# Fainting Goat Wether Headbutt Issues



## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

I have two fixed male fainting goats. I got them when they were around eight weeks, now they are over a year. One is really shy(Oreo) and one is very aggressive(Ebony). Oreo was born without horns while Ebony has horns. Ebony was very sweet and friendly when I first got him until me and my grandma started giving him soup crackers as a treat, and he became aggressive. So I was scared to go down there and never petted them/worked with them. Recently I wanted to start working with them again and we put a pool noodle on each of Ebony's horns so he couldn't hurt me but they come off, is there any way I can keep them on? When I try to groom him I will tie him to a fence but when I start to groom him he flips he head backwards trying to snag my hand with his horns. When I enter their fence Ebony get really close to me and raises his head looking me in the face and then he will kinda circle around my legs and rub his horns on the back of my legs. I would love for him to walk on a leash and be a friendly goat but if this cant be fixed both of the goats will have to be sold or gotten rid of some how.:whatgoat:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You can put rubber bicycle handles on them. You may need to rehome at least the aggressive one if you can't handle him.


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

They are brothers and have a bond so I would have to re-home both and I just couldn't do that. I am very attached to them even though I can't handle either very much unless I'm sitting down, but then they crowd me for attention. Would super glue be okay to keep the noodles on his horns? onder:


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Do NOT cover his entire horns. They use them to keep cool and you could end up with a dead goat from over heating.You could try tennis balls glued on his horn tips. Also it sounds like they just don't have manors. If they come at you squirt them with a water bottle. They will learn quickly that its not acceptable to be aggressive towards you. Regardless of their bond if you can't handle Ebony you need to find another goat for Oreo and find Ebony a new home. It's not fair to Oreo if you can't pay attention to him because his brother is mean.


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

The sides of his horns are like knives and have cut me before so I need to cover his horns entirely, is it possibly to get his horns removed? I just got inside from an incident where I was going to take Oreo out on a leash so i could pet him and Ebony had his noodles on, when I opened the gate he came running trying to get out, so I tried to close the gate but he was almost out so I grabbed on of the noodles and it came off so I pushed him down and the other came off, and he got up, so i started crying because he didn't have them on and I was terrified. I took the leash off of Oreo and hit it on the ground to try to scare him off then i ran out and closed the gate. Before this he was eating hay and my grandma was trying to pet him and he kept trying to snag her arm with his horns when he didn't have the noodles on. He terrifies me, I think he's starting to give me nightmares. It's been my dream to have a goat/goats but now that I have them I'm terrified of them and I can't help but be terrified of all goats with horns....


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

The first step is to not be afraid! Animals can tell who is in charge, and they know who is in control of a situation. Have someone who is stronger and able to control them come out and help you until you feel more comfortable.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

you should take xymenah's suggestion of having a water bottle around. when he's charging, squirt his face and yell "NO". hopefully he'll learn eventually not to do that.

goats need to be taught manners just like people or dogs. some are easier to train than others. get the squirt bottle, some yummy treats and start trying to train. when he's good, give him a treat! you never know, he may turn into a really nice goat!


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

When he comes near me I try to stand my ground, by kinda stopping my feet and moving closer to him jumping trying to scare him, sometimes it works sometimes he looks at me like I'm an idiot(understandable though). Would it help to get another goat? Like a bigger breed of goat to lower his confidence like he did to Oreo? He right now is the goat in charge, because Oreo has no horns to fight for dominance and he knows it. When I knocked Ebony over I think he fainted because I had never done that before, he took a while to get up like Oreo does when he faints. Ebony has been as bad now as he used to be, but It's not better than it was. To think all this started because of soup crackers..... I am extremely happy I hadn't been wearing the thing I kept the crackers in when it all started. It was one of those belt like things you keep dog treats in when you train them, I usually wore it but this day i was holding it, he was coming really close to me and attempting to ram me. I got scared and threw it at his face, he started raming the bag and throwing it into the air. Thats when the aggression started(It was about a year ago).


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

I'm scared to give him treats if he knows I have him it will make him bumbard me for them, thats what I think he is aggressive about. I'm tried water and it doesn't stop him.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

only give when you think he's under control. i don't think he's aggressive, i think he's just being pushy for food. if he was aggressive, he'll likely rear up to head butt you. does he do that?

another way you can deter him is pinch his ear. goats bite one another's ears. i do that to my girls when they're misbehaving, and they stop.

maybe getting another bigger goat is not such a good idea. give this guy some proper training, and with time i'm sure he'll be a better goat.


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

No.

I'm scared that if I pinch his ears he'll wip his head around and get me with his horns. 

Okay. I think so too, he was before we gave him those soup crackers. :laugh:


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

darn soup crackers!

you'll do great! just use the spray bottle with water and a little vinegar. NO ONE likes to have vinegar water sprayed in their face!


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## Susiestar (Jun 23, 2013)

Thanks so much! Oreo thanks you too! He can have his beloved soup crackers back when his brother learns some manners.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Honestly it sounds like he needs to go in the freezer or a new home if he can't be dealt with. I'm sorry to sound harsh but its not good for Oreo to have to deal with it either. I KNOW how you feel. I have an aggressive goat. She hates humans and other goats and beats on both. She does not mess with me because she knows I will throw her to the ground or whack her horns with a stick if she does. She is kept separate from the others most of the time for their safety. It sounds like you are afraid of getting hurt and that is understandable but this behavior issue did NOT come from soup crackers it came from him not being taught to respect you or humans in general. If you are not calmly confident(not aggressively confident) enough to handle his issues its best for all of you if Ebony goes somewhere else.


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