Zuzu
Chillin' with the herd
- Joined
- May 20, 2026
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Hello, everyone! I was wondering if anyone has some advice for donkey jealousy and aggression.
We have 2 female donkeys, Ms. Jones (6 years old) and Daisy (4 years old). We got them a couple years ago. I’m pretty sure their previous owner abused them. They were skinny, afraid of men, and terrified of anything that looked like a stick (a rake, for example, scared them). I couldn’t even touch them when they first came. Now they’re healthy, ok with men, and let me pet them. I even halter trained them using the clicker method and trained them to be tied to a pole so the farrier could trim their hooves. They’ve made amazing progress considering where they came from.
4 months ago, we took in our neighbor’s two donkeys, an intact male and a female, while he moved. He’s still building a fence, so I’m not sure when they will go to their new home. They’re sweet young donkeys and love people. When I’m not around, the four donkeys seem to get along well enough. We’re also hopeful that baby donkeys are in our future.
When I’m with the four donkeys is when the drama begins. They fight each other for my attention. Daisy’s personality has always been very strong, but now it’s become aggressive. As soon as I walk up she tries to bite me. I tell her “No!” and push her head away. Daisy will chase away the other donkeys from me but then will try to push or bite me when they’re gone. It’s almost to the point where I don’t feel safe with Daisy.
Ms. Jones doesn’t like me being around the new donkeys either. She will push me aggressively with her side.
When Daisy is alone in a pen, she’s very sweet. Ms. Jones isn’t that sweet alone and will sometimes still push me, but I think she has more trauma from her past. I’ve been putting Daisy in the pen while I’m with them to decrease the drama and biting, but I want to be with them all without being bitten or pushed.
How should I handle this to train the donkeys to not be aggressive towards me? I love them dearly and want to be able to hang out with all of them safely.
We have 2 female donkeys, Ms. Jones (6 years old) and Daisy (4 years old). We got them a couple years ago. I’m pretty sure their previous owner abused them. They were skinny, afraid of men, and terrified of anything that looked like a stick (a rake, for example, scared them). I couldn’t even touch them when they first came. Now they’re healthy, ok with men, and let me pet them. I even halter trained them using the clicker method and trained them to be tied to a pole so the farrier could trim their hooves. They’ve made amazing progress considering where they came from.
4 months ago, we took in our neighbor’s two donkeys, an intact male and a female, while he moved. He’s still building a fence, so I’m not sure when they will go to their new home. They’re sweet young donkeys and love people. When I’m not around, the four donkeys seem to get along well enough. We’re also hopeful that baby donkeys are in our future.
When I’m with the four donkeys is when the drama begins. They fight each other for my attention. Daisy’s personality has always been very strong, but now it’s become aggressive. As soon as I walk up she tries to bite me. I tell her “No!” and push her head away. Daisy will chase away the other donkeys from me but then will try to push or bite me when they’re gone. It’s almost to the point where I don’t feel safe with Daisy.
Ms. Jones doesn’t like me being around the new donkeys either. She will push me aggressively with her side.
When Daisy is alone in a pen, she’s very sweet. Ms. Jones isn’t that sweet alone and will sometimes still push me, but I think she has more trauma from her past. I’ve been putting Daisy in the pen while I’m with them to decrease the drama and biting, but I want to be with them all without being bitten or pushed.
How should I handle this to train the donkeys to not be aggressive towards me? I love them dearly and want to be able to hang out with all of them safely.
I guess the newcomers upset the peace we formerly had. I interacted with them separately this evening and they were much better behaved. Thank you for your advice!
