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Caring for Mini Donkeys: 13 Important Things Beginners Should Know
Mini donkeys are sweet, silly, and easygoing animals that are generally fairly easy to care for. They make wonderful pets! Our four bring endless amounts of joy to our hearts and homestead. Yet like any animal or pet, they bring a lot of responsibility too. So if you’re interested in raising miniature donkeys, read along to learn more about them.This guide will cover the most important things a beginner should know about caring for mini donkeys, including basic facts, cost, feed, grooming, veterinary care, space requirements, and more. I tried to cover everything we wish we knew before adopting our minis, or the most frequently asked questions I get from people who want their own.The goal of this guide is to help you feel informed and prepared to give your donkeys the best life and care possible. They deserve it!Our girl Cookie as a baby. Such a floof!Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. RELATED: Come meet our herd, hear their adoption story, and how we prepared our property for mini donkeys here. If you love farm animals, don’t miss our beginner’s guide on raising chicks and the best backyard chicken breeds.About Mini Donkeys: OverviewMiniature donkeys are part of the equine family but are fairly different from their horse cousins in demeanor, anatomy, and care needs. Donkeys are usually said to be more sturdy and lower maintenance than horses.
Donkeys have sensitive long ears and communicate with unique vocalizations including brays, snorts, grunts and whuffles. (Our girls only bray at feeding time.)
Mini donkeys are sweet, gentle, and highly intelligent animals – even more so than horses! They are social creatures and thrive on routine. They’re also very trainable, but their cautious and stoic personalities are often misunderstood as “stubborn”. When they’re nervous or scared, donkeys tend to freeze rather than spook or run. Gentle reassurance and trust-building goes a long way with donkeys.
Miniature donkeys are their own distinct species. Their small size is natural. Meaning, they are NOT a bred-down version of a standard large donkey (unlike most other miniatures).
At the tallest, mini donkeys can be up to 36 inches tall or shorter, measured from the ground to their withers (top of the shoulder area). Our girls range from 30 to 33 inches tall.
Miniature donkeys weigh 250-350 pounds on average. Some can be more petite (our Bean Sprout is just under 200 lbs) while others can weigh up to 450 pounds.Mini donkeys may not serve as much “utility” as some other farm animals, but they make wonderful pets! They offer free weed control, snuggles, and excellent homemade compost.Our Cookie girl is almost sweet 16 now. Care Routine: At A GlanceBefore we delve into all the details, here is a quick overview of how you can expect to spend your time caring for your mini donkeys. Daily: Feed twice per day, clean up manure in their immediate food/sleeping area, pick and clean hooves (ideally), check and top off water as needed
Weekly: Deep clean their water trough or stall mats as needed, groom and brush them (minimum frequency), clean up manure in pasture area (or more often)
Quarterly: Farrier visit for hoof trimming
Annually: Veterinary check-upBean Spout, our MID (most improved donkey). She was a kill pen rescue and after a lot of patience, love and training, has come a LONG way.1) How much does a miniature donkey cost?Miniature donkeys are typically fairly expensive to adopt or buy, ranging from $500 to $5000 per donkey. Adoption fees vary depending on the seller or rescue, age and pedigree of the donkey, and where you live. Routine farrier and veterinary costs can also be quite expensive, explored more below. On the other hand, daily care and feeding mini donkeys is relatively affordable. Here on the Central Coast of California, we spend about $250 for 8 bales of orchard grass hay every two months to feed our four mini donkeys, plus a couple of supplements. That’s only about $30 per donkey per month for hay – less than it costs to feed our cats! (Learn more about how and what to feed mini donkeys in the Feed section to follow.)The preparation required to bring home a mini donkey can also cost a lot of money, especially if you don’t already have a suitable enclosure or other supplies, such as any necessary structures or fencing, manure rakes, stall mats, a feed trough, waterer, halters, combs, salt blocks, and more. At this time we don’t have a tractor or trailer, but we’re saving for the future.NOTE: Beware of scams! Since they’re not cheap, there are a lot of shady people posting fake listings to “sell” miniature donkeys online. Some jackass even used photos of our donkeys in a fake listing; thankfully one of my followers recognized them!The day we first met our four girls at a local rescue farm.2) Veterinary needsVeterinary costs are another big thing to consider. Miniature donkeys should be seen by a