We have donkeys for adoption! Some are ready to leave within a few days, while others are close to completing their ground training program. Here are a few suggestions for you as you are considering contacting us to adopt a donkey:
- We do not send out single donkeys to a home that does not already have a donkey. Even a horse or several horses will often not be enough to satisfy a donkey's need for companionship. Horses are behaviorally different by nature, and we often observe donkeys to remain lonely - or worse, be picked on - in a herd of horses. Goats often do not make good companions for donkeys, either. Two of our past adopters returned donkeys to us that were given access to baby goats; sadly, in each case, one of the donkeys had killed a baby. This happens a lot, and you can get more information from goat breeders or others who have tried out donkeys as guardian animals or heard about such endeavors, or from the Donkey Sanctuary of England:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/sites/uk/files/2020-04/keeping-donkeys-with-other-animals-factsheet-march-2020.pdf
With this in mind, if you don't already have a donkey at home, we will ask you to adopt a pair.
- Also for the above reasons, we no longer adopt out donkeys as guardian animals, be it for goats, cattle, sheep or chickens. Many donkeys used to guard cattle have been seen chasing young calves around rather than actually protecting them. Donkeys have been reported watching their chicken being carried away by coyotes without bothering to interfere. And donkeys have been reported to kill goats or sheep, especially smaller ones. If you wish to read more about how donkeys do with other animals, here is a good article:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/sites/uk/files/2020-04/keeping-donkeys-with-other-animals-factsheet-march-2020.pdf
- We rarely have mini donkeys or mammoth donkeys larger than 14hh for adoption. If you don't see one listed here, we don't have one any time soon.
- Our donkeys are adopted out under a contract by which we intend to protect them in the long run. The contract gives both parties rights and obligations. The contract prohibits breeding as well as selling or otherwise passing on the adopted donkeys to another home or another person without our permission. It also requires you to return the donkeys to us or seek our written permission for a follow-up adoption of your choice in case you can no longer take care of them. If you are not willing to sign or abide by such a contract for the protection of the donkeys, then adoption is not for you.
- Donkeys require care and attention, and their proper maintenance does cost some money. If you cannot afford hay (hoping that you can let them graze off the ground in your yard or pasture instead), you should not commit to adopting donkeys from us. Not only did we get donkeys returned whose adopters were mistaken in believing that what grows on their property can feed the animals properly, but at times the grass and weeds on a pasture - even in New Mexico - can become too rich in sugars and cause laminitis in donkeys. During such times, the donkeys need to be removed from pasture and kept in a dry lot, if possible. If you cannot provide this, then you should rethink your decision to adopt donkeys. The same goes if you cannot provide routine preventative vet care or vet care in an emergency.
- We have recently raised our adoption fees both because of the recent price inflation on Craigslist even for untrained donkeys and also in order to deter interested parties that may not have sufficient resources to cover routine veterinary care for adopted donkeys. (It has happened too often lately that people expressed commitment to adopting donkeys and then never came through with the adoption fee.) Our fees now vary from $300 to $600 for a single donkey and $500 to $1000 for a pair, depending on size and training status. In all cases, the fee includes ground training, recent Coggins, wellness exam, core vaccinations (in fall/winter flu/rhino instead of west nile), dental float if needed, hoof trim, worming, and brand inspection if needed.
- We conduct home inspections prior to adoption. We require sturdy and safe fencing (preferably no barbed wire), a sturdy, roofed shelter with at least 3 sides or a barn, usually at least an acre of pasture for 2 donkeys and, in addition, a smaller dry lot (or nearly dry lot) for training, vet care, farrier care or just to park the donkeys if they develop laminitis from too much pasture access or need to be separated temporarily. We will work with future adopters who still need to develop their set-up prior to the arrival of the donkeys. We expect adopters to continue providing at least the same quality of veterinary care for routine and emergency procedures that we have afforded their donkeys prior to adoption.
