Everything About Minecraft Donkeys [Taming, Facts & More]

Donkeys in Minecraft have several uses, including the ability to pull you along if you leash them, and they decide to run. A Minecraft Donkey is one of the passive mobs in-game; they will not attack players even if hit and are more likely to run away instead.

I recommend getting yourself a donkey or two as soon as you can. Trust me, it's worth taming a donkey in the long run.

Where Do Minecraft Donkeys Spawn?

If you don’t have a spawn egg for a donkey, you can look around plains and savannas to find some. In the Java edition of Minecraft, a donkey herd has between 1-3 individuals when spawning in plains, and only 1 in savannas.

However, it's worth noting that in the Bedrock edition of the game, donkeys spawn only in plains in groups of 2-6.

How To Tame a Donkey in Minecraft

Once you've found your Minecraft donkey in the game, you'll need to tame it. Taming adult donkeys is somewhat different from taming other animals, as you do not need to feed the donkey to tame it.

1. Approach the donkey with nothing in your hand.
2. Right-click on the donkey empty-handed to mount it.
3. The donkey may buck you off a few times.
4. When hearts appear from the donkey, it has been successfully tamed.

Now that you have tamed your donkey, you can breed it, ride it, and also equip chests on it for transporting items. Note that if your tamed donkey is killed or dies, you will get notified about it in the game.

How to Breed Donkeys in Minecraft

To breed donkeys in Minecraft, you are going to need two donkeys, golden apples or golden carrots.

Once you have your two donkeys (preferably tamed), follow these steps:

1. Equip the golden carrots or golden apples in your hand.
2. Right-click on the first donkey with the carrot or apple.
3. Right-click on the second donkey to do the same.
4. Hearts should appear as the donkeys enter love mode.
5. After love mode, a baby donkey will appear.

A baby donkey looks like an adult, but is more spindly. It will also need to be tamed before it is rideable.

Unlike horses, the foal will look exactly like its parents when fully grown. Foals take around 20 minutes to reach adulthood. Feed the foal to mature it faster.

Minecraft Donkey Breeding Facts

• When you breed horses, you get a foal. However, if you breed horses with donkeys, you get mules.

• Unlike a baby horse that will have completely random markings, a foal is an exact copy of its parents.
• Attaching a lead to a donkey puts you at risk of being pulled along if the donkey decides to run or jump. Brace.
• Picking up dropped leather from a donkey gives the ‘Cow Tipper’ achievement

What Can Donkeys Drop?

• Leather: 0-2 leather can be dropped, can be increased to 0-5 when killed with weapon enchanted with Looting III
• XP Points: 1-3 XP points when killed by player or tamed wolf. 1-7 XP will be dropped when you breed donkeys
• Saddle: Tamed donkeys equipped with a saddle will drop it when killed
• Chest: Donkeys equipped with chests will drop the chest and its contents when killed

Feeding a Minecraft Donkey

How to Equip Chests on a Minecraft Donkey

1. Approach your Minecraft donkey with a chest in hand
2. Right-click on the donkey with the chest
3. The chest is now equipped!

To access the chest inventory, mount the donkey and open your inventory. You can also check the chest by pressing left shift and then right-clicking on the donkey.

Remember, the only way to retrieve the chest is by killing the donkey, but it's not advisable. Instead, just make a new chest.

Can You Ride a Donkey in Minecraft?

Yes, you can ride a donkey in Minecraft, and it's an efficient way to travel. While riding, you can jump, use melee weapons, and run up slopes. First, you'll need a saddle.

Donkeys in Minecraft have a separate saddle slot. To equip a saddle and mount a Donkey, follow these steps:

1. Hold a saddle in your hand.
2. Right-click on the donkey to equip the saddle.
3. Once your donkey is saddled, right-click on it again to mount.

Saddled donkeys are great for long-distance travel. However, it's important to note that the saddle cannot be removed unless the donkey is killed, which is not advisable.

Donkeys have a movement speed of 7.5 blocks per second, significantly faster than the player's walking speed of about 4.3 blocks per second.

Can a Minecraft Donkey Jump?

Yes, donkeys in Minecraft, both spawned and bred, can jump. A spawned donkey's jump height or jump strength is always set at 0.5. On the other hand, a bred donkey can have a jump strength ranging from 0.4 to 1.0, similar to a horse. This variation in jump strength for bred donkeys adds a bit of unpredictability and diversity, just like with horses.