specialized equine veterinarian at least once a year for an annual wellness check and routine vaccinations. This will easily cost several hundred dollars per donkey per year. And of course there is always the chance for additional non-routine or emergency vet visits.Most mini donkeys will also require medication for worms and parasites at least a couple times per year, along with routine hoof trimming by a farrier once every 6 to 12 weeks. As with any animal, the chances for medical needs increases as the donkeys age. For instance, older donkeys may required dental procedures, medications, or other special care.I highly recommend finding a local vet before you get a donkey. Most equine vets specialize in horses, which have slightly different anatomy and health needs than donkeys. Find a vet who knows donkeys if possible. Also be sure to ask if they’re available for night or weekend emergencies. I called our vet with a lot of questions in the first few months!Miss Winnie, our smallest mini.3) Miniature donkeys do best in pairsDonkeys are social creatures and herd animals by nature. That means miniature donkeys feel most happy and safe with other donkeys around – so plan on having at least two! A solo donkey is a lonely, sad donkey.Female donkeys (called Jennies) often prefer the company of other females, but may do okay with a castrated male (called a gelding) as a buddy as well. Only keep a Jack (an intact male) if you plan to breed your donkeys. We have two bonded pairs of Jennies, but they all love to co-mingle.Even more, mini donkeys usually form a strong lifelong bond with one partner so they’re often adopted out in bonded pairs. The pair will follow one another around, groom and scratch one another, and even go to the bathroom in the same spot! Donkeys seek out their partner when they’re stressed (so keep them together during vet visits, baths, etc) and will also deeply grieve their death or separation.Without another donkey around, a mini donkey may form a friendship with a horse (or potentially other farm animals) but another mini is always best. They speak the same language, and rely on one another for mutual grooming, scratching, affection, and enrichment. Plus, donkeys may be agressive towards other small animals, discussed more to follow.Sugar (17) and Cookie (16) have been bonded for life. Donkey often groom one another by nibbling on one another’s shoulders. 4) Donkeys are a lifelong commitment The average lifespan of a miniature donkey is 27 to 33 years. Some can even live up to 40 or beyond! That means that adopting donkeys is a very long term commitment, especially if you adopt them young.Think about your future: do you plan to travel a lot? Or downsize and move to a smaller property when you retire? It’s important to consider a plan for your donkeys too – one that hopefully doesn’t involve abandoning them in their oldest, most vulnerable years. If you only have two donkeys, also consider what you may do if something happens to one of them since the remaining mini won’t be happy alone.Celebrating Sugar’s 17th birthday. Cheers to 17 more, sweet Shug!5) They love attentionEquine therapy is a thing for a reason! Miniature donkeys are known to be very affectionate, gentle, and loyal, especially with their favorite humans. They show trust and affection by resting their head on you, or giving you a good nuzzle with their soft squishy snoot. Our girls also like to walk up and press their foreheads into our laps.Mini donkeys love to be pet, combed, have their long ears scratched, and rub on you. If you sit down with them, they may even try to climb into your lap! Our girls love their neck, chest, cheeks, ears and butts scratched. Especially the butt.After a long stressful day, a good mini donkey hug always lowers my blood pressure and brings a smile to my face. So, despite the extra work they add to our lives, their sweet nature and hugs make it 100% worth it. Be sure to make time to give your mini the attention they crave and deserve!Donkey hugs are the best6) Mini donkeys poop, a lotWhile their manure is smaller than full size donkeys or horses, miniature donkeys still generate an immense about of poop. So, have a plan for manure management. Between our four mini donkeys, we can nearly fill a wheel barrow per day!Manure in their immediate living quarters (e.g. stall or barn area) should be cleaned up daily, while pasture manure should be cleaned at least once or twice per week. Most farms keep the collected manure in large piles that will passively break down over the course of a year or so. Unless you love manual labor and shoveling, a tractor is very handy when it comes time to turn and spread the manure piles!This is one thing we underestimated when we first got our mini donkeys. In preparation for their arrival, we built a large 3-bay DIY compost bin for manure… but the first bay was full within 6 weeks! Now, we have a large passive manure pile on the far side of our property. It doesn’t smell like much once the poop starts to