Handraising
White-tailed Deer Fawns
NOTE:
No person may legally be in possession of a white-tailed deer in
Texas without the proper permit from Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department. Primarily, this is a Rehabilitator's Permit,
Deer Breeder's Permit, or a Transfer Permit with an
authorized Facility Id Number for Nursing or Veterinary Care.
First
off you will need the tools of the trade. You must have a bottle
and a nipple which will be suitable for the fawns' size. We’ve
had good success with human baby bottles. Good practice suggests
sterilizing the bottle and nipple between feedings. It will
take some coaxing at first to get the little one to take the
nipple, but eventually it will become hungry and accept the
bottle. It may help to gently press the nipple against the roof of
the fawn's mouth to release some of the liquid. Thus giving a
little taste to the fawn. Usually, once they realize this is where
the food is coming from they don't hesitate to take the nipple.
If
you are pulling the fawn off the doe within the first 24 hours of
birth, or if you have a doe that refuses her baby, you will need
to find some form of colostrum replacer. Colostrum is mother's
first milk. This milk is full of antibodies and will help to
protect the fawn from disease for the first few weeks of its life.
Ideally, we like the fawn to be with its mother for at
least 8 hours before we pull it off to ensure that it has gotten a
good supply of colostrum from its mother.
Different forms of colostrum are available, although I am
unsure if there is an actual replica of doe's colostrum. Colostrum
ideally should be fed for the first 24 hours of the fawns life.
Next,
you must also decide on a milk replacer. There are several
formulas out that have been developed for this purpose. We use
Zoologic's Doe Milk Replacer. Your
local veterinarian or feed store should be able to help you
decide. Be sure to mix the formula according to directions on the
package. Otherwise, you could end up with diarrhea or
constipation, not to mention the fawn would not be receiving the
proper vitamin and mineral levels.
Feeding
times will vary with different animals and different replacers.
Here is a chart that we go by.
Feel free to use it for reference only. Make sure to read
the package label from the mix you are using.
Finally,
when feeding newborn fawns, you must rub the fawn with a rag to
assist it in urinating and defecating. The rubbing motion
mimics a doe's constant licking of the fawn while eating.
After a few weeks, you will find that the fawn can perform these
functions on its own and the rags and rubbing are no longer
necessary.
TWM
also offers the service of Hand Raising Fawns for our clients' Breeder deer.
The charge for 2009 is $500/fawn. This service is for 8-10
weeks.
Please feel free to contact
us if you have any questions or concerns handraising your
white-tailed deer fawns.
