Ever had a sparrow hawk in desperate need of some warm fluids but it's stressed out and moving, and restaining would cause more harm to inject SC?
In practice we have found that placing a mug of boiling water (obviously not so close the bird could get to it) works really well, the steam from the water is inhaled and generally is just enough to give the bird the basic fluids it needs so it can function normally and then eat. Doing this two or three times per day for a couple of days is generally all thats needed.
This tip was passed to me years ago by the late Mr M Corner MRCVS.
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This seems like a strange approach to treating sick birds. Sparrow hawks can get upset depending if they are an in print or wild. However I cant help but feel if a sparrow hawk was so unwell that their owner/falconer cant treat usually needs more skilled care and attention. Surely if it was so sick gavage feeding and maybe placing an iv cath for iv fluids would be a more reliable approach!? Obviously caring for the avian species take knowledge, care and skill. Thanks for your post. Hope this helps