This is my 2nd donkey. I had one for 12 years (a rescued recently gelded jack who had issues.) He was a year old in August. He was "imprinted" and handled as a baby, but was then just in pasture with his mom. Had a shed and came in for feeding.He was still nursing when we went to get him. They had to push, shove, drag him onto our trailer (he was very scared). (We hung back because we didn't want that memory as our first).When we got him home,after dark, he went thru the electric fence rope (4 strands), before we could turn it on. So we managed to herd him into a small pasture that was field fenced. To keep him separate from our 2 horses for now. I refenced with field fence and a hot rope on top a small corral with a stall attached to it. The 4 days it took , he watched us, but was afraid if approached, you could see him tucking his butt . I tried some approach and retreat and even ignoring him.I have stood in his pen, talked to him, hummed, sat outside it, made sure he saw me feeding him and the horses in stalls next to him...He is very watchful and curious and I groom the horses right next to his fence, and feed them in front of him . He is approaching 'some' , but only at the 6 foot comfort zone. He will approach some and follow when I am outside the pen.... He actually seems afraid if you put your hand out, yet is interested in the bucket.(I have done some resistance free training, John Lyons , Paretti, and Clicker training and with my horses (they are arabians, so I get he is afraid and still settling in.
So here is my dilemma : I was under the impression he was 'tamer' than he seems to be, and he is not 'halter broken' or leads or anything. I can do this and plan on teaching him to drive later ,etc. I was planning on calling the vet right away to geld him, but now wonder if I should at least get him to be unafraid, halter broken etc. before I geld him.....seeming' that the other option is to trap him in the stall and manhandle him a bit to get the tranq. in him..... He is about 36" tall, but I can't let him out of the corral until he is gelded and healed, as I have a mare (20 yr , never bred)....and need him to learn to respect electric rope as I have 11 acres with a "pasture paradise" system with grass mini-pastures separated by 2 strands of Electric rope (perimeter of my property is fieldfence topped with elec. rope.)
Should I just bite the bullet and get him gelded immediately however we can? Will the hormones at this age make his behavior or attitude that bigger risk for me if there is a month of training first? Or wait a couple weeks and try to gain trust and get halter broke before gelding?
So here is my dilemma : I was under the impression he was 'tamer' than he seems to be, and he is not 'halter broken' or leads or anything. I can do this and plan on teaching him to drive later ,etc. I was planning on calling the vet right away to geld him, but now wonder if I should at least get him to be unafraid, halter broken etc. before I geld him.....seeming' that the other option is to trap him in the stall and manhandle him a bit to get the tranq. in him..... He is about 36" tall, but I can't let him out of the corral until he is gelded and healed, as I have a mare (20 yr , never bred)....and need him to learn to respect electric rope as I have 11 acres with a "pasture paradise" system with grass mini-pastures separated by 2 strands of Electric rope (perimeter of my property is fieldfence topped with elec. rope.)
Should I just bite the bullet and get him gelded immediately however we can? Will the hormones at this age make his behavior or attitude that bigger risk for me if there is a month of training first? Or wait a couple weeks and try to gain trust and get halter broke before gelding?
