Have you ever found it difficult to resist keeping an adorable animal “deer” as a pet but couldn’t adopt because it’s illegal in your country? If yes, you might be curious why it’s illegal to keep deers as pets in your country. Fasten your seat belt! Let’s know all about it.
Can you have a deer as a pet? Not everywhere. In some countries you can keep deers as a pet but in some countries you can’t. It is because deers belong to wildlife. Although there is a small breed of deer that can be kept as a pet in many countries which is known as Muntjac deer.
Surprisingly, in the United States, deers are raised for the purpose of using their meat and for hunting.
People like to keep deers on farms because they are more profitable. Want to know how? That’s because deer eat less fodder and get mature faster than other livestock, they damage fewer crops and most of all they can reproduce for up to 20 years even in captivity.
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Facts To Know Before Keep Deer As pets
Deers are a part of the Cervidae family which includes other animals as well such as reindeer, moose, elk and more. According to research, it is said that the best pets besides cats and dogs are Asian palm civet, Llama, Tamar wallaby and Sika deer.
Let’s search out more facts about deers –
- Deers can recognize you through your smell at a distance while listening continuously.
- Albino deers are very rare and around one is born in 30,000 deers.
- Sitka deer have a calm nature while Muntjac reaches the height of medium-sized dogs, these are the characteristics that make it possible for countries to allow them to be house kept.
- Some people find White-tailed deer irritating because they can climb the fence and eat the useful plants.
- Even farms use White-tailed deers to breed for the meat.
- Male deers are called buck and stag. Females on the other hand are known as hind and doe.
- The Bambie, I mean baby deer is called a fawn, calf and even kid.
- There are about 60 species of deer although we are normally familiar with just a few. Strange!
- When deers are in a group it is called a herd alongside some other terms that are parcel, mob, bunch.
- Deers like to eat orchard grass, chicory and red clover.
- There are some high protein foods that deers love to eat, these foods include soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, peas, corn, kale and sorghum. They are also fond to chew on some nuts.
Is It illegal To Keep a Baby Deer
It will be illegal until you obtain proper licenses and permits in support of adopting a baby deer.
The majority of people when they find a fawn alone, they get confused if it’s abandoned or what but mostly it’s the mother has left it there so she could fetch herself some food. When you touch a fawn, the mother abandons it and so it dies alone due to starvation. It is better to not touch the fawn unless it is confirmed the mother is nowhere around and has abandoned it.
How To Tame a Deer
Well, deer is a smart animal so you don’t have to do much to get friends with it. All animals get close to humans through food. Deers understand their names and recognize their name calls, they offer great love and express their emotions and most amazingly they stay in the yard even when there is no fence around.
But it has to be kept in mind that these cute fawns then turn into adults and then they can show aggression as well. Even domesticated deer attack humans during the mating season. They also become dangerous to protect their offsprings. It is said that when humans touch deer, it is more likely to be dangerous for the deer than for the human itself.
How To Get a Pet Deer
Firstly, you need to talk to the authorities and get the paperwork done. They will give you a permit and license. One of the successful ways to convince authorities to let you have a deer at home is by telling them that you are a farmer and you need a deer for food purposes. But what people recommend is to not have deer as a pet because you surely wouldn’t want to take a risk at your family.
Some states like Wisconsin, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada and Alabama have not restricted ownership of exotic animals. While in other countries, you need to have a permit.
Is it Legal To Have a Pet Deer In Texas
Yes, it is illegal to have any wild game animal to be kept as a pet in one’s own custody in Texas. In order to be able to have such an animal as a pet, it is necessary to grant permission from the law authorities.
The list of main animals that are against the law to be kept as pets include squirrels, jackrabbits, cottontails, raccoons, white-tailed deers and skunks alongside some others.
Is It Illegal To Keep a Deer?
In the majority of the countries, it is illegal to keep a deer as a pet even if it’s a fawn. But wherever deers are not allowed as pets, still some people keep them and when the authorities come to know it creates a saddening situation for the owners and for the deer. In such cases, deers are either euthanized, confiscated or released back to the wildlife. Usually, people love adopting the white-tailed deer if they are blessed to live in a country where petting a deer is allowed.
What Do You Do With an Abandoned Baby Deer?
When you see a baby deer alone, don’t touch it or else it’s a mother will be likely to abandon it if she smells you on it. It must be alone because its mother left it to find herself food. A mother deer nurses her fawn only a few times a day to avoid predators finding her fawn. It is better to leave the fawn alone unless you are completely sure that the mother has been killed. If a baby deer is lying peacefully and quietly then it’s possible that the mother deer has not abandoned it.
How Long Will a Fawn Be Left Alone?
Unbelievably, a mother deer leaves her baby for up to 12 hours a day so she can search for food. But most of the White-tailed deers don’t leave their babies for more than 10 hours a day. If a mother deer notices you somewhere around the fawn even if you are really far from it in the truck, still she would hesitate to visit her fawn. In case, you find out that a deer is alone for more than the mentioned hours then contact your local wildlife rescue.
Final Verdict
So, can you have baby deer as a pet? It is explained thoroughly to clear your doubts. In the majority of the countries, it is illegal to keep a deer as a pet unless you don’t have a proper license and permit. Usually, the law allows farmers to keep deers for meat purposes. Deers are wild animals. When they grow up they can be dangerous to humans especially in the mating season and they require large space to live in and can’t settle in your medium yard.
Related Articles: Do Female Deer Have Antlers?
They are herbivores. A deer can recognize its name and offer love. It is prescribed to not keep a deer as a pet if your country does not allow it and if you don’t have the permit because in this case the authorities will confiscate your deer, send it back to wildlife and can even euthanize it. If you liked this article then share it with your friends and family.
