Newly Permitted for Deer and Small Mammals

[rehabgal]

Hi there, just wanted to clear the air and introduce myself. I live in a fairly small city are, but about 10 miles out in the country. We have a nice piece of land, and lots of animals. Pygmy and Boer Goats are my passion. Well, I now have a buck fawn and I know it is gonna be rough. This is hunting country. Right after i got him, (his mother was hit by a car), i called the vet and the game warden, my vet deals with deer farmers. He (game warden) came out, visited for awhile talking, making calls, and gave me a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit. Alabama no longer allows a "permit" to have A DEER, too many fools thought they would stay cute. It is very hard to find any rehabbers in this area, and I have the time and resources to handle it. Kids are grown, and hubby works alot. I do realize that a buck fawn will grow into a BUCK and may even have to go down if he doesnt go back out and stay with the deer (nice group of does) like he belongs. I know how they are in rut but I should be ok this year as he will stil lbe fairly young. GW said he would be good for release probably around February or March. No one but me is allowed near him (I call him Itty Bitty) or to handle or tend to him, he is off from the family and pets. We guessed he is about 2 weeks old now. Conservation officer (we still call him game warden around here :)) said he hadnt seen one this tiiny in a long while.
]My plan is to get him out to a confined safe pen in the next month, then transitioned out to the woods or at least the pasture where he can easily jumps the fences (wild ones do all the time). Once he goes outside i will only see him to put feed out and limit my exposure.

He is eating baby rice cereal and bananas (a little) and is on Sav A Kid. plus he will drink water out of the bowl He really has grown..he does pee and potty very well. I keep him in a large crate with blankets and a cover in a separate room away from everyone right now. we do go outside to the kennel (totally closed in) for some yard time.

I am here just looking for some help and have been reading nonstop for days. I am not new to deer or any animals, but there is always something new to learn. You folks amaze me.......

I should be listed on the Alabama website soon as my paperwork makes it to the main office, but i have my copy here.

I totally understand and appreciate that these rehabs are NOT pets. If i wanted a pet, wait, i have pets.....I hope to do this little guy justice, and would appreciate any advice. So u will see me browsing the forums, and probably comeenting or asking questions. I'll post pics if anyone is interested

Thanks

[Deerchaser]

Waht part of alabama are you in? I am in South West Alabama, Washingto County. He will have to be older than a month old to survive on his own. Probably atleast 10 weeks.

[rehabgal]

I am in Butler County.. yeah, i was told he would be with "me" for awhile before he could be turned back out. I have every intention of doing this the correct way. I will just take what is brought to me, and do my best to get them back to mother nature when the time is right.

mostly just looking for some generally info or hints on feeding. doing good on the bottle (had to go to walmart for newborn bottles and nipples, didnt like the pritchard ones as they are too big), drinking water out of the bowl, a little "grass" outside. fixin to do a nite feeding now. kind of funny that he is not interested in eating at nite at all. i was getting up at 2 to feed, he isnt interested..if only my kids were that easy....lol

[rehabgal]

oh yeah, i will be transitioning him outside, but confined, then later out to the pasture as he grows, then he can come and go out of the pasture as the "local" wild ones do.........at least thats the plan

[Deerchaser]

Be sure to keep a bowl of fresh dirt available to him, not dry, until he is staying outside. He needs the dirt.

[rehabgal]

what do you mean "not dry" in reference to the dirt? I also gave him a dose of Probios to ease with the stress last week. luckily i have plenty of basic meds and stuff on hand from bottle feeding goats.....

[rehabgal]

ok, another question.. i think he will be too young to go in the rut this year? am i correct? my son says a year to a year and a half.......

[Deerchaser]

The dirt should be moist and fresh not dry or wet. He will breed this year if he has a hard antler.

[rehabgal]

my main concern is that i am having to have physical contact with him. i have to do the potty (he is started to pee some on his own ) thing with warm unscented baby wipes and the bottle. u still have to hold your hand under his chin at times to keep the bottle in or he just licks it

wow, i didnt realize that there were hard antlers or breeding at around 6 months....

[rehabgal]

i was hoping to get another one about the same age, but a doe, that he could bond with.. but i havent heard back yet.........

[Arrowhead Whitetails]

Some fawns can breed in the fall if they have matured enough. Good luck with him and I believe that you have found a great site to get any help you need. Lots of good people visit it daily.

[richie0033]

With him being a southern buck you shouldn't have to worry about him going into rut. He shouldn't be mature enough. The main thing is once you get him outside try not to spend alot of time with him so he won't be so tame. If he gets real tame he will become a problem. He won't leave. And he might follow people/ hunters aroung looking for food. If he gets tame I wouldn't let him go. He would just be a danger to others in the future

[rehabgal]

ah Tuscaloosa.ROLL TIDE ROLL..........thats the only concern about a buck. i figured next year will be his year of the rut. 3 options, grow and find some does to go stay in the woods with, be hunted next year, or go into rut and get nasty around people and be put down.......i am trying to avoid the 3rd, hoping for the first ! my plan is to really distance myself once he gets outside, i'd rather have him bond with the goats than me then :)

I really appreciate all the help.....

[rehabgal]

and how would you NOT let him go? cant keep him confined outside....would it be better to saw the horns off?

