Any experience with donkeys?

[char@wallingwells]

Basically I have been naggin my parents for years for a horse and recently took a interest in donkeys! I've researched them and found a place to keep them and my dad has given in and let me! It's going to be a pet but does anyone have any advice or experience with them? Would like experience of someone not just pages off the Internet/books!

 

[purplerain]

Donkeys - like - ponies - are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone, so please don't get just one as a pet :-/

Unlike ponies, donkeys don't have waterproof coats / skin and must be provided with a stable or field shelter.

Donkeys should be kept exercised for their health - if you don't have a suitable jockey, consider driving.

 

[spike123]

they still need the same care as a horse ie worming and feet trimming etc. They should ideally be kept with other donkeys if possible as they are herd animals like horses. As already said they don't have waterproof coats so need to be provided with somewhere dry to shelter from the weather. They can be stubborn and opinionated animals but generally speaking are great characters and like company.

 

[TrasaM]

I had the same problem with my dad. He Didn't like horse's but we did have Neddy so I made do with him. Very Intelligent but often stubborn animals and and as others have advised would need a companion and also kept occupied. Do you have any other animals it can be kept with?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbyNKlbiBcg&sns=em

 

[Bertie_Boo]

Hi Char, I've got a donkey as my horse's companion. They really must not be kept on their own as they are very sensitive animals. My donkey is OK for a couple of hours on her own when I ride as there are horses in the next field.

As has been said they are not water proof so you will need a field shelter or access to a stable, and I also have a rug for her if the weather is really horrendous. Donkeys need to be wormed, vaccinated, have their feet and teeth done the same as horses. As they are browsers rather than grazers, they also need some roughage in their diet. My donkey can nibble on the hedges but she also has straw available at all times.

They are very intelligent and so can get bored, I know some donkey owners create features in the field for them to climb etc and also provide things like giant footballs. For exercise you can take them for walks in hand, or drive them. Make sure you find one that has been well handled, particularly their feet.

If you need any other advice, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[Flora]

I had always wanted a donkey and last year I rescued Joseph. I put him in with my broodmare so that when the foal was born they would have company and he has turned out to be the perfect companion for my foal! He was not handled much so I have bother catching him. He has his own times for going in his stable and I just leave the door open and he goes in himself.
I would definitely make sure you get one that has been handled and can be led as the strength in them is unreal when you are getting dragged!!
They must have company and shelter and Joseph also has his rug.
I can whole heartedly recommend getting a donkey as they are great characters!

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[MurphysMinder]

Just to echo all the above, donkeys do need shelter, and to have company, even more so than horses imo. They can be very strong willed but are wonderful animals, bear in mind though that they are very long lived so if you get one you will have him/her for a long time. I got a donkey in 1986 as a companion for my then pony, the donkey has now outlived 3 ponies and is still going strong !

 

[LittleBlackMule]

As everyone else has said, and also - donkeys are much more susceptible to laminitis than most ponies, but because they have an unbelievably high pain threshold, they often won't show any discomfort until serious damage has been done.
They are also very prone to thrush, seedy toe and abscesses in wet conditions.

People don't realise, but to keep them healthy and happy they are actually high maintenance!

 

[MurphysMinder]

I have also been told that they are very prone to laminitis brought on by stress. Good point about the high pain threshold, it makes things easy to miss. Earlier this year my donk wasn't quite right, nothing obvious but lying down looking a bit miserable. I got the vet out (luckily she takes my word when I say something isn't right) and when she had a listen he had a very rumbly gut, and also a bit of a temperature. Couple of injections and he soon picked up, but it would have been easy to miss.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I do have a donkey, I have had her since 1993, she is treated like the horses

stabled
fly fringe
wormed
worm count
fed
hay
foot trim
vaccine
(though not flu only tetanus)
teeth seen to by EDT
rugs
freezemarked
equi branded


she is not exercised only turned out