Would castrating our mini Donkey make him sweeter?

[Baymule]

That is a question for the vet.

 

[Bumpa]

Definitely geld them both. Gelded boys are very managable and good pets.

 

[Bunnylady]

Castration is pretty much essential for the safety and sanity of all concerned, but it isn't the total answer. Boys will still be boys, and rowdy play is to be expected from young animals (from some girls, too!). These guys have to be made to understand that humans aren't playmates or playthings, and that is a message that a lot of bottle babies often don't get. Equines recognize age as well as gender, and it is often especially hard for children to gain the respect of an animal that is bigger and stronger than they are (I remember cleaning my minis' stall at the fair one time, and as the Livestock Superintendent walked by, she remarked, "oh, look at Syd, being all good." I sighed and said, "what has she been doing?" "Oh, nothing, really, just threatening to kick at the kids that have been doing that job. A lot of them don't have animals at home, and don't really know how to deal with livestock." I said, "you tell them, from me, that if someone is in this stall with a rake, and she threatens them, they have my permission to whack her on the butt with the rake! She needs to learn that it doesn't matter who it is, humans outrank her!" Yeah, we called her "Syd, the Man-eating Mini" for a reason, and it mostly had to do with kids.

Incidentally - a trick for a mini that refuses to go forward on a lead. It's almost impossible to pull them forward when they decide they don't want to go, so think sideways. You can pull or push hard enough sideways to shift their balance, and get those feet moving; if you make them walk in tiny little circles long enough, they will be so glad to do anything beside circle, they will often go in the very direction they were refusing just a minute or two before.