The orphan fawn I'm bottle raising seems to be doing very well (so far) on goat's milk. His stools are soft, but stick together. He is active, playful and bright. We're not sure of his age, but we think he's around 4-6 weeks old.
How do we get him to eat anything other than a bottle? He shows only a passing interest in anything other than his daily dirt, and turns up his nose at any sort of chow (deer/goat) and doesn't seem to be eating much grass...?
Also, my brother-in-law seems to think we should have a salt lick in the pen for him (avid hunter he is, expert on raising fawns he isn't). I'm not sure (although the baby does love licking the sweat off of any human in tongue-reach!) and certainly don't want to offer anything he doesn't need.
All that said, we're still concerned about him getting enough exercise. I take him for about an hour walk every day, but, as fawns will do, when his "mommy" isn't around, he sleeps in his pen (he has a nice big enclosure with fresh grass, water and shade) or his shed and doesn't have any interest in being out and about unless someone is outside with him. After he was found, he stayed (for about a week) with folks who had baby goats, so he had some company round the clock, then. Now, unless one of the cats sneaks in and naps with him, he doesn't have any company from his "herd" with him to keep him busy and stimulated. I've tried enriching his environment (while I'm not around) with tree limbs (threaded thru the fence so as to be off the ground), honeysuckle vines to nibble, and any other things I see he's interested in while we're out on our walks, but he still shows no interest in being independently adventurous. I don't want him to be a wobbly boy, but how do I encourage him to be more active, or do I need to? I'm wondering if maybe I'm just over-reacting to his baby status and shouldn't worry about him resting so much...?
Thanks muchly for all your help!!!!!
C~
PS - You guys have really been such a help with this little guy! I know people say it all the time, but if I hadn't found these forums, I'm not sure I'd've had the correct info to have even kept him alive and well. Also, as an aside, I am not a hunter, anti-hunting zealot, nor an "eco-geek" (as my son would say), just an animal lover who ends up fostering babies (sometimes, regrettably, unsuccessfully) no one else wants. I really appreciate that y'all have kept me from having panic attacks every time this baby did something I wasn't prepared for - it's really been a "who-knew?" experience - and I thank you all for your time, dedication and willingness to help all those of us deer-newbies who find ourselves in these situations unprepared!!!
How do we get him to eat anything other than a bottle? He shows only a passing interest in anything other than his daily dirt, and turns up his nose at any sort of chow (deer/goat) and doesn't seem to be eating much grass...?
Also, my brother-in-law seems to think we should have a salt lick in the pen for him (avid hunter he is, expert on raising fawns he isn't). I'm not sure (although the baby does love licking the sweat off of any human in tongue-reach!) and certainly don't want to offer anything he doesn't need.
All that said, we're still concerned about him getting enough exercise. I take him for about an hour walk every day, but, as fawns will do, when his "mommy" isn't around, he sleeps in his pen (he has a nice big enclosure with fresh grass, water and shade) or his shed and doesn't have any interest in being out and about unless someone is outside with him. After he was found, he stayed (for about a week) with folks who had baby goats, so he had some company round the clock, then. Now, unless one of the cats sneaks in and naps with him, he doesn't have any company from his "herd" with him to keep him busy and stimulated. I've tried enriching his environment (while I'm not around) with tree limbs (threaded thru the fence so as to be off the ground), honeysuckle vines to nibble, and any other things I see he's interested in while we're out on our walks, but he still shows no interest in being independently adventurous. I don't want him to be a wobbly boy, but how do I encourage him to be more active, or do I need to? I'm wondering if maybe I'm just over-reacting to his baby status and shouldn't worry about him resting so much...?
Thanks muchly for all your help!!!!!
C~
PS - You guys have really been such a help with this little guy! I know people say it all the time, but if I hadn't found these forums, I'm not sure I'd've had the correct info to have even kept him alive and well. Also, as an aside, I am not a hunter, anti-hunting zealot, nor an "eco-geek" (as my son would say), just an animal lover who ends up fostering babies (sometimes, regrettably, unsuccessfully) no one else wants. I really appreciate that y'all have kept me from having panic attacks every time this baby did something I wasn't prepared for - it's really been a "who-knew?" experience - and I thank you all for your time, dedication and willingness to help all those of us deer-newbies who find ourselves in these situations unprepared!!!