dry out.Thankfully, well-aged donkey manure makes great compost, which can be spread in your gardens or turned back into the donkey pasture once it’s fully decomposed. It may have some weeds in it but is gentle enough to not burn your plants. It’s often possible to give away (or even sell) composted donkey manure on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace.FUN FACT: Donkeys like to poop on top of their own manure (or their partners), so you can leave a small pile to encourage them to go to the bathroom in a particular spot.Helping mom and dad collect composted manure to add to the garden.7) Careful feeding is a mustMini donkeys are prone to easily get overweight. The running joke is, “they get fat off air”. Because donkeys are historically desert animals, they’re able to subsist on very little amounts of dry food – yet they’re always hungry and grazing! This tricky combination quickly leads to excessive weight gain (and related health issues) especially if they’re overfed, fed the wrong things, or allowed to freely graze on lush forage.To keep your mini donkey at a healthy weight, it’s important to carefully monitor their feed intake. Since every bale and flake of hay can vary, we weigh our donkey’s hay at each feeding using a large tub and scale. If your donkey pasture is lush with forage, you may need to limit the time they’re allowed to freely roam each day (and/or reduce their hay to compensate). We also check our donkey’s weight each month using a weight tape. Knowing their weight is essential for general monitoring as well as calculating their exact feed needs – explained below.We feed our donkeys in a trough but much of the hay always ends up on the ground – so we have stall mats below that we sweep free of sand before every feeding.Feeding mini donkeysHow much to feed a mini donkey? The ideal amount of hay to feed a mini donkey is about 1.5% of their body weight per day (generally split up between a morning and evening feeding). For example, 3 pounds of hay for a 200 pound mini, or 1.5 pounds twice per day. If your donkey is already overweight, this calculation should be done using a healthy target weight, not their current weight. However, it’s important to reduce feed quantities slowly for weight loss. Avoid sudden or drastic changes. What to feed a mini donkey? It’s best to feed mini donkeys low-calorie, high-fiber hay such as orchard grass. Avoid alfalfa, which will quickly make them overweight. You can also supplement some of their hay with quality barley straw. Treats should be very limited. Safe treats for donkeys include chopped carrots (but not into rounds), apple slices, bananas, pears, turnips, and mint leaves. In addition to hay and fresh clean water, donkeys also need a supplemental salt block and/or mineral block made for equine. Licking the salt provides them with essential electrolytes and trace minerals. (Ask your vet if you’re unsure of which one to buy.) We keep our salt block in one of these handy block trays, and love this automatic float valve to keep their water trough full of fresh water at all times.Things toxic to mini donkeysMany things are toxic or bad for donkeys to eat, including but not limited to: potatoes, brassicas (the cabbage plant family including broccoli, cauliflower, etc), onions, garlic, chocolate, sugary or processed foods, animal or dairy products, and anything moldy or rotten. Unlike pigs or chickens, mini donkeys shouldn’t be treated like your personal food waste composters! It isn’t good for mini donkeys to ingest a lot of sand, which can lead to colic over time. Unfortunately our native soil is very sandy, so we give our donkeys psyllium Sand Clear once per month (mixed with 1/2 cup of lite horse pellets) to help them pass it. We also thoroughly sweep the mats below their feed trough to remove sand before each feeding.A number of plants and trees are toxic to donkeys, including nightshades, maple, foxgloves, black walnut, tansy ragwort, yew, buttercup, hemlock and more. See a comprehensive list of toxic plants here. Equine also aren’t supposed to eat a lot of oak leaves or acorns… and our property is full of them! So we did our best to fence off the thickest oak areas and pick up fallen acorns regularly. Use a plant ID app to help you identify the plants on your property.We have several large coast live oak trees in our donkey pasture, which the previous owner used for horses. Oaks are technically toxic to equine (especially fresh leaves and new acorns) but also incredibly prevalent on most equine properties in our area… so we just monitor and do the best we can.8) Space and shelter needsPastureIn regards to pasture or lot size requirements, a common recommendation is to provide at least one half acre per donkey. However, I think that may be based on the space needed if you’re relying on grazing pastures for feed? Based on experience, a half acre is sufficient for a pair of minis.We keep our four mini donkeys on just under an acre of our property which includes a large