2022/04/08, 18:39 - Pierre Nel: Any advice on hand-rearing giraffe; formula or cows milk? 2022/04/08, 19:25 - Robert Campbell: I always stick to full-fat fresh cows milk and add a probiotic to them. A very important aspect is age and to get them to drink first. Same as with rhino - if they are young, keep the eyes closed. I give low dose midazolam as stimulation for appetite and has the added advantage of relaxing them. Volumes - I keep to 10-20% of BW and feed small amounts more frequently in first two weeks and slowly decrease frequency and increase volume. Also, the temperature of milk must be as close to body temperature as possible. The teat should be long in size - I found cow or sheep teats work the best. Then at a much later stage when they have accepted the milk, test them on bucket feeding by lowering the teat into a bucket of milk . After a few days, they learn quickly to drink like calves from the bucket. Weaning usually starts at about 4-5 months. Always have fresh browse to nibble and investigate, even from beginning. This is a quick breakdown of what I usually do. Hope that is of help to everyone. 2022/04/08, 19:57 - Simone Herzog: Nothing much to add. We raised 5 giraffes on Liptosan calf milk replacer. Acacia pods (erioloba, tortilis in addition to browse well accepted). 2 drank directly from bucket without a detour via the teat route, 3 were raised with a bottle, not bucket. During the period from pure milk to browse, fennel tea is very well accepted - it prevents indigestion/bloating.
