I need advise / which animal would go best with minis

[dmkrieg]

Hello,

I have 5 miniatures right now and 3 1/2 acres fenced for my animals. I know a lady that has this wonderful traveling petting zoo and she has offered me at a rediculously low price a few of her bottle baby animals. I am only getting one. So here is my delimma WHICH ONE. She has raised all of them from bottle babies and they are incredibly sweet.

the ones I am considering is

she has a wonderful small Llama that I just love. Its a 2 year old male but he would need to be gelded. He has been in the petting zoo since he was a weanling and is now in a nativity scene. HERE IS THE DILEMMA - I have a 7 year old girl and one of my friends said Llamas are mean and could possibly get scared of her and hurt her with the claws in their feet??? this guy has been handled and follows you everywhere, extremely sweet. Is this something I should fear.

Then she has a miniature donkey that I think is adorable. He is a little more shy because he is still a baby. he still nurses a little but really is old enough to be weaned he was born first week in May.

Lastly miniature cattle? anyone have those with their minis. However, I won't have anything with horns or an unaltered animal with my horses.

I am looking for something that can run with my minis and an animal that will love A LOT of attention.

If there is anyone out there that have miniature horses and one of these type animals that run with them can you please post your thoughts or email me at [email protected]

 

[minie812]

I have both and use them both as a guard animal. Jenny's seem to make better guards then the jacks. Mine will follow the babies around like a Auntie if the mama's aren't close by and keep an eye on them. Now my llama "Tony" is a whole different ballgame. If something is in the field unfamiliar to him he will sound an alarm and walk toward it not away from it. You definetely need to geld the llama and if you are in a hot climate during the summer he will need to be shaved some so he does not overheat. Both of them are good for guard but I prefer my Llama (he is quieter) if you have neighbors close by the braying from the donkey might irritate the neighbors some. We live in the boonies so it is not a problem. Hope that helps some? also llamas do not make good guards until they are at least two-three years old.

 

[dmkrieg]

What about if you don't really need them for guards but maybe just a friend for my daughter and me. Also, I understand I will have to make sure my dogs stay away from it. I have 3 dogs that my minis love...they are small and don't bother anyone...They love the horses and the horses love them.

My neighbors are close by we all only have 3 1/2 acre lots. i have string electric fencing that goes up about 5 feet. I guess that probably isn't the best fencing if I decided to get a llama? The llama too has been handled alot since he was a baby and is really gentle. I would love to get him but I am worried about a couple of things. First and foremost how it would be with my 7 year old. He is very used to kids and really likes them being with the traveling petting zoo. he is 2 years old and hasn't been gelded yet. I will need to do that for sure. he is used to the minis so can I get by with just having one Llama if I did decide to do that.

 

[River1018]

As far as Llamas goe, my dad used to raise them.....his were not mean at all, just big pets, but I do know that they can KICK very hard and they can kick sideways!

 

[hahler]

i would go with the llama

i had one of them and loved it him

as long as they are gelded

 

[Suzie]

Can't say on Llamas, but we have several mini horses paired with mini donkeys. Jacks are fine but geld them. Jennies are great too. Donkeys will bond for life, so plan on keeping them together for a while, that is why I like gelded jacks.

 

[TinyMiteVillage]

I have miniature donkeys but I have two of them. I would not dream of having just one because they would have been lonely without a playmate. They still watch out over the minis and they learn which animals can come in and which ones can not. Mine accept our dogs, cats, and chickens. Altho Bubba does like to bump the cats in the butt when they get up on the water trough to get a drink causing them to fall in and you talk about one mad cat, but one tickled donkey............lol.........I love my donkeys I would go with them........

 

[Shari]

I would stay away from the Bottle baby male Llama,, as they can be dangerous,, very dangerous and aggressive as they get older. Rather on the same lines as bottle feeding a Ram.

There is info out on the net about bottle fed male llamas,, even when they are gelded later.

As for a Donkey,, should work out but it depends on your animals.

Ella is the only donkey here and is very attached to my Icelandic.

The neighbors standard size Jenny brays but Ella never answers back. Has no interest in her.

Ella is very happy here. Got her when she was 5 months old and she was raised around mini horses.

 

[dmkrieg]

I am not sure if the llama is for sure bottle fed. I asked my mom and she said she didn't think those were bottle fed. But then again...wow this is a tough one. I think I might lean towards the baby jack. iwanted a jenny but she won't see her jennies only her jacks. 8-(

 

[SilverRidgeMinis]

I think you would be ok with either one of them. I have a gelded llama we love. The more a llama

is worked with when they are young the tamer they become (true of all animals). I have a friend that

has both donkeys and llamas along with her minis.

Hard to chose. Sure you can't get one of both?

Freida

 

[minie812]

Our llama does not have a problem with our dogs...Aussie and two italian greyhounds. If they are out in the paddock he will just sniff them. He does seem to know they are safe to have around. At nite the llama my wether goat and a ram sleep together in the same pen. With the colder weather out the little pygmy sleeps on top of the llamas back when he is bedded down. If Tony gets tired of him being UP there he just stands up and drops him off. I wish I could get my video to download as it is really funny. They have been together along time (2yrs so far without a problem) I would get the llama. We didn't geld Tony till he was two. He is an Appy color. My problem with the jenny is she can get a little nasty at feeding time around the minis so I have to seperate her.