The most important thing is not to overfeed miniatures. You should be able to feel but not see the donkeys ribs. In the summer months access to grass will probably need to be restricted. In the winter months a diet of barley straw and some meadow hay is likely to be sufficient. Access to a mineral lick, or feeding a good-quality general purpose supplement is advisable. Carrots and apples may be fed as treats. Chop into slices that could not choke the donkey.

You are very welcome to visit our stud by prior appointment. If you contact the MMDA (see above) they may be able to give you the name of a breeder or owner near to you who might be happy to show you around their donkeys. You could also try attending a donkey show. The secretary is likely to be able to tell you if miniature donkeys are attending.

Miniature donkeys were used as beasts of burden in centuries past but are now raised as affectionate, easy to care for pets. Because of their dislike of coyote and other predators, miniature donkeys are often found to be effective predator control for livestock. Many of our donkeys keep company with our herd of boer goats, casting watchful eye and ear over them all. Hence, we find miniature donkeys to be "Shepherds of herd and heart."

Ages 2 through 102. My wife, Jinny, always proclaimed donkeys were specially designed for grandparents and grandchildren.

No. Those negative traits in the donkeys you may have known are a result of feral breeding. In contrast, the Mediterranean Miniature has been treasured and selectively bred for centuries. They are naturally affectionate and will return the love extended to them manyfold. They will not "break" as with a horse and choose to follow you as "Alpha Leader" in a trust relationship. Trust is the key to their training.

It is imperative that you are sure you can, and want to, take on the responsibility of owning donkeys before you take the plunge into ownership. Donkeys can live for 50 years and require daily care. The routine care of a donkey may cost around £50 a month and take at least an hour a day, but even a simple veterinary call out is likely to cost in excess of £100, so it is essential that you can meet these demands.

The most common colors in donkeys are Gray-dun ( Slate Gray), Brown, and black. There is a variation of sorrel, Ivory (blue-eyed white) and a variant of bay. Some donkeys appear to be nearly white with dark skin - these are Frosted Spotted White. (It's like true gray in horses, the frosted/graying covers up the original color. It's a color combination, an overlay over the base color and any other patterns.

Signsite.Net does use a basic set of standard colors, which can be furnished to you to help make your selections. Custom colors are formulated using the Pantone Color Matching System©. We recommend using the standard colors whenever possible, as they are formulated for the best appearance and longevity.

Miniature donkeys are easy keepers and on good pasture tend to eat more than they need. When pastures are grazed down supplemental feeding will be necessary. Good quality hay consisting of timothy, alfalfa, and brome grass makes a good mix but it must be free of dust and mould. At Prairie Brae we feed only as much as they clean up. It is essential they have access to salt and equine mineral at all times.

Yes, we have just bought two new Donkeys: Jake who is 10, dapple grey and a very cool character and Jasper who is white with brown spots and very tall even though he is only 4. He won't be giving rides until next year as he is too young. We will make webpages for them as soon as we have time - this is a busy time for us! Thanks for your question, Emily.

You may have heard the term "Jerusalem donkeys" or "Sicilian" used to indicate a gray-ish donkey with a cross and stripe over the shoulders and back. However, neither of these terms are correct. Sicilian is a bloodline of small donkeys that can trace parentage back to the original animals imported from Sicily. MOST donkeys, regardless of color, and especially non-Mammoths, have a cross and stripe.

Donkeys are feed efficient. It does not mean they eat less than a horse proportional to their size, but they do get more nutrition out of what they eat. Since horses are feed inefficient, most of the high protein, high fat feeds designed for horses are not the best feeds for donkeys.

We follow the hand made teddy bear industry standards of small being 12 to 6 inches, miniature being under 6 inches tall, and micro being 2 inches or smaller.

All the foods I make are made from polymer clay (fimo) and plastic resins. They are permanent miniatures that won't fade or disintegrate over time.

This is probably the most common question a Miniature Donkey breeder will answer. The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination. Because of their gentle nature they make excellent companions for the physically and mentally challenged. They love to be groomed.

The most popular and common is the blenheim. Blenheim is white and a rich ruby color. Not brown! Also, not a lot of freckles. Tri-color is black, tan and white. Again, not freckled. Ruby is pure ruby. A miss-marked ruby will have a very little white on the head or chest. No difference in quality of the temperament or dedication. It’s only difference is price. Black and tan is pure black and tan appropriately marked.

All colors are acceptable. The most commonly seen are the fawns with black masks, with fawn ranging from nearly white or pale champagne, to golden, red, wolf-sable, or badger. Other colors you may see are pintos (with or without a black mask), white, black, blue w/black mask, fawn or cream with a liver mask and nose, brindled, and even brindled pintos. The least commonly seen colors are the brindles, liver or blue fawns, and the blacks.

When using light & sound mind machines, different people see different things. Some see just the flashing light. Most see swirling patterns that have been compared to psychedelic light shows or fractals; some in just red and black, but others in full color. And a few report seeing detailed, virtual reality like scenes. So people frequently post to the Mind Machine Digest mailing list asking why they don't get the primo visuals.