The Pima Community College brought a tour out today. They didn't get here until after noon, which meant the donkeys had to stay in their pens after breakfast. You would think their world was coming to an end when they have to stay in like that. They pace, & whine & bray as loud as they can, I guess they equate loudness with, hopefully results. Jenny was especially vocal & she always sounds so mournful.
Of course once the people showed up, the equines all started their personal methods of gaining the attention of the people, especially the ones carrying containers of timothy pellets. Max the horse has really blossomed into a "look at me" type of guy. His favorite trick is to run his lips & teeth on the gate, which makes a vibrating sound. Of course the people make over him & feed him pellets when he does it, so he's figured out how to work the system to his advantage. If they move on to look at someone else, he sometimes really gets to playing a tune, to get them to come back & pay attention to him. Sha'ba has also become quite the little attention grabber. He doesn't have any tricks, but when the people come in his pen, he checks everyone out to see who has pellets.
We almost brought Rusty home yesterday. It seems that Zeke, the mule that was suppose to be lonely & would like to have a friend, is neither lonely or wanting a friend. In fact for a guy in his 30's with pretty arthritic legs, he made his point perfectly clear. He only allowed Rusty a small corner of the acreage. If Rusty tried to come out of that spot, Zeke would take after him. Rusty is such a mellow fellow, he just stayed in his corner for the first day or so. Terry moved him into a smaller pen by himself, so he could have a chance to rest & eat without Zeke trying to maul him. What's funny is, Zeke is much smaller & less mobile than Rusty, but he also seems to be quite territorial right now. Now that Rusty is "safe" we'll see if Zeke gets off his vendetta after a few days & appreciate the new guy. If not, we'll bring him home, back to his little herd of Max & Jack. They all get along very well together, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Heard that Monday is Fred's "day of destiny". I'm sure he will be a lot happier although less involved with his fellow pigs once "that" little problem is taken care of. They said he is walking much better, the exercise is good for him, & also it is warmer north of Tucson than it is down here.
Chester is about the same, limping but bright eyed, eating & running around with Tula. He's been on Naxcel for almost 2 months. Next we're going to try Baytril for awhile & see if it makes a difference. He doesn't seem to be really uncomfortable, although at times he's 3 legged lame. With donkeys it's so hard to tell, they accept pain much more than horses do.
Of course once the people showed up, the equines all started their personal methods of gaining the attention of the people, especially the ones carrying containers of timothy pellets. Max the horse has really blossomed into a "look at me" type of guy. His favorite trick is to run his lips & teeth on the gate, which makes a vibrating sound. Of course the people make over him & feed him pellets when he does it, so he's figured out how to work the system to his advantage. If they move on to look at someone else, he sometimes really gets to playing a tune, to get them to come back & pay attention to him. Sha'ba has also become quite the little attention grabber. He doesn't have any tricks, but when the people come in his pen, he checks everyone out to see who has pellets.
We almost brought Rusty home yesterday. It seems that Zeke, the mule that was suppose to be lonely & would like to have a friend, is neither lonely or wanting a friend. In fact for a guy in his 30's with pretty arthritic legs, he made his point perfectly clear. He only allowed Rusty a small corner of the acreage. If Rusty tried to come out of that spot, Zeke would take after him. Rusty is such a mellow fellow, he just stayed in his corner for the first day or so. Terry moved him into a smaller pen by himself, so he could have a chance to rest & eat without Zeke trying to maul him. What's funny is, Zeke is much smaller & less mobile than Rusty, but he also seems to be quite territorial right now. Now that Rusty is "safe" we'll see if Zeke gets off his vendetta after a few days & appreciate the new guy. If not, we'll bring him home, back to his little herd of Max & Jack. They all get along very well together, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Heard that Monday is Fred's "day of destiny". I'm sure he will be a lot happier although less involved with his fellow pigs once "that" little problem is taken care of. They said he is walking much better, the exercise is good for him, & also it is warmer north of Tucson than it is down here.
Chester is about the same, limping but bright eyed, eating & running around with Tula. He's been on Naxcel for almost 2 months. Next we're going to try Baytril for awhile & see if it makes a difference. He doesn't seem to be really uncomfortable, although at times he's 3 legged lame. With donkeys it's so hard to tell, they accept pain much more than horses do.
1 comment:
Dear Tish,
It sounds like all your "Kids" have their own remarkable way of getting attention when strangers with treats arrive!
That just reinforces the fact of how each one is such a wonderous individual...
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