paddock, barn, sandy hill area, and other open spaces. They have ample room to roam, play, and run around when they get donkey zoomies! Since we get very little rainfall or natural forage here most the year, we have to rely on purchased hay for feed anyway. The ideal donkey area should have a mix of sun and shade. It should be completely fenced with a safe and durable fencing material, such as 12-gauge 2×4″ no-climb fencing or sturdy wooden fencing. Fences for mini donkeys should be at least 3 feet tall (4 or 5 feet is even better) and secured to posts every 10 feet. Avoid wire fencing with larger holes than 2×4″ and keep no-climb fencing 6 to 10 inches above the ground to prevent hooves or legs getting stuck.This existing horse paddock fence had too large of gaps for minis, so we added no-climb wire fencing to the lower two-thirds of it. Note Winnie and Bean Sprout grooming one another ? ShelterMini donkeys also need a covered area that offers protection from the elements like rain, wind or snow. However, donkeys typically do not like to be fully enclosed or penned up overnight in stalls like horses. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need a full-blown barn to house your mini donkeys. A basic three-sided covered structure is generally adequate. We have a barn but our donkeys rarely go inside it. Instead, they prefer to sleep and shelter under the covered awning area just outside the barn.FUN FACT: Mini donkeys only sleep for about 5 hours over a 24 hour period, done in short spurs throughout the day. Only 30 to 45 minutes of that needs to be deep REM sleep! Donkeys can nap standing up, but lay down for a deeper more comfortable rest. Our 2-stall donkey barn. We use one side for storage, and the other is always open for them to come and go if needed. We do not close them in at night. Instead, they prefer to nap under the covered awning outside the barn.We keep their salt licks dry inside the barn. Sometimes they come inside the barn during heavy rain, but not often.9) Regular hoof care is requiredUnlike horses, mini donkeys don’t need shoes. Yet they do need regular hoof care, including picking (by you) and trimming (most likely by a farrier).Ideally, plan to pick and brush out your miniature donkey hooves daily, or at minimum a few times per week. Use a basic hoof pick to remove accumulated manure, rocks, sticks, or other debris from the underside of their hooves. Keeping donkey hooves clean and dry helps to prevent potential infections of fungal disease like thrush. Here is a how-to video for reference.Mini donkeys also need their hooves trimmed by a farrier once every 6 to 12 weeks. The exact trimming schedule depends on your animals and the terrain. Some donkey’s hooves grow faster than others, or are kept more naturally filed depending on the ground they walk on.If your mini donkey isn’t yet accustomed to having their feet handled, this can take a good deal of practice, patience, and trust-building between you and your donkey. Honestly, this was our largest struggle when we first got ours! Our two youngest rescue girls would kick and try to run away when we tried. It took baby steps and daily training sessions over many months to finally be able to pick all of their hooves.Most responsible donkey rescues or breeders will only adopt out donkeys that are trained and prepared for regular hoof care. If possible, find a local farrier that is willing to work with your donkeys before deciding to bring them home. Some farriers will only work on horses. Alternatively, you can learn how to trim their hooves on your own, but I wouldn’t suggest that to a new donkey owner unless you’re already experienced with equine.10) Grooming and bathing mini donkeysDonkeys have different hair than horses. Instead of producing natural oils and sheen, mini donkeys have very dry skin and coarse hair by nature. These desert animals rely on dust baths to keep their skin and hair healthy. That means you don’t have to worry about bathing your mini donkey very often. Some donkey owners do, but it isn’t generally required. See bathing tips in the following section.Instead, regularly groom your donkey by dry brushing them at least weekly – which is also a great bonding experience! A curry comb is great at loosening dirt, debris and dandruff deep within their thick coat. Then follow up with a softer brush for general grooming, especially around their more sensitive head and neck. Miniature donkeys grow an extra thick winter coat that naturally sheds in spring, so a shedding blade will come in handy to help expedite the process. During fly season, we also apply a natural fly spray after grooming.Cookie looking extra trim and sleek in the summer after shedding her thick winter coat.Bathing TipsBecause most donkeys don’t love getting wet, we only bathe ours a few times per year when they’re extra dirty or for medical reasons (such as lice treatment). Only bathe donkeys when it’s warm and sunny outside, and when they have adequate time to dry before dark.
