In captivity, they readily accept lettuce, carrots, potatoes, apples, rolled oats, hay and alfalfa. Musk deer are solitary for most of the year. During this period, males fight for the females, and their teeth can inflict deep, and sometimes deadly, wounds on their opponent's neck and back. During the weeks of courtship, the males eat little, they are very excited and cover large distances. After the rutting period they return to their original territories.
Musk deer are strongly territorial.
Within their home range they regularly use well established trails which connect feeding places, hiding places and the latrines where their droppings are deposited. By continuous use, these spots may reach considerable size. Both sexes cover their droppings immediately after defecation by scratching the soil with their forelegs. Males scent mark tree trunks, twigs and stones within their territories by rubbing their tail gland against them, producing oily patches. When disturbed, they dart off in enormous bounds.