CHARLOTTE (Green Wing Macaw)

Charlotte, a Green-Winged Macaw, was hatched at Avalon Aviary Bird Store in June 2022 and raised both in the owner's home and at the store itself. From the time she was a young chick, Charlotte exhibited signs of chronic illness. She had watery, smelly stool and began showing signs of physical stress as early as five months old. Over the next two years, staff repeatedly documented her symptoms, including diarrhea, feather barbering, and unusual respiratory sounds. Despite this, store owner Susanne Cochran refused to provide timely or adequate veterinary care. Instead, she relied on ineffective "treatments" such as vinegar water, probiotics, and unprescribed medications.

Charlotte was eventually diagnosed with a bacterial infection, Klebsiella, after nearly eight months of symptoms. She was prescribed antibiotics, but her condition continued to fluctuate. Care decisions were frequently delayed or dismissed by Susanne, who often ignored staff concerns. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s health issues persisted, including sour-smelling breath, abnormal breathing sounds, and vocalizations of distress. Susanne continued to avoid follow-up care and chose alternative products from holistic suppliers rather than seeking proper veterinary treatment.

In addition to her medical neglect, Charlotte also experienced repeated trauma at the hands of Susanne’s husband, Craig Perkins. Staff witnessed him forcibly removing her from her cage by the tail — even as she screamed and bit in fear. One such incident in March 2024 was witnessed by both the Store Manager and a parrot care specialist. The experience left Charlotte visibly traumatized. Despite this, Susanne did nothing to intervene.

Charlotte’s behavior changed drastically following these events. She went from being sweet and easy to handle to fearful, defensive, and unpredictable. Staff tried to rehabilitate her trust through consistent training and positive handling, but Craig continued to interfere. A note placed on Charlotte’s cage by the Store Manager — asking others not to handle her — was removed by Craig, who continued to forcibly interact with her against all guidance.

Charlotte’s story reflects a repeated pattern of medical neglect, mishandling, and psychological trauma. Her symptoms were not only prolonged but made worse by the continued refusal to seek appropriate care and by the physical coercion she endured. Many incidents went undocumented after Susanne removed the Parrot Care Log from the store, eliminating the only written timeline of daily observations. The following timeline reflects only the documented records staff were able to capture before Susanne took the Parrot Care Log from the store and never returned it.


TIMELINE:

2022

June 2022 – Charlotte was hatched at Avalon Aviary Bird Store, where she was raised by Susanne Cochran and the store staff.

November 2022 – At just 5 months old, Charlotte began showing signs of illness. She had loose stool and cried for food even when full. Susanne prescribed a 10-day round of Nystatin.

December 2022 – Charlotte’s symptoms did not improve. Susanne instructed staff to give her vinegar water for two weeks instead of seeking veterinary care.

2023

January 2023 – After months of loose stool, Susanne told staff she would schedule a stool test and prescribed probiotics to be added to Charlotte’s food. She was added to a list of parrots with unresolved chronic diarrhea.

February 2023
– Staff documented continued green, loose stool.
– Susanne prescribed a second round of Nystatin for 14 days.
– Charlotte began barbering her tail feathers, a stress behavior.

March 2023
– Staff reported no improvement. Probiotics were restarted for another three weeks.
– Charlotte began clicking when breathing. Susanne performed a nasal flush, which produced yellow-orange discharge.
– Charlotte continued to show rattling breathing, worsening stool, and increased feather damage. Staff left notes in the Parrot Care Log asking whether the nasal flushes were continued — only one had been seen.

June 2023 – Staff reported that Charlotte’s breath smelled like sour milk. Instead of scheduling a vet visit, Susanne ordered another three weeks of vinegar water.

July 29, 2023 – When asked who needed to go to the vet, staff reminded Susanne of Charlotte’s continued illness. No action was taken.

August 5, 2023 – Charlotte’s droppings had become pure urates (clear liquid) and she was whining like a baby bird — a sign of discomfort. Staff documented this and emailed Susanne with photos and a detailed message.

August 12, 2023 – After nearly eight months of symptoms, Charlotte was finally taken to the vet. A fecal culture was performed.

August 26, 2023 – Charlotte tested positive for a serious bacterial infection: Klebsiella. The vet prescribed appropriate antibiotics.

August 30, 2023 – In response to the diagnosis, staff (the Store Manager and Feeders) created a new bowl-cleaning procedure for Charlotte and another infected bird (Sailor) to prevent the spread of the bacteria.

September 3, 2023 – Charlotte’s prescribed medication (Clindamycin) was finally obtained and started.

September 21, 2023 – Charlotte showed no improvement. She was moved to a sanitized cage with new perches and toys. Staff disinfected her old cage thoroughly. Susanne told staff to resume probiotics.

September 30, 2023 – Susanne purchased a product called “Kidney Powder” from a holistic vet and added it to Charlotte’s regimen.

October 3, 2023 – Although Charlotte was still sick, Susanne had her moved from the back isolation area to the public sales floor, where she had more contact with customers and other birds.

November 11, 2023 – Charlotte continued to have watery stool and strong odor. She ran out of Kidney Powder. No veterinary follow-up was scheduled.

2024

January 6, 2024 – Charlotte remained sick. She was producing watery droppings, vocalizing distress sounds, and drinking excess water. A weekend staff member also noted the symptoms. Susanne was informed.

February 5, 2024 – Probiotics were restarted again, but Charlotte showed no improvement.

February 20, 2024 – The Store Manager returned from five days off and found Charlotte had drastically changed. Formerly sweet and easy to handle, she was now lunging, biting, and panicked. No one could explain what had happened during that time.

February 27, 2024 – Staff resumed gentle handling and step-up training to regain her trust.

March 12, 2024 – A serious incident was witnessed by the Store Manager, parrot care specialist PeJ, and Susanne herself. Craig Perkins (Susanne’s husband) attempted to get Charlotte out of her cage and she tried to bite him and lung at him so he would stop. Craig insisted by forcing his forearm and elbow toward her as she screamed and retreated. He continued this inappropriate pursuit, and she wound up on the bottom of the cage where he grabbed at her body and her tail multiple times to pull her from the cage. Charlotte screamed and bit in fear. She escaped briefly when he pulled her from the cage to a nearby play stand, but Craig once again grabbed her by her tail, pulling her off the play stand. She continued biting until he dumped her in the bird visiting room and walked away, leaving the store front, presumably injured. Both Store staff who witnessed the episode were stunned by what occurred and how Susanne did nothing to stop it. Charlotte remained traumatized and took over an hour to calm down to the point where she would willingly approach and step up for the Store Manager (who she trusted).

March 15, 2024 – Charlotte allowed gentle petting through her cage bars but still reacted fearfully if the door was opened.

April 6, 2024 – Charlotte came out of her cage voluntarily, played with another macaw (Rebel), and flew to the Store Manager.

April 9, 2024 – Charlotte seemed much more like her old self, though she still hesitated to leave her cage on her own.

Through March 2025 – Charlotte’s progress became unpredictable, showing patterns of improvement followed by sudden regression. It became clear to staff that Craig continued to mishandle her during moments when others weren’t present. Despite efforts to give her consistent, trust-based training, his interference repeatedly undermined her recovery. At one point, the Store Manager posted a sign on Charlotte’s cage asking others not to handle her in order to support her progress. Craig removed the sign and ignored the instruction.

Charlotte, like most parrots, required consistency, gentleness, and patience in her socialization. Instead, she experienced fear and unpredictability due to Craig’s repeated involvement. The inconsistency in handling caused her setbacks in regaining trust, flight confidence, and willingness to interact.

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