Donkeys what do they eat

So, if you decide not to give more to him, he might get restless and frustrated. They also have difficulty digesting potatoes, onions, eggplant, tomato, garlic, and peppers.

In addition, donkeys need a simple and healthy diet, which is why you should not give them bread, cookies, or cakes.

In any case, strictly avoid giving them processed foods, chocolate, dairy products, meat, or even horse feed. On the other hand, wild donkeys have managed to survive in arid and semi-arid areas with poor quality forage.

But they also tend to die younger than their domesticated counterparts. So, if you want your pet donkey to thrive as long as possible, feed him properly, provide him with the best living conditions, and give him plenty of love. With good genetics and a little luck, he might even reach the venerable age of Bubbles!

Genevieve is a biologist and science writer. Her deep love for capuchin monkeys, pumas, and kangaroos has taken her worldwide to work and volunteer for several wildlife rehabilitation centers in Bolivia, Guatemala, Canada, and Australia. As a Canadian expat, Genevieve now lives in Argentina, where she wakes up every morning to horses and cows saying hello from the vast plain next to her home office window. She is the proud mom of three rescued dogs, Lemmy, Nala, and Pochi, and a frisky kitten, Furiosa.

Having the privilege of sharing her knowledge and passion for animals of all kinds is what makes her fulfilled and happy. Skip to content. Genevieve Dugal. Aug 18 This can be dangerous for you. Access to an equine salt or mineral lick is advisable avoid mineral licks designed for other types of livestock as they may contain inappropriate mineral levels. Always have clean water available. The donkey diet should consist of mainly good quality barley straw or oat straw barley straw is best and carefully restricted access to grass.

Donkeys may require supplemental hay if they are not maintaining good body condition with the straw and restricted grass diet for e. Types of suitable hay include: Meadow hay or seed hay from Rye or Timothy grass. Please look out for ragwort in hay as this is highly poisonous for donkeys.

Common health problems associated with an inappropriate diet Be aware of the risks of laminitis inflammation of the sensitive tissues in the hoof causing pain and lameness from excessive consumption of grass or cereal-based feeds stressed grass i. Donkeys are particularly at risk of this condition when the grass is lush and growing quickly. Fields which have been previously fertilised may pose a greater threat. Hi Joanne, thanks for your question.

Milk Bone Dog Biscuits are not safe to feed donkeys. Treats, biscuits and most food made for dogs or cats contains meat products and is therefore not suitable for donkeys. Hopefully the article has some helpful suggestions for you. Best wishes and enjoy the donkeys! I know this was posted a while ago. I am new to mini Donkeys and was curious if its safe to offer them pumpkin with or without seeds and if organic canned pumpkin is ok.

They have had a lick from when i have given it to our pigs. The only other treats we have offered is baby carrots and some apple wedges but in moderation about of each 2xs a week.

Would really like to know if the pumpkin is ok. Thank you for the well writte article. Lots of good ideas, especially the peppermint. Hi Melanie, thank you for posting.

Likewise, fresh or dried herbs in water is fine too, as long as they are safe herbs. With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? Do you know any solutions to help stop content from being stolen? Hi Angie, thank you for your comment. Have you marked your pages with a copyright note? And perhaps you could add an extra note on your pages, asking people to contact you if they would like to share your content, or instructing them how to credit you if they do such as your name or website link.

Best of luck, Amy. Jack the donkey loves bamboo. He is always trying to eat our bamboo. Enjoyed reading this! Very helpful. Only carrots and apples but after reading this, I have to cut WAY back. Hi Lynn, thank you for your comment although I imagine your donkeys are not so enthusiastic! Best wishes and feel free to send a photo — I can share it on the Donkey Wise Facebook page!

Best wishes, Amy. We have two Jennets and they love black birch twigs cut into small bits. I am experimenting now with cutting and drying some for storage. I am hoping they retain the wintergreen scent they have when fresh.

I might even try to market them. Treats for Donkeys and horses that the human can make tea with! Ragwort in hay is very poisonous to donkeys and can kill equines. It can be quite hard to distinguish once it has dried; this is why it is important to know and trust your hay supplier.

Weather conditions tend to influence the cutting season - late May to July. If the hay is cut later in the year a lot of the goodness will have gone out of the grass and some of the grass will have gone to seed. This type of hay provides a much lower energy source than early cut hay and for that reason it is fine for feeding to donkeys. If the weather in May is good the farmers might make hay in the first week of June and get a second cut at the end of July.

Freshly cut hay should be stored in a dry barn for at least three months before feeding. If hay is in short supply in your area or if it is very expensive then you could look at the following alternatives. The grass is baled, compressed and sealed in tough plastic and the resultant forage is virtually dust-free, highly palatable and nutritious. Once the plastic wrapping is broken deliberately or accidentally fungal spores start to grow so the haylage must be used within three to four days less in warm weather or discarded.

This is why it is better suited to those with more than one or two donkeys to feed. If there are any signs of mould or yeast growth on a bale once opened it should be discarded, as should any uneaten haylage as this could be toxic to the donkeys.

Haylage can be very variable in terms of nutritional levels; some haylage may be too high in energy to feed to donkeys. Silage is not suitable for feeding to donkeys because the moisture level is usually too high, with a low pH, as well as a low fibre and high protein level.

There are many brands on the market selling high fibre pellets. Products marketed for equines prone to laminitis are a good choice because they are usually high in fibre and low in sugar.

High fibre pellets are a good choice if you need more than grass, hay and straw to build up the weight of an old or underweight donkey. Care must be taken that the donkey does not eat the pellets too quickly, as it may cause colic, so add water and mix with a small quantity of low sugar chaff when introducing pellets for the first time. High fibre pellets can be soaked down to a mash, which is particularly useful for donkeys with poor teeth.

Avoid any pellets containing cereals grains as these are not suitable for feeding to donkeys. There are many types of chaff on the market.

These contain variable amounts of chopped rye, timothy or alfalfa grasses and oat straw.