Please remember that donkeys need to live with another donkey. A donkey forced to live alone with a toy is going to become a bit crazy and unbalanced. Donkeys need another donkey.
We purchased Rio, our baby Mammoth donkey, at nine months old. The day the trailer arrived to deliver Rio, we opened the door to find Rocket Man, a miniature donkey, standing close to his best friend. We learned from the breeder that donkeys bond for life.
Pairing donkeys up, size, and sex matter. Rio grew to stand 16'2 hands tall and became dangerous for Rocket Man, his best buddy. Donkeys grab the neck in play and battle. Rio kept playing the same way he had when he was a baby donkey, as he did not realize he was a big donkey. He continued grabbing Rocket Man by the neck and lifting him 3 feet off the ground.
Donkeys get bored quickly. Donkey husbandry, provide your donkey with another donkey to live with. Remember same sex is essential, geldings with geldings, jennies with jennies (female). Jacks will kill baby donkeys and are violent with smaller animals. You can find a great vet experienced in donkeys and geld the jack.
In 2007, we brought home Rocket Man, a thirteen-year-old miniature donkey, Rio, a nine-month-old baby mammoth donkey, and Miss Lily, a two-year-old quarter horse. Rio was weaned in a big field with many donkeys, and he quickly became Rocket Man's best friend and bookend.
Creating more pastures and shelters. We brought two standard donkeys, Oboe and a Tuba, to live with Rio. Brought home two more miniature donkeys, Roy and Maximus, to live with Rocket Man. We placed Rocket Man on the other side of the fence for Rio and monitored his food intake and behavior closely. Donkeys can get depressed and stop eating and drinking. Our horse, well, she got a rescue horse named Miss Trophy. Horses play differently from donkeys; horses need another horse. Peace and harmony returned to the farm.