Is this mange?

[SD198]

Hi all - saw this roe buck on a permission the other day- does this look like mange or normal shedding (I think it's a bit early for shedding its coat, although it has been unusually mild of course)?

 

[StephenToast]

Looks very pink/irritated - could be mange. Difficult to tell until you have it dead in the floor in front of you.

 

[SD198]

Thanks - what would I be looking for at that stage?

 

[SikaSeeker]

Make sure you cook it fully, no medium rare for that one

 

[Buchan]

Could be, or it's been dragged along in an RTA/got stuck in railings

 

[SD198]

I watched it for quite a while and have seen it many times over the past few weeks - it does not appear to be injured or in discomfort in any way, in case that is relevant

 

[finnbear270]

Pic is a bit rough on the colour scale, looks almost like blue urban cammo.

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

Its pretty fresh what ever it is my park fallow sometimes bite clumps of hair out of each other and the pink skin soon turns to a darker colour.

 

[VSS]

Its pretty fresh what ever it is my park fallow sometimes bite clumps of hair out of each other and the pink skin soon turns to a darker colour.

I've noticed mine doing that too. Always struck me as odd behaviour, as deer are generally non contact animals (eg, they don't indulge in mutual grooming in the way horses and other large herbivores do).
Any idea why they do it? Is it just a park thing, maybe due to being in unnatural close proximity?

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

I've noticed mine doing that too. Always struck me as odd behaviour, as deer are generally non contact animals (eg, they don't indulge in mutual grooming in the way horses and other large herbivores do).
Any idea why they do it? Is it just a park thing, maybe due to being in unnatural close proximity?

My two tame does are the worst culprits which I guess is as the are the oldest its a dominance thing. It doesn't help to answer the question asked but I have only seen does doing the biting often on the younger bucks.

 

[SD198]

As the season is about to change - is this deer likely to be fit for human consumption (assuming the coat is the only symptom of ill health)? From what I have read it would seem that this is likely to be mange as their appears to be bare skin beneath the patches, rather than healthy fur.

 

[Buchan]

Mange, regardless of mite, isn’t enough to condemn a carcass. But there maybe underlying conditions, so check carefully

 

[Camdig]

Shoot it, examine it, take some pictures and dispose of carcass responsibly, what ever it is isn't normal and there will be plenty more for eating.