him. He is now about 11 days to two weeks old. I am feeding him goat milk replacer and giving him about 12 oz 3 times a day. He still acts hungry. He has a runny stool and research tells me to dilute the formula with water. Which i have been doing for about 3days now. He still has runny bowls. He also has little round whitish looking pellets in his stool. Could that be round worms? He has started to shed, I'm talking shedding allot. His little tail is loosing allot of hair. Is that normal? He appears to be energetic, bright eyed, curious, and overall....well...happy. How do I stop his runny stools, is he too young to worm, and whats with the shedding? I have never raised a little deer before. Sheep, calves, puppies, chickens.....but never a deer. Im nervous.

Somewhere back in the archives I dealt with the sort of thing you are seeing - you should be able to find it. I guess the main thing to stress is NOT to dilute the milk with water. Give him full strength milk plus an oral electrolyte solution (eg: Lectade) so that he does not become dehydrated, making sure you allow at least 2 hours between a milk feed and the electrolyte. I explain in some detail in the previous post why this is so but it is all to do with the way a pre-ruminant calf digests milk. The milk must clot in the abomasum as a precursor to digestion and if the level of solids in the milk is reduced too much by diluting it with water it cannot form a clot. It also needs to get enough energy from the milk and it struggles to do so if diluted. A calf this young does not need worming. The hair loss is almost certainly a consequence of its general state of health.
It is always a challenge to hand raise a calf this young, but persevere with lots of TLC and you should be rewarded. See also what I have written about making pets out of an entire male deer. Your cute little calf will grow into a very dangerous animal with no fear of you. Castrate him before his antler buds are visible - please believe me or someone will get hurt.
(27 January 2012)

was trapped between two groups of hikers on a trail. She fled through a pond and swam into the safety of the forest. Two days later, hikers on the trails began to report a young fawn following them on their hikes. Within a week, several reports were coming in. Today, that fawn came up to the Nature Center doors seeking entrance!
I walked with her for over an hour through man-made trails to the head of several deer paths into the forst. Finally, she took to one and headed off into the forest. Before finding this 'preferred path' she opted to follow me on the trails and tracked me closely - so closely, in fact, that I could pet her for long stretches of time without any fear on her part.
I am afraid that although she left me to follow the deer path back into the forest, that she has imprinted on humans and will continue to return. There is a great debate at the Center as to how best to handle this issue. None of us are large-mammal experts. She has not been fed, however she has been touched, photographed and petted and she definitely enjoys being near humans. In fact, she is not afraid of fairly large groups of humans. We do have a coyote pair on the property and I fear for her safety as she is completely alone.
Can you please advise as to the best protocol to take with her?

Your question is more about our own species (ie: humans) than the fawn's. I wish there was a difinitive answer to your question, but this little animal is behaving in a way that is certainly not typical. I can only guess at how she became so tame, unless she has been hand-raised by someone who has released her back into the forest. There really is no other explanation, and if this is the case she will remain firmly imprinted on humans. This will leave her vulnerable to interference by humans. You can only hope that nobody interferes with her and that she will stay there in relative safety. But it will leave her vulnerable to interference by humans who do not know any better.
It is almost tempting to suggest you find a large enclosure where she can stay, hopefully nearby.
(25 October 2010)

There is a good correlation between birth weight and perinatal mortality in all mammallian species, including our own. The very small fawns are too weak to get to their feet and to get that first feed of colostrum which is so critical to deficits of all sorts. In the wild it may not be apparent why a doe below a critical weight invariably has a small fawn but it is probably nutritional. In any population of fawning does the fawn birthweights will be a bell curve with those below a certain weight (the actual weights will depend on the species) very likely to die in the first 24 hours of life, and in most species the high end of the curve are the very big fawns that are likely to have a difficult birth. These fawns can survive but many are too damaged by the birth process to survive.
So your very small fawn was clearly in trouble when you found him, and if you had not come along he would have died for sure. In very harsh seasons the birth weights of deer fawns are lower than is desirable, and many may die. You can save lives by feeding and looking after them until they are strong enough to go on without you. But it is a lot of work to do it well, and please remember not to make pets out of entire bucks. They are far too dangerous to keep. Your fawn will grow to a normal size if he survives the next few months. The whole problem for all mammalian neonates is to survive the birth process itself in good condition and a weight that is optimal. The fawn must be strong enought to get on its feet and suckle, and to move with the dam. The bonding of mother and fawn occurs with the first few feeds - after surviving one of the most difficult journeys experienced by a neonate.
(3 September 2010)

I would be surprised if the little duiker is not dead by now – this sort of situation usually ends in tears.  You really are not equipped to deal with such a case, and the animal will very quickly become dehydrated and unless you have the right IV fluids you canot do much.
(16 March 2010)

Your castrated buck is called a perruque and he no longer has the ability to clean off the velvet and develop hard antler. These processes require testosterone, which he no longer produces.  The antlers will continue to grow into abnormal shapes, but they will never harden.
The fawn with the broken foot should be OK if he tolerates the splint and it stays on long enough to allow the fracture to repair itself (6-8 weekes).  If the splint comes off too early your vet will need to make another plan.
(23 September 2009)

Your Dad should treat this fawn just as he would any other small ruminent after orthapeadic surgery, with the main problem being to restrict its movements until union occurs. 102 is febrile - anything much above 99 is elevated. If he is a male remember how aggressive he will become if he is not castrated prepuberally.
(4 July 2009)

While there might be organisms that can cross species barriers, it would be quite unusual for humans to get sick from handling a healthy fawn. Just be sure to practice normal hygiene - wash your hands after handling, etc. If a fawn is sick be especially careful, but the risk is fairly small. Same for dogs - a very low risk.
(20 June 2009)

Dealing with this type of problem has been one of the most common queries that I have had.  You will find a good guide on what to do with these young fawns in the Deer Health Facts Sheets on this Website, but please remember that I say that it is a guide and not the same definitive answer for every fawn.  You must use your common sense, and your genuine concern for every animal’s plight, to get a good result.  Best of luck.
(7 June 2009)

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