It’s best to use warm water. It makes the experience so much less stressful for them! We use a portable water heater that connects to a hose and small propane tank.
Use a gentle equine shampoo or unscented baby shampoo and be sure to rinse it out thoroughly.
To wash their head, use a damp cloth or sponge to gently wipe around their face. Take care not to get any water in their ears, eyes or nose.
Thoroughly towel dry them when you’re finished.
Expect them to immediately go roll in the dirt after a bath. Ha!Bean Sprout looks so puny when she’s wet! When giving them a bath, we’re sure to reward them with lots of praise and apple treats. A very happy, dirty donkey ?11) Halters and lead ropesHalters and lead ropes are excellent tools to help train, walk, or secure your mini donkeys as needed. However, it is critical to NEVER leave your donkey in a halter or tied up unattended! They could potentially get snagged, twisted, or otherwise seriously injure themselves. If your donkey isn’t accustomed to a halter and lead rope, it can take some time and patience to get them halter trained. We honestly rarely need halters on our homestead, but still put them on the girls periodically so they’re used to them when needed – such as for baths and farrier or vet visits.It can be tricky to find the right fit for minis. We got ours at Halter Up; a size medium for our two smaller girls and large for the bigger two. A good halter should fit snugly against their face, sit fairly high up their nose (not right around the nostrils) but still have room to comfortably tuck a couple fingers under it. When walking them on a lead rope, do not pull or yank on their head. I highly recommend learning how to tie various quick release knots for their rope. Google “quick release knots for horses” – you’ll see plenty of how-to videos. Bean Sprout the Elf. A very important use of halters indeed.12) Mini donkeys are not good guard animalsIt’s true that mini donkeys can and will fight off coyotes, foxes, or other intruders when necessary. Donkeys are territorial over their space and will charge, stomp, kick, or even bite (and fling) smaller animals when they feel threatened. We’ve seen our donkeys charge large raccoons trying to visit their water trough.However, that means donkeys have the potential to hurt (or even kill) dogs, cats, goats, and other smaller livestock or pets too! So, while miniature donkeys can fend for themselves pretty well, they should NOT be brought onto a farm with the intention of serving as guard animals for other livestock. Since they’re smaller than full size donkeys, minis are more vulnerable to large predators like mountain lions too.With good training and positive reinforcement, your donkeys should be able to peacefully co-exist with other animals on your farm. When they first came to our property, the head of our herd would charge at our cats (we had a couple close calls) but they’ve since gotten used to one another. The donkeys now realize the cats aren’t a threat, but the cats have also thankfully learned to keep a safe distance!Don’t let this sweet mug fool you. Her full name is “Sugar and SPICE”.13) Have a plan for vacationsUnless you have ample green pasture for grazing, it’s generally not possible to leave mini donkeys unattended when you’re out of town, even for a night or two. Between scheduled feedings and picking up manure, you’ll want to have someone help care for your donkeys while you’re away.Unfortunately, you can’t just put out extra hay and leave for a couple days. They will just gorge themselves and eat it all immediately (a potential choke risk) and then be left with nothing for the remainder of the time. Instead, you’ll need a friend, family member, trusted neighbor, or even a pet sitter to visit once or twice per day to put out some hay and check on everyone.When we were first considering getting mini donkeys, this was one of the most misleading things we were told: “oh yeah, you can totally leave them overnight without care!” Previously, we could leave our cats and chickens for a couple nights without needing a house sitter, yet we quickly realized that wouldn’t be possible with the donkeys. Thankfully, we found an awesome professional ranch sitter through our local donkey rescue – but it definitely requires planning in advance to book her!“Look Mom, we’re ready for Hawaii!”Gratuitous picture of Winnie LOVING Dad’s ear scratches. Look at that lippy.And that concludes this lesson on raising mini donkeys.If you’re still with me, thank you so much for reading! Your donkeys are lucky to have a human that cares to learn as much as you do. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below. Now go have fun lovin’ on your minis!You may also enjoy:Backyard Chickens 101: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
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