A fawn must be treated for its injuries or illnesses first, and it must also be treated for dehydration. Once stabilized, fawns that are young enough to be nursing must be trained to nurse from a bottle that does not feel, smell, or taste like the familiar mother's teat. Fawns do not readily accept this poor substitute. It can take up to 4 days to get a fawn nursing well. The older the fawn is the harder it is to train to drink from a bottle.
Older fawns are also very shy and high- strung.
During this phase of care the fawn must be housed in a padded, quiet enclosure. Even then, the fawn will attempt to run at the slightest provocation. As soon as the fawn is nursing well from a bottle, it is moved to a large, secluded enclosure in the woods equipped with a shelter and a bottle rack. The perimeter fencing is covered with a visual barrier and secured to prevent dogs from digging in. From this point to the day of release no further human contact is allowed unless absolutely necessary.