Red-Tailed Hawk Gains Critical Weight

The following story about a red-tailed hawk was shared with us by The Avian Conservation Center/Center For Birds Of Prey in South Carolina.

When this red-tailed hawk was brought to the clinic, it was clear that he had not been able to fend for himself in quite a while. He was extremely emaciated and barely over 500 grams (about 1.1 pounds). The average for a red-tailed hawk is closer to 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds).

Due to his emaciation, we used EmerAid IC Carnivore formula to give this hawk some much-needed calories and to provide a gentle jumpstart for his digestive system.

After about four days of tube feeding EmerAid, we started introducing small amounts of skinned mice into his diet. We carefully increased the amount of whole food until we were certain that he was able to process everything well.

At that point, we were able to transition him off of EmerAid and out into an enclosure where he gained some much-needed weight and strength.

We are pleased to say that this young hawk was able to be released after a few weeks of rehabilitation!