How Much Does a Dwarf Donkey Cost?

Dwarf donkey cost? This question came to my mind a few days back when I couldn’t save enough money to add a new horse to my barn. My animal-admirer self shifted my focus to donkeys because they are hardy, inexpensive, and much less demanding than the horses.

So, to execute the plan of adopting a dwarf donkey I spent almost two days researching how much do I need to have to get one. Since I share my knowledge and experience here so I decided to bless you with this worth sharing information as well. So, let’s move ahead and discuss everything you need to know;

How much does it cost to buy one dwarf donkey?

The price of a miniature or dwarf donkey greatly depends on size, gender, and age. Normally, the dwarf donkeys are available for sale for a price somewhere between $2000 to $3000. Whereas, adopting the dwarf donkey would cost you $500 to $900(The latter option is more economical in my opinion).

Upkeep cost of Dwarf Donkey

Donkeys might be less expensive to get but their lifestyle is quite similar to the horses. Let’s have a look whether the annual cost of keeping a dwarf donkey is equal to the horse’s upkeep cost or not.

Feeding cost

Donkey, whether it’s dwarf or not, is also entertained with hay, grass, pellets, straw, and fruits and vegetables treats.

Grass and straws can be arranged without even paying anything but the rest of the feed options are expensive.

Standard hay can be bought for $125 to $150 where the superior grade alfalfa hay for $140 to $165 per ton. 

Besides these basic feeds, donkeys are also fed carrots, apples, bananas, pears, turnips, and sugar cubes occasionally.

Donkeys require 1.5 to 1.8 percent of their total body weight feed every day to live a balanced life. So, by following the right feed schedule the feeding cost can be expected to go up to $540 monthly and $6480 annually.

Vet bills

Donkeys rarely get sick so the dwarf donkeys’ annual vet bills would not be heavy on your budget. The first thorough check can cost you somewhere around $40 to $100.

Moreover, they are vaccinated for several diseases as well. By adding eastern equine encephalitis, west Nile virus, tetanus, and Western equine encephalitis vaccinations the annual dwarf donkey’s vet bill can be more or less $1800.

Training

Donkeys are not usually trained but sometimes the pet owners prefer to educate them to take them to trail rides or shows. 

It’s hard to determine how much the training fee would be as it depends on the size, breed, gender, and age. The aspiring dwarf donkey training cost can be expected at around $2000 to $3000.

Housing and fencing

Whatever animal you chose to bring home, it’s mandatory to build a shelter. For a dwarf donkey, you would be needing a sturdy barn and a superior-grade fence to dedicate a place to this cute little fella. The one-time housing and fencing can be more or less $2000.

Donkey accessories 

You may or may not be aware that to keep a donkey you need to get some basic accessories first. These accessories can be divided into two categories; primary and secondary.

Examples of such accessories are feed storage, water trough, stable brooms, shovels, stable hooks, stable buckets, wheelbarrow, feed scoop, manure scoop, rubber flooring, hay racks, fleece rug, stable tie rings, donkey fly mask, and fly spray, etc.

All these accessories are readily available online. The accessories you must have before the donkey comes home are a feed bucket and water trough the rest can be bought later. Now let’s have a look at how much you need to save for primary and secondary accessories.

Primary accessories cost for dwarf donkeys

Feed bucket

No matter which four-legged animal you are about to adopt, you need a feed bucket to offer the feed in. The donkeys and horses feed buckets are mostly made from plastic and can be bought for a price below or above $43. The famous brand “Little Giant” is offering plastic Animal Feed Bucket on Amazon for $20. 

Water trough

The feeding bucket and water trough can not be neglected at any cost. These two accessories are as important as housing and fence.

Water troughs are a bit expensive than the feeding bucket. The water troughs are mostly made of metal and can cost above or below $60.

The most economical water trough that is available on Amazon is the Creative Co-op metal trough container and this useful accessory is being sold for $24.

Feed storage

Feed storage is another important accessory that is not only bought to store the feed but to keep it fresh as well. On average, for one pet dwarf donkey, a 10-gallon feed storage container is enough.

