Frosty's father is an albino kangaroo and his mum is a western grey roo.

And the whole family, expecially Frosty, can be very entertaining.

It was perplexing yesterday when the Mercury visited the zoo to photograph Frosty only to find the assignment might not take place after all.

That's because a pair of skinny legs was all that could be seen of the joey as he lay snuggled deeply in his mum's pouch - head first.

Zookeeper Daisy Harkins said it was rare to see an albino kangaroo in the wild.

And even in the zoo, a couple of albino legs appeared to be all that we would see too.

But then things began to change, as Ms Harkins fidgeted in a bag and produced a handful of brown nutty-looking things she said was kangaroo food.

This aroused intense interest in mum and when she shifted position, the joey legs disappeared and up shot a tiny white face.

"This is among the best appearances Frosty has made, though he is among our most popular animals here," Ms Harkins said.

"Frosty was born here a few months ago and he still spends most of his life in mum's pouch.

"But he is showing signs now of becoming a bit more independent and lively.

"And while he still drinks mum's milk, staff saw him recently munching some fresh grass too.

"He is the first albino kangaroo our zoo has had, so he is being treated as very special.

"But while his mum still does everything for him, with the warmer weather gradually approaching, I think he will become far more active."

And after Frosty's fine display, it was his mum who was given the best treat for her behaviour: an ice cream cone.