CROW reports eaglets E17 and E18 are doing well

E17 and E18, Harriet and M15’s eaglets, are doing well one day after being removed from their famous SWFL Eagle Cam Nest.

The team at CROW is giving the 1-week old eaglets antibiotic eye drops three times a day during feedings to minimize handling, according to a Sanibel’s Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife Facebook post.

CROW took the eaglets from their nest in North Fort Myers on Friday because of an infection in their eyes. Their eyes appeared to be crusty and they were having a hard time opening them, CROW said.

CROW is also giving the eaglets an injectable antibiotic to help with the infection.

Examining samples of the crust under the microscope did not help vets determine what it could be, but a sample has been taken.

CROW also has both eaglets on a feeding schedule that allows them four meals per day.

“Through cytology (examining samples through a microscope) done in our clinic, we are able to narrow down potential types of infections which allows our use of antibiotics to be the most effective to clear the infection,” CROW said. “We will not know the definitive type of infection until we receive results from the swabs we have sent for testing.”

Once the eye infection clears, CROW plans to return the eaglets to the nest to be reunited with Harriet and M15.

The care of the eaglets has helped CROW raise funds through Facebook. Their first post on the eaglets garnered them close to $20,000. Their most recent one on Saturday afternoon had a donation amount of $5,291.

On Saturday, CROW also answered some of their commenters questions: