# Aggressive Miniature Donkey



## OtisP123 (Jun 9, 2015)

I recently got a 1 year old, male, miniature donkey and he is having some behavioral issues. He is in a large pasture with one mare. Whenever I approach the mare he runs up and tries to get me away from her. He will pace in front of me, bite at me, rear up at me, and chase me away. Yesterday, as I was brushing the mare, me came up behind me and started using his head to push me away. When I scolded him and continued to brush he became very aggressive and began lunging and biting at me. Is this normal for an intact donkey? Could it be fixed with castration?


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Unless you want a mule I'd absolutely geld that donkey!!! :shock: 

And yes, gelding the donkey will significantly help with the behavioral issues, but training is going to be even more important!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## greenhaven (Jun 7, 2014)

The sooner you get this taken care of the less likely you are to get seriously hurt or an unplanned pregnancy.

I will be blunt: get it done as soon as humanly possible and get the donk away from the mare. Then get someone who knows how to instill good manners in an unruly and potentially dangerous animal.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

gelding will help but it sounds like either he has had a bad experience or he isn't socialized at all with humans.

Donkeys when handled poorly neither forget or forgive. I used to have a jack and he was no problem handling. I gelded him for his own safety because he would try to mount my draft mare and she would send him flying.

One day my farrier showed up to do the horses and he was obviously drunk. I should have sent the man home in hind sight. Farrier lost his cool with the donkey and really beat him with a rasp. So for the next 20+ years no matter what I did every trim was a battle. He knew I wasn't going to harm him but nobody was going to touch his feet again. Forget a stranger trying.

So whatever you do make sure first your safe and second be kind and fair. They don't forget.


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## OtisP123 (Jun 9, 2015)

*update* The mare is spayed so I don't have to worry about a pregnancy. Thanks for the info though.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

OtisP123 said:


> *update* The mare is spayed so I don't have to worry about a pregnancy. Thanks for the info though.


They don't spay mares like they do dogs.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

He will still try to mount her and is likely to get kicked and very hard by a mare that isn't in season.


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## celestejasper13 (May 16, 2014)

SlideStop said:


> They don't spay mares like they do dogs.


It's rare and complicated but in some situations it can be done, I'm sure OP knows whether or not their mare is intact


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Mares can be spayed - it is a more drastic procedure than with gelding, so therefore it's usually only done as a last resort when a mare has issues with her reproductive organs, or is simply a holy terror when she is in heat.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Sorry, to clarify I meant they don't go around spaying horses like dogs. Yes, it can be done, but it's highly unlikely the mare is spayed.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Get the donkey gelded, that should help. If the aggressive behavior continues - take a whip out and get after him. Get after him hard and you should only have to once...Let him know who is in charge and don't let him chase or bully you away.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## GrowMap (Apr 8, 2012)

*Just found out the hard way how dangerous jacks are*

I agree with the people who advise gelding that jack immediately; however, it may still be dangerous. Apparently, jacks are overly hormonal and sensitive to any changes in their herd and can react aggressively to both other animals and humans. 

There is a jack and herd of mini burros in the same pasture as a quarter horse stallion and a small herd of mares. Many foals had been raised in the pasture without any problems. 

When I added my horses to the very large (almost 100 acres) pasture, the burro was extremely aggressive to my gelding. Why the 16+h gelding didn't just make him stop was a mystery to me, but I separated them. 

The QH stallion died who had been in the pasture just before one of the QH mares had a colt. When the colt was about a month old, that mini jack savagely killed it. That is when I started researching jacks because it never occurred to anyone that would possibly happen. 

The jack is now in a stallion paddock alone. I would be afraid to even put him in with his own jinnies anymore. Many breeders don't ever keep a jack in with even their own offspring because they might kill them. They only breed a jinny and separate them, sometimes in an adjacent pasture - but don't run them together. 

This jack is a sweet thing that loves attention - and that is the story of every other tragedy I've read about online. The jack was sweet - until he wasn't. Other stories are of jacks that suddenly attacked their owners. While some horse stallions can be dangerous, and most people should not have a stallion at home, who knew that a friendly mini jack could be just as dangerous as a vicious stallion?


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