# Mule & Donkey Playing Rough



## terri46355 (May 16, 2003)

More than a month ago, I was given a small teenage donkey to keep my 3 1/2 year old mule company. They get along well most of the time, but almost everyday they play rough with each other. The donkey usually starts it by biting the mule. The mule looks like he is beat up with scrapes and scratches on him where the little guy bites him. When they are separated, the donkey calls for the mule.

I don't like seeing all the bare skin and scrapes on the mule. Do you think they will ever get over this behavior?


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## sewtlm (Mar 22, 2006)

Has the donkey been gelded yet?


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Maybe they will not be so rough in a few years. The dominant animal disciplining the lesser status animal is how herd animals work. Mule must not be moving fast enough, when Donkey want something to happen, so Mule gets punished!

We have a 2yr old gelding like that, lowest horse on the totem pole. EVERYONE pushes him around. Sometimes they chase him just "because they can". Have to say he is VERY respectful to humans, doesn't give us any problems. No one hates him, they share feeders, stand together, but he better be "Yes Ma'am, Yes Sir" when someone wiggles their ears at him to move it or he gets punished. He also has a number of bald spots, but not as many as he used to!

You might have the Donkey teeth checked, make sure they are smooth. One of our geldings had a rough tooth corner, always made a streak of hair go missing when he bit someone. Horse Dentist fixed the rough place, so now not so much hair is lost when he bites. Bites are BETTER than kicks, so we are not really critical of how they keep the young horse in order and leave bald spots.

I would practice taking the animals away from each other, so they can manage it. Being so close they fight to get together or break fences is a BAD thing. No fun if you can't take one someplace to enjoy him, have him act really stupid or hurt himself with the other one gone.

Good comment on if the donkey had been gelded. He needs to be or he may get more aggressive with all those hormones.


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## terri46355 (May 16, 2003)

Both are gelded. The mule will go anywhere with me, so I am very happy he isn't buddy sour.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

My mule and 5 donkey boys play rough all the time! My big geldings also play rough and they have little dings and scratches at times. Boys will be boys.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

My horses still play too, even the 19 year old gelding. Cutter (the youngest at 6) gets the most bald spots because he's the instigator and pesters the rest until someone gives in. He gets the bite marks when they're done playing and he's not. 

I always wonder if the reason he still likes to play so much is because all his energy went into survival when he was young so now he's making up for it?


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Teej said:


> My horses still play too, even the 19 year old gelding. Cutter (the youngest at 6) gets the most bald spots because he's the instigator and pesters the rest until someone gives in. He gets the bite marks when they're done playing and he's not.
> 
> I always wonder if the reason he still likes to play so much is because all his energy went into survival when he was young so now he's making up for it?


I find that a lot of my older geldings that have come to me for rehab of some sort are always pretty playful once they get settled and healed up. I too have a 19 year old gelding that is a nut with my other boys. He plays all the time! They ALL play with the mini mule and donkeys. It is really funny watching when one of the big geldings plays with a donkey, the donkey has the benefit of being able to move and dart much more quickly and they bite the ankles and knees of my horses then can melt into the ground and get away. It is pretty comical watching a big horse get dropped by a small grey donkey It makes my big geldings mad and then the chase is on!


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## fivehillsfarm (Nov 24, 2015)

I raised gaited mules for arounf 15 yrs, the horse/mule market dropped so I stopped raising them but the Mennonite neighbors donkey jumped the fence and bred 2 of my mares so I have 2 mule foals born this year....and yes....mules play rough. 
But they also protect each other.

Here are my 2 foals this years babies....I had forgotten how much I love mules but they are a very different critter than horses


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## terri46355 (May 16, 2003)

Another old timer needed a home, so now I have a mammoth jenny. She also has bald spots on her rump from the mule bites, but other than that they all get along fine. He must just be trying to prove his dominance.


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## terri46355 (May 16, 2003)

Five Hills Farm: A matched pair! Have fun with those babies.


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