# Donkey Too Skittish?



## toasterburn (Sep 30, 2013)

I've had my donkey (a Jenny) for a couple of months now and she isn't warming up to me at all. She loves my ram and will follow him everywhere, but she seems terrified of humans and tries to avoid them. Sometimes if I sit out in the pasture for a while she will come sniff me, but if I move at all, she quickly walks away.

I thought if I spoke softly and feed her out of my hand, that in time she would start to bond, but so far she hasn't shown any signs of it. Sometimes I can reach out and just touch the tip of her nose, but then she always steps back, and now she bares her teeth and stamps her back foot when I try, which I'm interpreting as a sign of aggression. 

She has flies bite her all the time, but she wont let me close enough to spray her down. I have no idea how we're going to be able to trim her hooves. 

Is there any hope, or is it a lost cause?


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

We had a donkey that had been abused and then she ran wild for 7 years.

When we got her the only way we could touch her was with a curry comb to start brushing her behind. We could then work our way ( brushing) up slowly to catch her halter. In a years time it got to where we could walk right up to her head and halter her.

Treats are helpful. We would save our vegetable and fruit scraps for the donkeys and they learned when we called we had something yummy for them.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Maybe she was abused somehow? Or not at all accustomed to humans. It's going to take time. Spend time just sitting by her, reading to her, moving very slowly and let her come to you.

Forget spraying. If you can get her used to being touched, you'll have to apply any fly products with a cloth.

As far as her feet go, you may have to have her sedated in order to do them, and this will require a vet; if you resort to roping and hogtying, you'll never gain her trust.

How on earth did you come by a donkey like this?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

toasterburn said:


> I've had my donkey (a Jenny) for a couple of months now and she isn't warming up to me at all. She loves my ram and will follow him everywhere, but she seems terrified of humans and tries to avoid them. Sometimes if I sit out in the pasture for a while she will come sniff me, but if I move at all, she quickly walks away.
> 
> I thought if I spoke softly and feed her out of my hand, that in time she would start to bond, but so far she hasn't shown any signs of it. Sometimes I can reach out and just touch the tip of her nose, but then she always steps back, and now she bares her teeth and stamps her back foot when I try, which I'm interpreting as a sign of aggression.
> 
> ...


I'm reluctant to give animals a free pass because 'they might have been abused.'

How old is she and how much training did she have before she came to you?


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## toasterburn (Sep 30, 2013)

G. Seddon said:


> How on earth did you come by a donkey like this?


Craigslist. I was looking for a guardian animal for my sheep. I could tell she was shy right away, but I thought it was just because I was a new face. Now I'm wondering if it was a mistake to purchase her. Also, she's eating so much, the sheep won't have any grass left to eat soon and I'm going to have to start supplementing them with hay. 

I liked the idea of my sheep having protection, and as a lover of animals I thought it would be fun to have an equine on my hobby farm, but maybe it's not worth it.


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## toasterburn (Sep 30, 2013)

wr said:


> I'm reluctant to give animals a free pass because 'they might have been abused.'
> 
> How old is she and how much training did she have before she came to you?


She's 8 months old now; she was 6 months old when we bought her. I don't think she's had any training. All I know about her upbringing is the owner said she had been raised with goats and other donkeys.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

toasterburn said:


> She's 8 months old now; she was 6 months old when we bought her. I don't think she's had any training. All I know about her upbringing is the owner said she had been raised with goats and other donkeys.


It sounds like you have no experience with donkeys at all so did you have a plan in place to begin with?

You're concerned about feed costs and farrier requirements now and seem to be having a bit of buyer's remorse over the little gal and that's kinda sad because you're ready to throw in the towel because she's behaving like a youngster her age with minimal human contact is going to behave and eating like a growing youngster is supposed to eat.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Sorry but she is showing the lack of human handling and won't change until you take 
charge and push the issue. You have already lost status with backing off when she makes faces at you and stomps her foot. 

You need to first, catch her and get a halter on her to handle her with. She may need to be penned alone for a few weeks, so you CAN get hold of her, brush her and learn to be tied up while doing the handling.

If you do not take this time to teach her good donkey manners, you are going to be even less happy as she gets larger and stronger. SHE doesn't need you, has food, friends, while free in the field. She has to be taught that humans ARE NICE, give good rubs with brushes, maybe some treats IN A BUCKET, not by hand or she will be biting you! You need to catch her up DAILY, tie her, brush her, pick up all her feet and do some tapping on them while she stays standing to prepare her for Farrier work later.
Donkey can APPEAR to be a SLOW learner, as they process the routine to understand what you are doing, good and bad results from that handling. Donkey has to learn to trust you, no bad things from you, no ear pulling or twisting, before they are willing to follow and obey you. Gives them the stubborn reputation, but it is all about trust and UNDERSTANDING what is being asked of them, before they move forward.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

goodhors said:


> Sorry but she is showing the lack of human handling and won't change until you take
> charge and push the issue. You have already lost status with backing off when she makes faces at you and stomps her foot.
> 
> You need to first, catch her and get a halter on her to handle her with. She may need to be penned alone for a few weeks, so you CAN get hold of her, brush her and learn to be tied up while doing the handling.
> ...


