Adoption Requirements

Adopters must be able to provide at least one acre of safely fenced pasture or turnout per donkey or mule. E.g. two donkeys require at least two acres. 

Donkeys must have access to a sturdy, clean, fenced corral otherwise known as a dry lot. This enclosure is separate from the turn out and does not have grass, the ideal footing for a dry lot is stone dust and/or sand. Donkeys should not be on unlimited pasture.

Must have continuous access to a weather- protected permanent shelter no smaller than 12x12 per two donkeys.) suitable shelters are permanently fully enclosed structures with at least three sides, a solid roof, and a dry footing. Four sided shelters are highly recommended for cold climates.

Appropriate hay/straw storage and access to clean, unfrozen water. Adopter must be able to provide good quality stemmy, low protein and low sugar forage at least twice per day. Donkeys should get 1.5% of their body weight daily. Donkeys also need access to a white or Himalayan salt block, or loose salt, and a loose high quality mineral supplement to be fed daily.

You must be able to clean your donkeys stall/ dry lot area daily, no matter the weather.

Adopters must be capable of safely catching, leading, tying, grooming, and handling and picking out their donkeys hooves. Some donkeys may need additional work with handling, if this is the case adopter must be willing to work with the donkey daily.

We do NOT adopt out donkeys as livestock guardians. In addition to this we can not guarantee that the donkey(s) will get along with any other small animals such as dogs or goats for example. Donkeys are prey animals, not predators. They do often charge and attack smaller animals, especially canines. We will not test our donkeys with dogs to let you know how they will be with dogs as it is not safe.

Be aware that our contract states that there is absolutely NO breeding of our jennets that are adopted from us. There is no exception to this rule.

Donkeys must be on at least an 8 week trim cycle but 4-6 week trim cycles are ideal especially if the adoptees have had hoof issues in the past. An SYALER representative will include what trim cycle they recommend in the adoption notes. Your farrier must be knowledgeable in donkey behavior and donkey hoof shape and the differences between donkey hooves and horse hooves. There is no exception to this. We may ask you to provide photos of your donkeys feet after they’ve been trimmed, and if we believe they are not adequate we may ask you to find a different farrier.

Adopter must facilitate at minimum yearly visits with a licensed veterinarian to have annual vaccinations, dental exams/ floats. For donkeys to live a long, happy, and pain free life they must have at minimum yearly dental exams.

The adoptees must have their shelter, dry lot, and pasture areas free from sharp metal objects and or equipment they could injure themselves on.

Adopters must check in with SYA once per at the phone number or email provided on our website. Check ins must include photos of animals, and a brief write up of how they're doing. If we do not hear from adopters we will check in ourselves once per year.