Donkeys – Not Just Horses With Long Ears

Although donkeys are equine in makeup they are not just horses with long ears. Like the horse, though, their lifespan can reach as much as 30 years, so loving and caring for a donkey is a long-term commitment.

Frick and Frack

Here are Frick and Frack, four-year-old donkeys who have been together all their lives and need someone who will give them both a home. You’ll find them as of this writing on petfinder.com.

Donkeys have a reputation for being stubborn and even devious. They are often fed and treated like horses and although they are equine they are not a horse. This is an important fact to keep in mind because the very health of the donkey depends on it. If you look closely at even newborns a donkey foal’s feet are naturally more upright than a horse foal and should be trimmed differently to maintain the correct stance.

Furthermore, donkeys should get very little grain. It is easy for them to get overweight and a crest on their neck is not a healthy sign. Overweight animals are more prone to founder and laminitis which affects too many donkeys. By overfeeding you are, literally, killing with kindness.

Donkeys look at the world much more cautiously than a horse and this is where the donkey’s stubborn attitude can really come into play. The donkey will take care of himself first and foremost. Where a horse will learn to trust you and take chances a donkey is much slower to do so. This can be anything from going through a gate to walking through a creek. You have to earn a donkey’s trust.

Many donkeys have an instinctive dislike of dogs and, for this reason, they are sometimes employed as guardians to watch over sheep or goats, with females being preferred for the job. Even a relatively small donkey can be a formidable attacker when using feet and teeth, but don’t ever use a miniature donkey!

There can be some danger for the donkey who performs such a job, though not so much from a dog as the food given to goats and sheep. Supplements that are marked for ruminants only can be very toxic to a donkey.

The natural ability of the donkey to survive on grass and rougher pasture than horses means they don’t need the extra nutrition that most horses get. If you must give them grain keep it at a cup or so. This allows them to have a taste while reducing the overfeeding that can create problems.

Donkeys also have an unusual time clock and know when you are late. They also know if something is out of place and often will bray to announce it to the world. And donkeys are often wonderful mounts. Because they take care of themselves they will also take care of you!

Donkeys are wonderful animals that seem especially reflective of life from our human perspective. Consider fostering one if you have room or, with proper introductions, as a guardian animal.

“Many people look upon the horse as a magnificent and noble creature.  I always figured they had never had the pleasure of looking into a donkey’s eye”. ~ Mark Meyers