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Date Posted: 09:22:17 06/27/02 Thu
Author: Dave Baker
Author Host/IP: ckvl-cs07-t109.citlink.net / 170.215.123.114
Subject: 
biting and bratty Jack burro..HELP!
Hello,
My wife and recently bought a 15 month old standard sized brown Western Jack burro. He is an uncut male and is somewhat agressive. I have tried to get a local vet to castrate him but he says he doesn't do it in hot weather. What can we do? Can anyone do it now safely,(June 27th)? I hate to wait till October to have this done. He is VERY territorial and has almost killed our chickens and cats that venture into his area. We also have a very large pet Nubian goat that is scared to death of him. This donkey bosses and rares up at me and my wife. It's hard to even get in there with him. I was hoping castration will squelch some of that desire to boss and defend territory.
Another big problem we are having is the fact that the donkey will NOT stop biting and nipping at us when we get near him. He was hand fed by the previous owners and now all he does is lip, nip and bite everything that comes near him. I try to have a stick nearby and "pop" the side of his snout when he does it, but he doesn't take it too seriously,(even when I pop him fairly hard), He keeps coming back and nips some more. We are at our wits end. What can be done to make him stop this behavior? We like him and want to keep him, but I doubt we can if he stays like this from now on.
Any suggestions,help or advice would be apreciated. Dave and Leslie Baker
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Re: biting and bratty Jack burro..HELP! -- Anita Garza, 13:17:02 07/02/02 Tue (216-52-255-116.fbcc.com/216.54.254.116)
Hi Dave & Leslie,
Unfortunately, as a rule, jacks are not worth owning unless you are going to be raising donkeys or mules. Then sometimes the bad still outweighs the good. If you want a pet, a jack is a poor choice and you should consider gelding him. Jacks and john mules reach sexual maturity much sooner than horse stallions and tend to pick up bad habits while harassing the others in the herd. They also have a more extensive blood supply and tend to bleed more during and after surgery, so we often geld ours between 4-6 months of age. The hot months are bad because of fly problems. I am a former vet tech and castration wounds are a favorite of blow flies and even screw worms (South Texas). You have to doctor diligently and make sure the animal is exercised to avoid infection or blood poisoning.
The nipping and biting is a hard habit to break and swatting usually makes it worse, or you add head-shyness to the problem. Don't feed treats to those prone to nip. One way to divert that behavior is to begin training so that you have the donkey under your control while you are in contact with him. IE, instead of petting him out in the pasture, halter him, bring him in, tie him while brushing, start ground driving, etc to divert the behavior. Sometimes this works better than punishment.
Jacks are notorious for savaging other livestock. They should not be used as guard animals. I have one that regularly kills chickens roosting/nesting in the loft and making the mistake of coming down in his stall. He has also grabbed lambs through the fence and made quick work of them. Jacks have also been known to kill or savage foals, even their own. I know of one case personally, as it happened to a friend after I told him to remove the jack from the pasture it shared with an expectant mare bred to the same jack. Jacks tend to grab on with a death grip and not turn loose. It all depends on the jack's disposition, age, and amount of handling, but again, as a whole, a jack isn't normally what most people want to own.
If you aren't planning on showing or breeding and just want a pet, then definitely consider gelding him as soon as possible, and better yet, you might consider a jenny as they have much better attitudes and temperaments.
Hope this has helped some.
Anita Garza
ADMS Inspector & Regional Representative
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.elcascabel.com">http://www.elcascabel.com</a>
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Re: biting and bratty Jack burro..HELP! -- Ruth, 18:39:25 08/06/02 Tue (bgrcvx032239.prexar.com/142.167.32.239)
Gee, I guess I'm lucky. All my jacks are just as sweet as the jennies, only they bray louder!
I have found a greater problem with mules chasing and/or savaging babies, but never had a problem with a donkey doing that.
I have a lot of land, and the jacks seem very happy if allowed to run free with several jennies. It keeps everyone happy, and I don't own a nasty jack.
To the writer of the original message: You might consider buying a gentle, mature jenny to turn out with the jack. He may chase her around at first, but they will probably both settle down shortly and stay happy together. Personally, I think donkeys belong together and are always happier with one or more of their own kind than just being alone, even if they are with other kinds of animals. I have lots of donkeys and lots of horses, and they all coexist very peacefully in the same pastures.
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jack or jenny? -- Brandy, 21:17:16 05/08/03 Thu (12-213-80-146.client.attbi.com/12.213.80.146)
I'm planning on getting a burro just for a pet but i'm having trouble deciding on getting a jack or jenny or geting a guelding. Any advice?
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FLIES ON BURROS -- VICKI FARR, 20:31:56 06/09/03 Mon (cache-dl03.proxy.aol.com/205.188.209.39)
WHAT IS GOOD TO KEEP THE FLIES OFF OF THE MINITURE BURRO'S.
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Re: FLIES ON BURROS -- Ricki Holt, 00:28:18 06/02/05 Thu (216-67-223-69.nas1.sho.az.frontiernet.net/216.67.223.69)
Avons skin so soft does a really good job of keeping flies off.
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I want to get a mule -- L.B, 16:29:55 05/15/04 Sat (jack-cas1-cs-368.dial.bright.net/216.255.40.243)
I want to get a mule really bad. My family says that they are mean and are nothing like a horse and I should not get one. I just wondering what yall think. Are mules really mean and will they kick you for no reason? Thanks! E-mail me if you would like
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Re: biting and bratty Jack burro..HELP! -- pj, 00:16:42 12/10/05 Sat (netcache-3003.bay.webtv.net/209.240.205.62)
Well sounds like you need to return your pet because aside from your being afraid of it and popping it with sticks and such - which is most likely only making his fear of having a new home and his adjustment more difficult for him; these animals most likely will not change their nature even being fixed. He has it bred into him to protect herds. we have the same animal here and he loves and protects our horses but our cats have had to learn to step aside and run at times as it is their nature to be aggressive to others to defend horses or cows.
Ours nips sometimes or bites lightly but he is a jewel period.
I think your donkey is upset and bullying you because he can.
Why not call his former owner and return him so that all are happier and you feel better too.
He is probably very unhappy. And he may be better off at his old owners.
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