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The Daily Insight

What foods are poisonous to donkeys?

Author

Christopher Pierce

Published Apr 08, 2026

What foods are poisonous to donkeys?

Lead Toxicity Donkeys may ingest the lead in the environment through the consumption of grass, clover, and dandelion or from chewing or licking on tainted surfaces.

Is cheese toxic to horses?

Dairy products – Horses are lactose intolerant, so cheese, milk, yoghurt & ice cream should be avoided. Ragwort – Eating just 1-5 kg of a horse’s lifetime can cause liver failure or death.

What should donkeys eat?

Hay and Grass Most of their diet should consist of grass or a mature or low NSC grass hay, but careful attention should be placed on making sure the quality and quantity is not causing them to become too overweight. Remember they are pretty “thrifty.”

What can you not feed a miniature donkey?

It is very important to inspect any hay that you feed to your donkeys – never feed your donkeys moldy hay, it is possible that the donkey may have a potentially fatal allergy to the mold. If you plan to feed hay to your donkeys, it is important to know what type of hay you are purchasing and feeding.

What human food can donkeys eat?

Safe food for any individual donkey depends upon a wide range of factors. Given half a chance, donkeys will enjoy a fantastic array of munchies, from your basic apples and carrots, to peppermints, parsley, pretzels, gingersnaps, crackers, bananas, watermelon, oranges, pears, sweet potato, liquorice and even Weetabix.

Can donkeys eat banana peels?

Yes, donkeys can eat banana peels just as they ingest the flesh.

Are apples good for horses?

Most people like to feed their horses with treats such as apples. However, too much of something is poisonous, and this is true for fruits. When your horse has a belly filled with apples, it is likely to cause colic, which may further lead to founder. You should not give your horse more than two pieces of fruit.

Do donkeys need a salt block?

Most donkeys will do well on a plain diet of timothy or grass hay, with access to clean water and a salt block.

What are good treats for donkeys?

Given half a chance, donkeys will enjoy a fantastic array of munchies, from your basic apples and carrots, to peppermints, parsley, pretzels, gingersnaps, crackers, bananas, watermelon, oranges, pears, sweet potato, liquorice and even Weetabix. Some will even happily wash it all down with a nice cold beer!

Why are coyotes afraid of donkeys?

Coyotes are not afraid of donkeys instinctually. In fact, they most often see them as food. A donkeys fierce and aggressive nature can be enough to drive a coyote away though. When all else fails, a donkey will resort to violence and stomp or kick a coyote to death.

Is it OK to feed a donkey all day?

Donkeys love to graze all day but will eat everything in sight if they can, so if you’re looking after donkeys, it’s important to feed them a healthy diet. Donkeys have a sweet tooth and can put on weight easily if they eat the wrong foods, or too much lush grass or rich hay, which can lead to potential health problems.

What kind of cheese can you make with donkey milk?

There’s a certain type of cheese called “pule cheese” that’s made with donkey milk. One of the benefits of donkey milk is that it’s completely hypoallergenic, so it can be enjoyed as an alternative to cow milk by people with food allergies and sensitives.

What foods should you avoid if you have a donkey?

Additionally, many foods for cows contain monensin and urea, both potentially hazardous to donkey health. Avoid allowing donkeys access to cow, bird, and pig licks in order to prevent potential poisoning.

What’s the best thing to give a donkey?

If you have to give a treat, then the best donkey treats are fruit (except stoned fruit) and certain vegetables (see vegetables to avoid in section below) cut into wedges with skins and rinds left on, such as: Remember, if you want to train your donkey, spoken praise can often work as well as a treat.

Donkeys love to graze all day but will eat everything in sight if they can, so if you’re looking after donkeys, it’s important to feed them a healthy diet. Donkeys have a sweet tooth and can put on weight easily if they eat the wrong foods, or too much lush grass or rich hay, which can lead to potential health problems.

What foods should you not feed a donkey?

Foods you should never feed your donkey. NEVER feed donkeys meat or dairy – animal protein can be fatal. Cereal grains such as corn, barley and oats. All cakes. Chocolate. All biscuits. Bread.

Is it safe for a donkey to eat poisonous plants?

Poisonous Plants often don’t appeal to donkeys and in most cases they will only resort to eating them if there is little else available, or if they are bored. Providing the right diet along with enrichment in the form of safe shrubs, herb patches and cut branches, will help.

What’s the difference between a horse and a donkey?

Although you may not think it, horse and donkey dietary requirements are very different. Donkeys love to graze all day but will eat everything in sight if they can, so if you’re looking after donkeys, it’s important to feed them a healthy diet.