Feed storage containers are expensive and can be judged by a price of 60lb Gamma2 Vittles Vault outback stackable airtight pet food storage container. This five-starred feed container is being offered at $49. So, you must have to save $49 to $100 for feed storage containers.

Feed scoop

A feed scoop is needed to fill out the feed bucket. Because of the frequent need, it is categorized as a primary accessory but it is not something that can not be avoided at all.

If you can find a small container or something you can save $11 to $20. The ChefLand 85oz cast aluminum utility scoop is available for $17. But the $9 Little Giant plastic enclosed feed scoop is the most economical option.

Rubber flooring

Rubber flooring is essential to prevent slipping especially when things are disorganized. The minimum half-inch thick and 48 square feet rubber flooring can cost up to $40. 

Fly spray

The fly spray can be categorized as a primary accessory in summer and a secondary accessory in winter. As the winter is almost over, so we are seeing it as a primary need. The fly spray is used to prevent the deadly fly attack in summer.

The five-starred Pyranha wipe and spray fly protection spray is listed and being sold for $60. You can also invest in some cheap fly spray as well the cheap ones can be bought for under $25.

Wound Care Ointment

Donkeys and horses have a rough and tough lifestyle they get injured every other day. It’s important to have a wound care ointment readily available all the time. The Vetericyn wound and skincare hydrogel are for $32 and hotspot spray for $20. 

Dwarf-Donkey

Secondary accessories cost for dwarf donkeys

There is a long list of secondary accessories. It’s impossible to write each one down with details so here we are listing them below with the possible prices. 

Hay racks                     $65 to $80
Stable tie rings            $12 to $14
Stable tie rings             $12 to $14
Fleece rug                   $30 to $35
Donkey fly mask          $20 to 27
Bruises treatment     $15 to $20
Conditioner                 $80 to $90
Hoof picks                  $4 to $6
Shedding blades        $10 to $14
Body brush           $10 to $20
Lead rope                  $10 to $13
Halter                          $20 to $25
Wheelbarrow               $40 to $45
Shovel                         $30 to $40

In short, for both primary and a few important secondary accessories you must have at least $2000 to $3000 in your pocket. Accessories whether primary or secondary are needed to be bought once. If you invest in durable most positive reviewed donkey equipment they would last ages with you.

If one gets confused with the number of figures mentioned in this article, the total annual cost you have to bear for this first year would be more than any of the following years.

It can go up to $6000 to $10,000 including the purchase price. The next and coming years wouldn’t be this heavy on your budget. The maximum amount you must set aside for future years is $4000 per year.

Bonus tip

What’s the use of dwarf donkey besides being a great friendly pet? The dwarf donkeys have excellent endurance so they are also used for pulling carts or as a show animal. 

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How much does donkey cost?

Summary

Dwarf donkeys are adored for this short, compact body, and friendly temperament. The dwarf donkeys are quite hardy and affordable. A fully grown dwarf donkey can be bought between $2000 to $3000 and adopted for $300 to $500.

The first year with a dwarf donkey is generally heavier on the budget demanding  $6000 to $10,000 whereas the rest of the years would not require more than $4000 a year.

To raise and keep a dwarf donkey you must have feed storage, water trough, stable brooms, shovels, stable hooks, stable buckets, wheelbarrow, feed scoop, manure scoop, rubber flooring, hay racks, fleece rug, stable tie rings, donkey fly mask, and fly spray, and housing and fencing. These basic accessories can be arranged from $2000 to $3000. 

Lastly, this is just a general estimate, the figures mentioned in this article can not be taken as the final word. The accurate answer to the question, how much does dwarf donkey cost, can only be taken from the pet dwarf donkey owner in your area. This article is solely written to give the interested fellas a little hint of the scenario. 

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Iqra Maryam is a passionate equestrian who has spent her life researching and writing about equine. She remembers playing with her pony more than toys and friends! With time, she managed to train her Pony and did all research related to the well being of her friend. She trains young equestrian and writes thoughtful articles on them. She believes each horse is a new learning experience and it sparks up her equine passion.

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