[PaintedMeadowsBJs]

Call me Tomorrow afternoon or evening if you want (724)735-9924 And I can share my opinions...And try and help...It is much easier.
And I can see what issues you have also.

[rehabgal]

thank you so much.. i will do that


Rene

[Buckskin]

Being he is a buck he will tend to seek out other button bucks to hang with. In the wild his mom would run him off anyway when he was weaned. They will start their own bachelor group. I have raised bottle fed bucks before and you don't want to baby them too much. Go into their area, take care of their needs, and then get out. No baby talk.No petting and playing with it. Limit the exposer to other people. I know my wife has trouble doing this as the little guys our so darn cute. Offer freash dirt and water from day one. Introduce them to clover and other greens at about 2 weeks old. Give them a protein pellet(like calf manna) to help him grow strong. You should keep him in a confined pen for awhile or if he takes off too young he won't make it unless he gets adopted by a doe with fawns. It happens but I wouldn't count on it. He should be ready by about 8 or 9 weeks old. By then he will be browesing for most of his nutrition and able to drink enough water for proper hydration It may seem alittle harsh know but if he stays skiddish around people it will make it so much easier to bond with the wild deer and revert back to wild. Rick

[rehabgal]

thanks Rick that is my plan..no one but me is around him. i dont even let the dogs around him as I dont want him to get comfy around them either

oh, for with a little doe, i wouldnt have these many worries ! lol

[richie0033]

You can always get a breeders license and just keep him. Then you can get you a doe to put with him

[rehabgal]

gee how hard is that? i will look into it....

well, while getting him fed and pottying this morning his stools are loose. not too bad yet, but mustard colored and too much water in them. is it the formula? using Sav a kid per directions.wonder if it is too rich. . do i need to try pepto bismol or kaopectate? our scours med that i have for the goats? been fine up till this morning.. otherwise behavior and appetite are great

[Buckskin]

They occasionally have a loose stool especially if they ate too much. You could try a little raw pumpkin in his next bottle and that will usually firm him up as long as its not coccidiosis,ecoli,parasites,or clostridial bacteria. If I see blood in the stool or if it has an unusually bad smell I start to worry. Also I've noticed that when they start eating the feash dirt they seem to firm up more. Rick

[rehabgal]

thanks.. no blood, just mustard color watery and still stinks like a new baby diaper (color and smell has not changed). it looks just like the scours my bottle goats went thru. i gave him a bowl of fresh dirt, as dry as i could get (it has rained about every day, but he is eating it like crazy) and went to some unflavored gelatin in his water, and a dose of probios. he has sweet feed in the crate if he feels the need to nibble dsome more. will take him off milk today and try to push fluids, maybe a dose of kaopectate if needed later. headed out for pumpkin and my monday trip to the feed store. thinking maybe the milk is too rich and will water it down

ya'll have been so much help

[rehabgal]

gee, jut for curiosity sake, what does it entail to get a breeders license? i know that i am no way prepared for that, but it might give us something to work towards..

[Deerchaser]

Call me if you would like 251 423 5336.

[rehabgal]

Brett, I just walked in from town and am seeing to the fellow and getting goats moved. i will def be calling ya... i appreciate ALL the help and advice that is coming to me........

[rehabgal]

i have Manna Pro medicated calf milk replacer for the scours (not bad yet) and Calf Manna for growing........ thanks

[rehabgal]

stools are loose, but not nearly as watery as this morning...since i have to stimulate, maybe since i jumped on it first notice i may have caught it early. got him on Scour ease and off milk today

[PaintedMeadowsBJs]

I personally wouldn't pull him off milk...You can cause more problems than good

[rehabgal]

thanks, maybe mix the sav a kid with the scour ease?

[PaintedMeadowsBJs]

How long have you had him...
Changing his diet will cause loose stool also...I would not keep changing things.The more you add and change, the more you can mess him up.

[rehabgal]

ok, thats right and i dont mean to be confusing. so right now with some loose mustard colored stools this morning, should he be on his Sav A Kid or the ScourEase Milk Replacer? he does eat some loose dirt and occasional water.......thats it....he got Probios gel this morning and a small dose of kaopectate when the stools got watery..

i have had him for a week now, we figure 2-3 weeks old max.......

[rehabgal]

canned pumpkin is impossible to find now, but i have some frozen pumpkin thawing

[Buckskin]

we ran into the same thing this spring.Luckly my mother n law had some.From know on I'm keeping a can or two extra around. Probiotics are good to help get the right bacteria going. We also put some plain yougurt in for the first few weeks. Also if he is 3 weeks old I think I would only try to make him poop once a day. When we started out we were getting them to go every time and their stools were staying too soft. Rick

[rehabgal]

yeah the only prob i am really having is that mine wont take but about 2-3 oz every 4-5 hrs, and he doesnt want to eat during the night.. he loses interest and trots back off to bed.. but he is so little that maybe that is all he can hold. i def dont want to over feed so i judge the feeding by him, not so much the clock or the amount

[rehabgal]

happy to report, nice black (been eating dirt) poop. i cant believe i got excited over it this morning. LOL healthy appetite and was hollering at me for his bottle this morning.

now time this week to start working on the transitioning pen. got a lot to do.....:)

[rehabgal]

had a visit today from conservation officer...number 2 baby on the way.....another road casualty.......seems awful late for little babies this year...

[dearjohn]

Rehabgal I enjoyed the reading is there an update we could get.