Companionship and a safe miniature-scale home

NMDA's new-owner guidance emphasizes a donkey companion and a home that provides exercise, clean water, protection from weather, and footing that drains or can be cleaned. A horse companion may leave for riding, leaving a solitary donkey distressed; matching companions to the household's daily routine matters. The association warns against marketing a miniature donkey as a livestock guardian, because its size leaves it vulnerable to dogs and other predators.

Fence and shelter design should consequently protect the donkey as well as contain it. Remove sharp edges and places that could trap an animal, and introduce dogs and other stock gradually. The guidance also recommends establishing veterinary care before an emergency and watching for changes in eating, drinking, behavior, and manure. Its older page includes specific feeding and parasite schedules; those should not become universal prescriptions. Local veterinary advice and the individual's condition should determine present-day health management.