What to Feed an Orphan Fawn

Every spring, fawns are taken by well-meaning people from hiding places in which their mothers have concealed them, often with disastrous results. According to wildlife rehabilitator and licensed veterinary technician Nancy Zagaya, of Knoxville, Tennessee, usually the mothers are grazing nearby. The only time intervention is justified is when the mother has died; in this case, take the fawn to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. If it's impossible to get the fawn to a wildlife center right away, you can use a few basic techniques to sustain him until professionals can take over.

  1. Electrolyte Replacement for Dehydrated Fawns

    • Determine if the fawn is dehydrated by checking eyes and ribs--if his eyes are sunken and his ribs are protruding, he needs fluids right away. Replenish salts and electrolytes by giving warm Pedialyte in a baby bottle with a rubber nipple that has been cut crosswise to improve liquid flow. Rehydrating the fawn is more important than feeding him milk; he needs his electrolytes and fluids more than protein at this point. You should also keep the fawn warm by putting him in a room with a heat source and rubbing him briskly with a towel. If the fawn is not dehydrated, you can start regular feedings.

    Feeding Fawns

    • After the fawn has had a feeding of the electrolyte fluid, he should begin to perk up; four hours later, you can offer fresh, slightly warmed goat's milk-- the closest thing to mother's milk for a fawn. If this is not available, you can buy goat milk replacement at a feed store. Encourage the fawn to drink the warmed solution by tickling him under the lips with the bottle. If the fawn still will not suckle, try holding the bottle between your knees. The fawn may starting butting at your knees in the same way he butted against his mother's abdomen; this could help stimulate him to suckle. Once fawns ingest a few drops of milk, they usually get the idea, and will nurse enthusiastically. Give feedings every three hours, and write down what, when and how much you feed the fawn; when you deliver him to the wildlife center, remember to give them this record.

    Tips and Precautions

    • Prevent bacterial infections by observing strict hygiene and washing nursing bottles carefully; bacteria grows very quickly in this warm fluid. Prepare the goat milk replacement as needed, and don't store the excess. If the fawn is very young--under three weeks--you will have to help her urinate and defecate by mimicking maternal stimulation: after each feeding gently massage the fawn's rump and perineum (near the urinary tract opening) with a clean, damp sponge.