Niece brought home a baby deer HELP!

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I know she should NOT have taken it, but that damage is done can we return it now or will Mom reject it??


It is very young and we have a freeze warning here tonight.

No wildlife offices are open. Advice please????

 

[cariboujaguar]

Look on CL for collustrum and/or goat milk. DO NOT tell them it's for a baby deer of they'll just lecture you more- go to feed store and get bottle nipple for goat/lambs... maybe kid or lamb milk replacer or just cow milk should be fine...

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

I doubt the mother will take it but you could take it back to where she found it I suppose and see if it comes bacvk for it

you need a serious animal rehaber for this one
it will need milk replacement feed
and some correct treatment or it will die

at least go on line and go to google.com enter deer rehaber and or something like that
find out how to care for it till you can get some one

 

[deerman]

Yes if it was taken today return it the mother will be looking to feed it. But need to do asap.

Doe with not stay near her fawns, they have no scent so the doe with not bed down with them.


Unless you have raised a fawn before odd are you will have a dead fawn.

I have fed them from day 3, can be done.

 

[deerman]

will not be to cold for it, doe dont keep their fawns warm.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Does usually leave their fawns alone almost all the time for a week or two, only coming back to nurse them. They do not stay with them in order to keep predators from finding them, as the fawn could not keep up with it's mum if a hungry coyote or other predator stumbled upon them. Take it back to where it was found ASAP- and don't worry about it getting cold. It has a better chance of survival if you take it back- even with your very best efforts.

 

[muell112]

I'd contact an animal rehabilitator immediately for advice and/or to take the fawn. They are volunteer-based and might work out of their home so I'd look for some telephone numbers online or in the phone book. Will be a good chance to educate your niece about how animals are adapted to survive in the wild - from fawns hiding scent free to birds fledging. Unless they've been hit by a car or something they shouldn't be disturbed.

 

[andrea98]

what did you do with it? take it back or try to feed it?

 

[CMV]

It sounds like it's time to let your niece read the original Bambi- Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten. Great book. There is a storyline in it dealing with what can happen to a deer, Faline's twin brother Gobo, raised by people and then released into the wild. It's a book that contains hard lessons, but valuable ones none-the-less.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Believe me I read the niece the riot act for touching the fawn!!

I tried to contact many agencies last night to try to find out what was best - to no avail - all were closed for the evening. I suspected the best thing to do was still to return it immediately and hope the mother would not reject it.

Given how close to humans most deer here live, I was hoping she would be accustomed to human smell to some degree. I told Niece to return it and check back on it this morning. I don't know yet if it was still there this morning. I'll be sure to let you all know.