Our Advice
Basic Care
Miniature donkeys are extremely social animals and become lonely and stressed quite easily. They should be paired with another donkey or a friend to remain with throughout their span of their life, which is about twenty-five to thirty-five years. Human attention and interaction is important for miniature donkeys. We have found their attention needs to be more like big dogs, rather than a small equine. In fact, we find their temperament very similar to our Golden Retrievers.
Donkeys are fairly easy to care for. Much like equine, they need a sizeable area to run and play, good shelter from the wind and rain, shade from the sun, fresh water daily, a very small amount of grain (if any), good quality grass feed, and a trace mineral block. Vaccinations, worming, and hoof trimming is usually the same as a horse. Vitamins are also important for miniature donkeys.
Many breeders recommend selenium supplements be added to a donkey's diet. Most vitamins, trace minerals, and mixed feed has some selenium in it. Before adding additional selenium to your donkey's diet, it is important to know the levels of selenium in your own soil as it is a naturally occurring mineral. Some regions in the United States are selenium deficient and supplementation is imperative. Other regions, such as my own, can be selenium toxic. To find out about selenium levels in your area, contact the Cooperative Extension Office through the U.S. Department of Agriculture in your area, or talk to you local vet.
Obesity is one of the most common health problems in Miniature Donkeys. Like humans, it can lead to other health issues as well. Obesity can be avoided by knowing the proper weight of your donkey and feeding your donkey accordingly. Routine worming is the best way to see that your donkey is assimilating the feed efficiently. It is common to increase feed when an animal starts showing a bit of rib, but if there aren't any changes in the quantity of feed and the animal seems healthy otherwise, a different kind of wormer may be necessary - It is never kind to overfeed a donkey!
As always, fencing should be selected with safety in mind. Certain types of horse fencing can be hazardous to donkeys. Many people choose a woven wire that is safe from little hooves becoming stuck.
We would like to be able to share as much information about what we have learned in caring for a miniature donkey as we can. Always feel free to call and we'll be glad to help. We've listed some information that has been helpful to us and others.
Books
Equine Hospitals/Medical Centers
- Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center
- 2501 Santa Barbara Ave. Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-6510
www.alamopintado.com
- Panama Equine Hospital
- 5429 Taft Hwy
Bakersfield, CA 93313
(661) 834-9566
Health Alerts
- West Nile Virus Activity in California
- Human data is updated every Tuesday by 4pm.
Horse, mosquito and sentinel chicken data are updated either on Tuesdays or Fridays by 4pm.
California West Nile Virus Website
Livestock Guardians
- We do not sell our miniature donkeys for the purpose of livestock guardians. If you are looking for an animal to protect your livestock, consider a mammoth donkey or a llama. You might find what you're looking for at the following websites:
- Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue
- Guardian Llama Placement Program
Miniature Donkey Tack and Products
Miniature Donkeys can be hard to buy for when it comes to halters and blankets. For help with fitting your donkey properly, and finding other fun donkey items, we recommend the following:
- Evening Star Ranch - Custom Halters and Blankets
- Charlie Mattarocchia & Cindy Martinez
PO Box 349
Raymond, CA 93653
Phone: 559-689-3626
Email: eveningstar_donkeys@yahoo.com
- Miniature Donkey Talk - Custom Halters, Books, and Gifts
- www.miniaturedonkeytalk.com
- The Mule Store - Donkey and Mule Items and Gifts
- www.themulestore.com
Poison Information
- Toxic Plants, Weeds, and Vegetation
- U.S. Department of Interior- BLM
- Plants Poisonous to Livestock
- Cornell University Department of Animal Science
Pedigrees
- LongearsMall.com is a fun database of registered and non-registered miniature, standard and mammoth donkeys.
- www.donkeytree.com
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