- We do not send out single donkeys to a home that does not already have a donkey. Even a horse or several horses will often not be enough to satisfy a donkey's need for companionship. Horses are behaviorally different by nature, and we often observe donkeys to remain lonely - or worse, be picked on - in a herd of horses. Goats often do not make good companions for donkeys, either. Two of our past adopters returned donkeys to us that were given access to baby goats; sadly, in each case, one of the donkeys had killed a baby. This happens a lot, and you can get more information from goat breeders or others who have tried out donkeys as guardian animals or heard about such endeavors, or from the Donkey Sanctuary of England:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/sites/uk/files/2020-04/keeping-donkeys-with-other-animals-factsheet-march-2020.pdf
With this in mind, if you don't already have a donkey at home, we will ask you to adopt a pair.
- Also for the above reasons, we no longer adopt out donkeys as guardian animals, be it for goats, cattle, sheep or chickens. Many donkeys used to guard cattle have been seen chasing young calves around rather than actually protecting them. Donkeys have been reported watching their chicken being carried away by coyotes without bothering to interfere. And donkeys have been reported to kill goats or sheep, especially smaller ones. If you wish to read more about how donkeys do with other animals, here is a good article:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/sites/uk/files/2020-04/keeping-donkeys-with-other-animals-factsheet-march-2020.pdf
- We rarely have mini donkeys or mammoth donkeys larger than 14hh for adoption. If you don't see one listed here, we don't have one any time soon.
- Our donkeys are adopted out under a contract by which we intend to protect them in the long run. The contract gives both parties rights and obligations. The contract prohibits breeding as well as selling or otherwise passing on the adopted donkeys to another home or another person without our permission. It also requires you to return the donkeys to us or seek our written permission for a follow-up adoption of your choice in case you can no longer take care of them. If you are not willing to sign or abide by such a contract for the protection of the donkeys, then adoption is not for you.
- Donkeys require care and attention, and their proper maintenance does cost some money. If you cannot afford hay (hoping that you can let them graze off the ground in your yard or pasture instead), you should not commit to adopting donkeys from us. Not only did we get donkeys returned whose adopters were mistaken in believing that what grows on their property can feed the animals properly, but at times the grass and weeds on a pasture - even in New Mexico - can become too rich in sugars and cause laminitis in donkeys. During such times, the donkeys need to be removed from pasture and kept in a dry lot, if possible. If you cannot provide this, then you should rethink your decision to adopt donkeys. The same goes if you cannot provide routine preventative vet care or vet care in an emergency.
- We have recently raised our adoption fees both because of the recent price inflation on Craigslist even for untrained donkeys and also in order to deter interested parties that may not have sufficient resources to cover routine veterinary care for adopted donkeys. (It has happened too often lately that people expressed commitment to adopting donkeys and then never came through with the adoption fee.) Our fees now vary from $300 to $600 for a single donkey and $500 to $1000 for a pair, depending on size and training status. In all cases, the fee includes ground training, recent Coggins, wellness exam, core vaccinations (in fall/winter flu/rhino instead of west nile), dental float if needed, hoof trim, worming, and brand inspection if needed.
- We conduct home inspections prior to adoption. We require sturdy and safe fencing (preferably no barbed wire), a sturdy, roofed shelter with at least 3 sides or a barn, usually at least an acre of pasture for 2 donkeys and, in addition, a smaller dry lot (or nearly dry lot) for training, vet care, farrier care or just to park the donkeys if they develop laminitis from too much pasture access or need to be separated temporarily. We will work with future adopters who still need to develop their set-up prior to the arrival of the donkeys. We expect adopters to continue providing at least the same quality of veterinary care for routine and emergency procedures that we have afforded their donkeys prior to adoption.
Here is our current Guide for New Donkey Owners with some useful information about basic donkey care, an electronic copy of the official Donkey Care Handbook from the Donkey Sanctuary of England, and a current generic version of our adoption contract:
| tls_-_guide_for_new_donkey_owners.pdf |
| adoption_agreement_generic.pdf |
| donkey_care_handbook.pdf |
AVAILABLE DONKEYS FALL 2021
TRAVELER
24-year old mammoth donkey gelding in excellent physical condition. Rides and drives.
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Traveler is a magnificent, still very energetic 24-year-old mammoth donkey gelding, 14hh+, rides and drives, in excellent physical condition, socialized and friendly with people and other equines.
Traveler is looking for a retirement home that is ready to give him the same level of quality veterinary care that he has received here. That includes annual wellness exams, dental check-ups with floats as needed, regular vaccinations, worming, and hoof trims. Traveler is looking for a home that could use him for light riding or driving and that would be able to remain - in terms of age and resources - his home ideally for the rest of his life. Given his excellent physical condition and the natural longevity of donkeys, he will likely have at least another 10 years to live. He will need equine companionship, preferably a mule or donkey. He is fond of female equines and will mate with jennies when they go into heat, which is quite common for gelded donkey jacks. But Traveler will also get along and play with other geldings. Traveler is easy to "catch" and halter, to lead, and put tack on. He stands well for the farrier. He needs some patience loading into a small (2-horse) trailer, as he hasn't done that very often in his life. He spent most of his life with other donkeys or mules and is very social and confident around other equines. He has also been used in riding/driving events with horses. Despite his age, he is easy to keep weight on. He is used to grass hay (Bermuda) with some alfalfa and soaked senior feed occasionally. As a donkey, a full alfalfa diet would be too rich for him. Traveler has been ridden and driven until recently without complications on trails in a rural area. He is probably not suitable to use in parades because of some vision impairment on his left eye that sometimes triggers minor nervous reactions when there is a sudden movement near his head. He would probably make a great arena riding animal for kids or light-weight adults, possibly a therapy donkey, or on trails that are not too busy or cluttered with strange objects. However, at his age, he should do only light work. The adoption fee for Traveler is $600, and he will be adopted under our standard adoption contract, which can be viewed on our webpage (see above). |
MINNIE AND PEARL
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Minnie and Pearl are a closely bonded mother/daughter pair. Minnie is about 18 years old and Pearl about 14. They are both fully socialized with other equines and friendly with people. However, Minnie is the one who always seeks human interaction, while Pearl is a bit weary of strangers and can be evasive at times until she knows you better.
Minnie is also easier to handle for vet care, while Pearl can be a bit harder to get to cooperate. Pearl does not like to be brushed along her flanks (while Minnie loves it), although with a lot of patience, someone will probably be able to teach her to appreciate it. But they both are easy to "catch" (Minnie more so than Pearl) and to lead (Pearl a little better than Minnie), and they can be loaded pretty easily into a trailer. They stand really well for the farrier. We are looking for a home that will honor and respect the deep bond between these two jennets, so that they will be able to do things together most of the time. A home that would use and refresh Pearl's driving skills would be great as long as Minnie will also get involved in activities. Both jennets love kids and have carried little kids on their backs, being led around by the halter. They're not really suited for general petting-zoo type of entertainment both because of Pearl's shyness of strangers and because Minnie does like to explore boundaries with new people and enjoys engaging in a little nip here and there into a human foot, arm or hand. We considers these a form of love bites, but because of this tendency, she will need someone who knows to set firm boundaries for her. Minnie and Pearl have recently started learning to carry a pack saddle, and they would make a great team of pack donkeys for not-too strenuous hiking or camping excursions. Minnie will follow without problems in the rear of the string if she is tied to Pearls pack saddle, and Pearl will follow a human without much leading at all. Pearl was tested as having low thyroid values in 2017, after an episode of tenderness in her front feet, and she was tested again in 2019 after being on Thyro-L for several months. At that point her blood values were back in the lower "normal" range. Her weight and diet will need to be monitored on a regular basis as she easily gets overweight even just from consuming grass hay. A diet of straw or similar forage and limited hay (never alfalfa) as well as regular exercise would be ideal. Both jennets are currently up to date on Coggins, all core vaccinations (EW encephalitis, tetanus, west nile, plus flu/rhinovirus and rabies), dentals, hoof trims, and worming. Minnie and Pearl cannot be kept together with small livestock such as goats or sheep; Minnie can get aggressive toward them. They would probably make good companions for a lonely horse, and they're also familiar with cattle. They are looking for a long-term home that will give both of them the attention they need, both emotionally and in terms of nutrition and veterinary care. It has to be a home that is stable with regard to lifestyle and resources. The two girls both need their teeth checked at least every couple of years (since we first took them in late 2018, they have had already two teeth floatings each, and Pearl got a loose wolf tooth pulled). They will need to keep up with vaccinations, hoof trims, and worming as needed. Their adoption fee is $700, and they will be adopted out under our standard adoption contract, which can be viewed above. They cannot be sold or given away to a third party without our written permission, and they cannot be used for breeding. |
