BABY MACAW

Sazi is a Shamrock Macaw, bred by Sandra Ambrose of Hillside Aviary in Texas, who has been associated with repeated cases of illness in the baby birds Susanne Cochran purchases for Avalon Aviary Bird Store.

This timeline outlines a selection of documented incidents and communications concerning Sazi’s health. It does not represent the full scope of medical concerns or staff observations.

Additional information was originally recorded in the Parrot Care Log prior to 2025, which was used to note concerning or unusual observations, identify who witnessed them, track who was informed, and document whether any action was taken. This log was an important tool for recognizing health patterns and determining whether issues were addressed. Susanne removed the Parrot Care Log from the store without notice, and as a result, 4 months of contextual details—including specific dates, communications, and follow-up actions—were lost. His Parrot Care Log was restarted in January of 2025. Staff recalls other incidents and/or concerns of wellbeing that are no longer verifiable due to the absence of that documentation.

The information included in this timeline reflects what could be factually supported through photographs, records, and saved communications.


September 29, 2024
Sazi arrives from Hillside Aviary in Texas. His hatch date was August 25, 2024. No required USDA Health Certificates were provided for him from the breeder, per Susanne. (Per Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Chapter 1, Subchapter C, Parts 70–89 regulating the interstate transport of animals, including birds. Psittisine, Section [b] No person shall transport, or offer for transportation, in interstate traffic any psittacine bird unless the shipment is accompanied by a permit from the State health department of the State of destination where required by such department.)

He was located at Susanne’s home for 2 months after she purchased him.

November 25 2024:
Sazi is moved to the store nursery. Staff begin noticing:
- Constant wet, smelly, runny poop
- A sour, vomit-like odor coming from the bird
- Refusal to eat/transition onto adult food (pellets), even when offered by hand multiple times a day.

Staff track his weight and condition closely and alert Susanne. His weight varied unpredictably, sometimes dropping more than 10% overnight, which is considered dangerous for baby birds.

December 2 2024:
Susanne transferred him back to her home due to concern of his losing weight.

January 4 2025:
Susanne transferred him back to the store nursery with no veterinary record. Weight remained unstable, and he was still refusing adult food.

January 5 2025:
Susanne transferred him back to her home.

January 10 2025:
Susanne brought probiotics to the store for birds that have concerning poop and took some home to start Sazi on probiotics as well.

January 25 2025:
Susanne returned Sazi to the store nursery again. He is very stinky and still exhibits very watery poop.

January 27 2025:
The morning staff (PJ and ER) stated that the smell was so strong and offensive in the nursery (where Sazi and the baby Amazon are kept) from the baby macaw or his cage that one of them almost threw up. PJ texted Susanne telling her how watery and horribly smelling the macaw poop was and that he needed to see a vet.

January 29 2025:
Last day of probiotics. Poop is still mostly water.

January 30 2025:
Parrot Care Specialist PeJ observed the baby macaw vomit and she alerted the Store Manager. The smell was overwhelming. The Store Manager decided to remove all existing items from his cage and replace with new clean ones as precaution and to remove the stench as much as possible. His cage was also thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. A note was left for Susanne as she was out of town and returning in a couple days.

February 1 2025:
Symptoms persisted. The Store Manager decided to check the opened 11lb bag of baby formula for an expiration date and found that it expired November 2024. The store is out of 11lb unopened bags so she pulled a 1lb bag from inventory to use for now since Susanne is still out of town.

February 6 2025:
Store ran out of the small bags of formula that were not expired, Susanne was still out of town and had not ordered more and the baby Amazon and Macaw were still being handfed formula once a day. The Store Manager had to get some more formula somewhere so she got an opened bag from Susanne's aviary. That bag also expired in November 2024. Susanne ordered some off Amazon to arrive before she got back.

February 9 2025:
After the Store Manager came back from her days off, Susanne left her a note. #9 on that note stated that she thinks Sazi is ready for 1 handfeeding a day (instead of 2) but he is still not eating his pellets (which is the primary food he should be eating as he weans off of formula). So she wants to feed him twice a day still.

February 17 2025:
Susanne ordered Exact High Fat baby formula. She instructed staff to
combine the two different brands of handfeeding formula (Exact High Fat and Hagen) to help him put on weight. Then move him to just the high fat formula for his one feeding a day.

March 7 2025:
Susanne fired the Store Manager, who was one of the staff advocating for vet care for the macaw. Most of the remaining staff who were also advocating for the macaw immediately quit.

Feeding hygiene issues
Staff repeatedly found that the bottle used to feed Sazi was left dirty on the days Susanne was at the store and responsible for feeding him. Unclean bottles are a serious health risk for baby birds and a known vector for infection.


Current Status
Sazi was sold before ever being fully transitioned to pellets or properly evaluated by a veterinarian. The new owners were not informed of the health issues, the vomiting, the poor feeding hygiene, or the expired formula. His current health status is unknown.

Summary
Sazi's care was marked by serious concerns:

Ongoing health symptoms from the time he arrived

No documented vet visit despite vomiting and weight loss

Expired formula used for hand-feeding

Unhygienic feeding practices observed

Sold without full disclosure of health concerns to the buyer

Sazi’s case reflects broader issues with care protocols, record-keeping, and the lack of veterinary oversight at the store.

This summary is based on internal records, observations, and communications among staff. It is intended to document patterns of care and communication related to animal welfare, and is not a personal accusation.

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