Dr. Faith Burden

So that one donkey, make sure it's got a buddy.

Donkeys love the company of other donkeys and do not thrive unless they've got companionship.

So that's number one.

Number two is some kind of shelter.

So donkeys can't just be left out on a pasture and forgotten about.

They need a barn, a simple shelter so that if it rains or it's really cold and windy, they can get out of those conditions and they need dry under their feet.

So they need somewhere that it's not going to be wet and muddy, that they can get out of, again, poor weather.

Donkeys do not need to eat rich feeds.

So many of the problems that we see where donkeys are pets and companions, they're overfed.

So they're given sweet feeds.

They're given high energy feeds made for horses or cattle.

Donkeys do very well on low quality fibres like straw.

and get to know your donkey.

So most importantly, after you've given them all of those things, the one thing that they will thank you for more than anything is spending time with them.

My heart.

You know, get to know them, brush them, train them, take them out for walks.

You see lots of people going out for walks with their donkeys and get to know their personality because if they're not well or something is wrong,

It's that knowledge of them as an individual that will let you know.

And so often it's a tiny, tiny change in their behavior that will say, I'm not very well or something's going on.

So time, shelter, change.