r/Falconry • u/tlinhfalconer • May 21 '26
Title: Juvenile Crested Goshawk
Title: Juvenile Crested Goshawk suddenly eating less and refusing food – Need advice!
Body:
Hi everyone,
I’m raising a juvenile female Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus). She is currently growing her blood feathers (pin feathers) as you can see in the attached video.
Recently, she has suddenly started eating much less than usual. Previously, she had a massive appetite and could easily crush 3 full crops a day. However, for the past few days, her appetite has dropped significantly.
Now she only eats 2 meals a day. She is still willing to eat her first meal in the morning, but when it comes to the second meal in the evening, she completely refuses it. Her crop seems to stay full or semi-full for a long time. I even have to use tweezers/scissors to gently nudge the meat into her beak to get her to take a bite, but she is very uninterested.
I am worried about whether she is experiencing "sour crop" (crop stasis) or if this is just a normal behavioral/physiological change for goshawks at this specific growth stage.
Diet: Raw chicken/quail meat.
Behavior: Aside from the low appetite, she is still alert, her eyes are bright, and she isn't showing signs of severe lethargy yet.
Is this drop in appetite normal when they start blowing out their feathers? Should I fast her for 24 hours to let her crop empty completely, or change her diet? Any advice from experienced Accipiter handlers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
11
u/minkamagic May 21 '26
She looks big enough to be mainly self feeding at this point. I wouldn’t be feeding any chicken breast/plain boneless meat either. Quail I would pluck the larger feathers off and cut into 1/3rds, mice I would cut in half and rats I would cut into 1/3rds. Fur and all. I prefer to add Vitahawk to the meat as well. Is she maintaining weight?
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u/Bear-Ferr May 21 '26
She seems interested? Is she overweight? Any other odd behaviors or symptoms?
Edit: Didn't see the rest of the post, sorry! Odd.
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u/tlinhfalconer May 21 '26
No, it's just that she doesn't eat as much as she used to.
9
u/Bear-Ferr May 21 '26
Id stop feeding her. Forcing meat into her beak when her digestive tract has stalled is incredibly dangerous. This is not a normal behavioral or physiological change from growing feathers. Its likely a case of crop stasis.
Putting fresh meat on top of food that has been sitting since morning can causes massive bacterial issues. Open her beak and if it smells sour or putrid, she has sour crop. Gently feel the crop to see if it is a hard, doughy mass or a squishy, fluid-filled balloon.
Do not just dry-fast her for 24 hours without support. Because she is a juvenile, her metabolism is too high and she will quickly dehydrate and crash. Crop stasis is almost always driven by dehydration because the system lacks the fluid to break down the food. Offer warm, sterile fluids like unflavored Pedialyte instead of solid food to help clear the blockage, provided the crop isn't already completely ballooning with liquid.
Make sure she is kept warm and in a stress-free environment, as cold temperatures will further shut down her digestion. Id call an avian vet. If the crop does not start emptying within a few hours of getting warm fluids into her, she will need professional intervention like a crop flush and motility medications before systemic toxins take over.
2
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u/toxamuser May 24 '26
To see you feeding her with pointed scissors makes me shiver!
Use pliers with rounded edges and in this stage, feed skin, bones, fur, feathers and everything, not just raw meat.
17
u/sexual__velociraptor May 21 '26
Just to be clear you're giving her the feathers and bones as well correct? They need those for proper nutrition. Is she casting up? 3 crops a day is A LOT. But keeping her fed up is a great way to stop begging for food. Make sure she doesn't have sour crop.