Best advice to get a fawn to suck or take a bottle!

Hey Eric. Hope all is well. This may be an obvious one, but have you tried putting your finger in the side of their mouth? This will almost always get them to open and start a "chewing" motion... slide the bottle in and most times they will start to suck. If you have a 3rd hand you can use a warm wet paper towel and try stimulating them at the same time.

How long are you waiting before you pull them from mom? Do you pull them at night and wait to feed them the next morning?

Sorry if this is overly obvious, but it seems to work well most of the time.



Good luck!

Personally I will pull the fawn in the evening and won't even try them on the bottle until at least about 12 hours later....this way they are good and hungry and usually take the bottle without any fight......I think the earlier you try the more you wrestle with them and it just makes it that much harder to get them started......this has worked well for me and was a lot less stress on me and the fawn.......just an opinion good luck

I had a doe fawn I took at 24hrs gave her a bottle the next morning and she had no interest in it at all. Offered it to her a few more times with the same result's. This is the best doe that I own so got scared at noon and put her back on her mother. I wish I could have got her started on the bottle but didnt want to take a chance with her.

Take time to let the fawn relax hold it -let it calm down let it lick you if it will, breath into its face let it get your scent.Cover the eyes-sometimes a little karo syrup in the milk and on the nipple helps.

ddwhitetails said:

Personally I will pull the fawn in the evening and won't even try them on the bottle until at least about 12 hours later....this way they are good and hungry and usually take the bottle without any fight......I think the earlier you try the more you wrestle with them and it just makes it that much harder to get them started......this has worked well for me and was a lot less stress on me and the fawn.......just an opinion good luck

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I do the same. Usually wait 18-20 hours before I even try. Most times they take to it right away.



I did have a pair of twin doe fawns this year that wanted nothing to do with the bottle. They would suck on my arm and fingers but would push the nipple out as fast as you put it in. I tried every trick that I know but still wouldn't suck. Finally I popped the nipple in their mouth and squeezed the bottle hard to force milk through the nipple. They both started sucking immediately. One I had to shield her eyes with my hand to keep her on the nipple. Had to repeat the process for four days ( they would fight me the whole way) now they take the bottle on their own. Talk about frustrating.



A few years ago I had a fawn that went 52 hours before it would take the bottle. In fact she just had her first set of fawns this week.

By no means am I an expert but I bottle fed last year for the first time and couldn't get my fawn to suck until I stood her up on her feet and away she went. It was almost like she didn't want to suck laying down.

Try a doe grunt.



I've had some very very stubborn ones the last couple of years and I too had to put one back on mom and then pull again last year. I've learned to pull at night and leave them sit for at least 12 + hours. I don't touch them, handle them, try to make friends with them, play with them....nothing.



I wait until they are completely hungry and they don't care where the milk comes from. I've had fawns go for 3+ days and wouldn't take the bottle.



2 years ago, I was working on a fawn for 3 days and my husband went and got his doe grunt and as I slipped the nipple in her mouth, he grunted at the same time. She took off sucking. But we had to do that for a whole day before I could get her to suck without it.



Some are very stubborn for sure!!!

we pull fawns anywhere from 12 to 36hrs, some take bottle first feeding some take longer, we pull in the evening and first feeding is the next morning, some will not start unless they are standing, some have to have their back side rubbed, some require karo syrup to get them started, but usually 36hrs after pulling they are finally starting to suck.



It is really weird but it feels like sometimes you have to make them think like it is their idea instead of yours, dont ask me to explain that

I'm bottle feeding for the first time this year. Because I'm always reading what you pros have to say, I had know issues this year (SO FAR) bottle feeding. I pulled my fawns in the evening after 24 hours on mom and left them alone till the next morning. I did buy a fawn cradle so I put my fawns in it the first couple of feedings so I didn't hurt them while trying toget them started. Worked get!!!! My hands were free to work with the fawn instead of trying to control her to get her to eat. After twice in the cradle I had no problem getting them to eat. Worked with my first $ fawns and hope it continues !!!!

I like to pull the fawns when they are 6 to 12 hours old after making sure their tummy is tight from mama's first meals. The longer they are with Mom, the harder it will be for them to get started. They have to not only get used to the ''new'' nipple but have to get used to you/new environment as well, and the longer you wait, and hours do make a difference, the harder it is for both to be accomplished. I personally do not have the patience to start any of them, but thank God my wife does. If you have a stubborn one, spend time with them, hold them til they calm and beyond, lay by them, etc. My wife will take some of those stubborn ones, get on her knees, stand them to their feet and place them between her legs with their butt pressed against her, then corral them with her arms and force the bottle in. Some of them will struggle like the dickens and then ALL of a sudden begin to suck. Often this struggle will have to be repeated, but try in between to put some calm in them. I've also seen some of them for a time take the bottle better/quicker laying down. Best of luck!

we pull at 24 hrs and let them go for 8 hrs then press between mouth to open and let them drink 2 to 4 then every 4 to 5 hrs then after that for a day off to the races with red cap it works great



Ed