Athena, Fancy Pants and Campion our miniature mediterranean donkeys arrived Saturday 5th April 2008 in brilliant sunshine and woke up on Sunday morning to two inches of snow!!!

Care of Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys

Are sensitive creatures and as herd animals prefer the company of other donkeys to other equines, goats, sheep etc. Best practice is to keep at least two donkeys on a minimum of 1 acre of land.

Access to a field shelter in wet weather is a must as donkeys do not have waterproof coats. Stabling for your donkeys during the winter months is highly recommended.

Droppings should be removed on a regular basis from paddocks and a regular worming regime adheared to.

Donkeys are affected by several different parasites or worms, and must be wormed regularly. Intervals between routine worming depend on the type of wormer being used. Worming is usually recommended approximately every 8 weeks. All available wormers come within three chemical family groups namely:

IVERMECTIN e.g. (Furexel, Eqvalan)
BENZIMIDAZOLE e.g. (Panacur, Panacur - Equine Guard)
PYRANTEL e.g. (Pyratape P, Strongid P)
With the exception of Panacur Equine Guard most wormers come as paste in tubes or granules. Normally a tube of paste is the dose for 600 Kg body weight and for a sachet of granules it is 300 Kg body weight.

Always check with your Veterinarian about which wormer to use and when. Follow his/her advice. You need to know the weight of your donkey, as this will affect the amount of wormer administered.

Donkeys are desert animals are used to arid climates and can easily become obese in the UK, endangering their health. Rich lush grass must be restricted, especially in spring. Donkeys thrive on a sparse diet.

The best basic food is Barley straw (not wheat and never oat straw) ad lib. Small quantities of hay may be added in winter, however this must be at least six months old, smell sweet, free from mould dust and most importantly, free from poisonous weeds such as ragwort.

In winter a small handful of pasture mix or quiet mix or Dengie Hi Fi Lite may be given. Females in the last 3 months of pregnancy and growing young stock could also be given similar additional feed. Carrot and apple titbits are always a great treat.

Quantities required are very individually variable and an active stallion will also require an additional feed.

Pony nuts, rich horse feeds, grain, proteins can be dangerous to a Miniature Mediterranean Donkey.

Never under any circumstances feed your donkeys grass cuttings. Tell your neighbours, who might believe they are being kind by dumping their cuttings into your pasture for your donkeys, that grass cuttings can kill your donkeys within three hours.