres of Kangaroo formula for the 33 Joeys we cared for in this time. The milk formula we used was as follows:

  • Kangaroo Milk >0.4 : 14kg
  • Kangaroo Milk >0.6 : 23kg
  • Kangaroo Milk >0.7 : 46kg
  • Impact Colostrum : 4kg

Teats and bottles

Since trying the silicone teats made by Glen at Maroo Wildlife Refuge, we prefer not to use anything else - we find our joeys and bats latch faster to these teats and they last longer than latex teats.
We regularly purchase the following products:

  • #2 Flange teat (Qty 5)
  • #3 Flange teat (Qty 5)
  • #3 Teat - 2 coats (Qty 5)
  • Size A teats for Flying Fox (Qty 5)
  • Size B teats for Flying Fox (Qty 5)
  • Size E Flange teats for Wombat (Qty 5)

Fruit for Flying Foxes during summer

Any donation or arrangement providing fruit which will be used to feed flying foxes would be appreciated.
At our busiest time last year, our small shelter was chopping and preparing up to 10kg of fruit per day to feed orphaned juvenile Flying Foxes.
Any soft-skinned non-citrus fruits like apple, pear, nectarine, peach, cherry, mango, papaya, fig, guava etc... are great. Thicker skinned fruits like melons are also chopped for their supper.
We have found that while it's great to be able to buy this fruit at the supermarket or fruit markets, very often it's the "friends-network" which can provide the most help.
Since fruit has a definite shelf-life and our shelter doesn't have storage facilities or disposal facilities for excess / unused fruit, please co-ordinate any donations of perishables like fruit with Julie - in past years we have been lucky enough to have donations which we could share with other shelters, however even with that outlet, unfortunately, we have been overwhelmed once or twice and when that happens some fruit does go to waste.