MOHAMMED (a customer's Cockatiel)

This baby cockatiel hatched in Oct of 2023 and was purchased by Susanne and raised at Avalon. He was sold to the customer in January 2024.

In March 2024, the customer brought the baby back to Avalon for boarding while he was out of town, which was set up and processed by Susanne.

During a routine bird cage cleaning session, an experienced employee reported observing the Cage Cleaning Lead using a high-power sprayer to rinse cages. According to this witness, water from the spray was reaching the lower boarding cages, where some birds, including Mohammed, were housed. Staff had previously raised concerns with Susanne Cochran about this employee’s cleaning methods, describing them as unsafe or disruptive to the birds and not following procedure. However, no corrective action was taken. Staff believed this may have been because the employee had been trained by Craig Perkins, Susanne’s husband.

The next morning, Mohammed was discovered deceased by the Morning Feeder. He was only 5 months old. He was still wet at that time—approximately 15 hours later. Staff expressed concern that his prolonged wetness indicated excessive exposure to water, beyond what would be expected during normal cleaning, and could have contributed to hypothermia or other complications.

Staff immediately reported the death and their concerns to Susanne Cochran, including the possibility that improper cleaning practices may have played a role in Mohammed’s death. Some also expressed concern that the bird may have come into contact with cage sanitizer, which can be harmful to birds if misused.

Susanne collected Mohammed’s body several hours later and told staff she would take the body for a necropsy. Staff never heard the results and Susanne did not contact the owner to inform him of the death of his bird (per multiple staff members AND a PACFA representative who presented at the store to investigate this incident).

According to employees present, the bird’s owner only learned of Mohammed’s passing when he arrived weeks later to retrieve his baby bird. Susanne took him into a side room to talk to him and he left upset. No one overheard the conversation.

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