Digging Donkey. advice????

[tiffanyh]

So my mini donkey has started digging holes in his stall the last few days. I am chalking it up to boredom but I was hoping for your feedback- he is my first equine type pet.

He is in a average size paddock area. We are in CT and have gotten tons of snow, about 3 ft standing now. I have dug him paths to the goat house and a path to meet me when I come in the paddock. He can not really walk easily through the snow, it is at his chest height. But he is not out and about nearly as much as he usually is. He is kind of stuck in and around his stall area. Being winter, no one is outside and we live in a town setting where he usually watches people walking all day, the kids playing, us outside, now no one is out. He got excited when the kids came out sledding the other day.

He is also very cranky and distant lately. Tonight he backed up to me slowly twice like he was going to kick at me- something he has NEVER done. I sternly said something and he ran off. Then he went off and did it to one of the goats (he doesn't actually hit them).

His feet have been done recently (he had whiteline disease when I got him, clearing up nicely). No change in the food at all.

I am worried about digestion issues. He has no salt block currently either so I will grab one tomorrow to add. Would you chalk it up to boredom?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

(P.S. Edit to add, most internet searches turned up boredom, digestion and dirt eating/mineral. Some were veterinary sites.)

 

[patandchickens]

Boredom seems most likely. Can you possibly borrow a snowblower and snowblow him a larger area in his paddock, or get a truck with a plow blade on it into the paddock?

Also, if you don't mind wasting a bit of extra hay, you can often induce them to expand the passable area THEMSELVES by putting a flake of hay juuuust out of reach past the edge of what's currently stomped down, several times a day, each time putting it a little further out. In a few days there will be a much larger stomped area for the animal to use, without anyone having had to break a sweat.

Furthermore it will also help give him alleviate his boredom if you spread his hay out very thinly across the snow (as per above) (and yes, you will waste a little extra this way, but donkeys are usually pretty good at finding and hoovering up every little bit, especially if bored...).

If he does not seem constipated or colicky I would not worry about that. If you give him a salt block (he should have one already...) keep a close eye on it because a few animals will go nuts with the salt block if a) they've been without and/or b) they're bored silly, and it is not good for him to be consuming vast quantities of salt. If it were me I'd honestly wait til some OTHER time to give him a salt block.

The other thing that comes to mind with equids digging holes in their stalls is that sometimes they do it to alleviate a sore back or stifles or hocks. I toss this out merely for completeness' sake, though, since circumstances would suggest that BOREDOM is all that's going on with your guy.

Good luck, have fun, just wait til that 3' of snow all melts into puddles and slush ,

Pat

 

[tiffanyh]

Thanks Pat. I was hoping to hear from you!

He broke his salt block in half a couple weeks back and it fell and got buried in the dirt. I meant to get another one but just havent yet. Maybe I should hold off....

I was just talking with the hubbie about the snowblower. He is up on a hill behind my house and normally the tractor and myself carries everything up, but the snow is so high, we are even having trouble getting our snowblower to move forward on flat ground. I dont think I could get it up the hill right now.

I will try the hay thing in the morning and tromp around a bit myself to try to get some additional paths started. It is up to just below my waist-Im 5'6". My miniature goats he lives with cant go anywhere in the snow, they disappear.

I will work to remedy the space situation a bit. I feel really bad for him. I am going crazy being stuck at home too!

 

[tiffanyh]

Still digging!

I dug more paths and whatnot, no luck yet.

 

[patandchickens]

Probably be good to take a break from digging since they're just going to get covered back over by THIS storm anyhow

Hang in there, eventually it will be mud season instead,

Pat

 

[newriverguy]

Get him some toys.
Donkeys are intelligent and need company.
Mine absolutely adore rubber bowls, garden hoses and traffic cones.
My old jack Fabulous Freddie offers a rubber bowl to a Jennie that is cycling.
They walk around the pen both holding it.
A year later they have a baby.
Amazing!!