08/14/2026
If you've followed us for a while, you know NOT to feed baby wildlife. GOOD! 🙌
But what about an injured adult animal that could feed itself?
It's been grounded for days, and is probably starving. Why shouldn't a rescuer throw him a thawed rodent while you wait for a rehabber to call you back? Wouldn't that increase its chances of survival..? 🤔
Let's learn about ✨Starvation Protocol!✨
Assessing body condition in birds requires you to be hands-on with them. Feathers and fluff conceal a lot, and a skinny bird may look identical to an obese bird when they stand side by side! In wildlife rehab, we assess the keel (their sternum) for muscle mass, definition, and fat deposits in addition to overall body musculature.
A healthy adult human can survive a few days without food (although it's a bad idea). Birds, on the other hand, have such fast metabolisms that many species are always 2-4 days from starving to death. When the body starves, a complex physiological process burns through its excess blood sugars, fat storage, and eventually begins taking energy from other stored proteins. The immune system suffers, healing slows, and tissue begins to break down as the body "eats" itself.
The digestive tract itself can begin to suffer from breakdown, too. We generally refer to it as "starvation mode," and a raptor who is fed whole prey while in starvation mode may be unable to digest it. This is called "refeeding syndrome," and it usually results in death.
When we receive a starved, often injured raptor, we first assess their blood protein levels with a blood draw. If blood protein is high enough, they're a candidate for Starvation Protocol. We give subcutaneous fluids and gavage in an easy-to-digest, calorie-dense liquid diet which allows their body to slowly return from starvation mode.
In a nutshell: Unless you have the expertise to confirm that an animal's body is not in starvation mode, it's best to not feed them anything unless instructed to do so in the interim by a permitted rehabilitator.