I absolutely agree completely. I have 5 little donkeys and two were totally wild when I bought them. One a Jenny, the other her 9 month old colt. Now, after 5 years, they are all very tame and come when called, can be brushed without a halter or lead on, be caught for vetting and farrier, and are sweet as can be with all of us including my grand daughters. But it took time, patience to the enth degree, and lots of quiet talk, slow movements, and treats, treats, treats. 

Donkeys are terribly difficult to get rid of, no one wants them. Our shelters and rescues here are FULL of donkeys all the time. People drop them off in the country and just leave them there. It is a sad thing. I have gelded my four boys and my Jenny will never have another foal:nono:

Did you research them at all? Donkeys are herd animals and need a companion, just as a horse would or a goat would or whatever. I prefer keeping a pair of donkeys to a singleton, it is better for them. 

Good luck. Give it time...


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## toasterburn (Sep 30, 2013)

aoconnor1 said:


> Did you research them at all? Donkeys are herd animals and need a companion, just as a horse would or a goat would or whatever. I prefer keeping a pair of donkeys to a singleton, it is better for them.


She has a companion, the sheep. And everything I've researched says never have more than one donkey if you want them to bond to and protect your sheep.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

toasterburn said:


> She has a companion, the sheep. And everything I've researched says never have more than one donkey if you want them to bond to and protect your sheep.


Ok. I live in an area with a lot of sheep and goats and I always see two donkeys or more as guardians. But if your sheep and the donkey have bonded that is good. 

Just take your time, but if you can, get her separated from the flock for a while and get her handled first, then put her back out. Donkeys can be really lovely little creatures, but you have to work on it with them. Your girl is really young still, she could come around fairly well if you work with her.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

I am wondering if she really is a donkey as donkeys don't each much.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

aoconnor1 said:


> Donkeys are terribly difficult to get rid of, no one wants them. Our shelters and rescues here are FULL of donkeys all the time. People drop them off in the country and just leave them there. It is a sad thing. I have gelded my four boys and my Jenny will never have another foal:nono:


I wish they where a dime a dozen. I wanted a a couple of younger ones for my kids but couldn't find any that where cheap or free so I got ponies/horses instead.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

mrs whodunit said:


> I wish they where a dime a dozen. I wanted a a couple of younger ones for my kids but couldn't find any that where cheap or free so I got ponies/horses instead.


Boy, down here they can't even be given away, no one wants them. If you ever want some, let me know! I know of bunches of them that need homes right now.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Donkey evolved to survive in sparse growing conditions, poor grazing. But like ponies who also evolved to survive well in places of poor food, both can easily eat more daily than they NEED to eat. They gain weight easily, get fat unto being obese, in good grazing. They WILL eat 24 hours if the food is available. So a donkey reducing the sheep pasture grazing is certainly going to happen if donkey is not put up out of the field for some hours a day. A young donkey growing, like OP has, may need a bit more food than a mature donkey.

 You can reduce intake by taking donkey off the field. However she is not able to protect the sheep if she is not with them. A grazing muzzle will limit her intake, if left on her for some hours each day. Again, she loses one of her main protective weapons against predators, but she still has all her hooves for stomping.

The deal is with a protection animal in the flock, you do NEED to feed them, grass or dog food. Maybe rotating your pastures, let one rest, graze the other, will keep grazing better for the sheep and donkey. How large is your pasture for the sheep? 

I find that regular mowing to the height of 5 inches, keeps grass coming on strongly for grazing. Cutting off those long tops, makes plant produce new growth the sheep like, grasses are thicker on each plant.

Any kind of guardian animal takes care, food, time to work with it. If you think the donkey is work, read some of the dog stories about problems with them. Don't stay home, dead sheep, etc. You also need shots, for either species, to prevent illness, Rabies to protect your family.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

toasterburn said:


> She has a companion, the sheep. And everything I've researched says never have more than one donkey if you want them to bond to and protect your sheep.



That may be a problem in time. Donkeys either work very well or very poorly as guardians. If she has bonded with the sheep, she may consider lambs to be intruders in her flock and harm or kill them so she will need to be watched. 

Additionally, if she has bonded with the sheep, she has no need to bond with you so training will be an issue. 

What plans did you have in place for training?


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

I'm afraid to ask.....how big is this donkey?

Yes, as goodhors says, a donkey will eat and eat until it founders. Any donkey that can't be caught or touched will not receive the care it needs (frequent hoof trims, deworming, vaccinations, floating teeth, etc.).


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

When they eat and get obese, they are unable to lose the fat. It will always be there. It is best to monitor their feed intake so as not to let them get fat which can cause many medical issues.


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