Zoe's Story by Bren Murray

My name is Bren. I am a veterinary technician in Houston, Texas, with four years experience in an avian practice. I had worked on so many birds and particularly loved the Amazons. They have such a wonderful sense of humor that I vowed one day I would have my own.

Walking through the local flea market, I came upon a breeder with a supposedly "good reputation". The breeder's name is Charlotte's Nest which is located at the Traders Village Flea Market in Houston. I asked what she had I the way of Amazons. She had one that needed a home; a baby Lilac Crowned with a leg that turned outward.... "OK, so she'll never run with the pack". As a vet tech, I had seen plenty of animals of all sorts get around just fine being crippled. Her sweet eyes, her funny pirate-like walk... the vet tech inside said beware, but my heart was a goner.

I bought a huge cage, treats and toys...books on Amazons, and then the day I picked her up, she was in a cage away from her cage mates.... "so nobody would buy her" I was told. She was still formula fed, but having done so many pets in ICU, I had no problem with that. She squawked the whole way home... we even stopped at a local park to look at their wild bird display. A trip to the park with my "baby".. I have no children, and this was going to be my little girl. I was so proud.

On Sunday, I noticed my little Zoe had a slight cough and some nasal discharge. As per our contract I called the breeder, and informed her of this. "It's just stress". Zoe refused to eat, and when a baby bird is not weaned, it's a challenge to get one to eat that doesn't want to. She had already felt skinny to me, and Charlotte also told me" They lose weight when weaning"...

I took her into my office on Monday, (as per our contract...vet visit within 48 hours) where Zoe was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and placed on Baytril orally, with one injection given at the office. By evening, she seemed better, but still would not eat.

Tuesday the nasal discharge worsened and Zoe still wouldn't eat. She had to eat, so I tried the best I could. That evening, she crawled up my chest, and nestled under my chin. My heart just sang...what a feeling to have a baby bird cuddle into you like that. I never felt anything like that.

Wednesday when I came home from work, Zoe didn't make her usual squawk noise... she was curled up, eyes half open, and didn't have the strength to perch. Still refusing food, I tried the best I could, I placed heating pads in her cage, blankets... and she layed flat, wings spread out, gagging. I picked her up and she started to thrash about wildly, panicing. Then she lay her head over my hand and emptied everthing she had in her crop... and it just kept coming and coming. My boyfriend, Mike and I rushed to my office, where we placed her under a heat lamp, and placed her on oxygen. I called one of our vets, Donna Hein, who works with birds. Donna called two other avian vets and had a network going while Mike and I struggled to save Zoe. She was so dehydrated, there was really no Sub Q to place fluids, but we warmed up saline and lactated ringers with 5% dextrose and did what we could... I was talking and crying on the phone with the vets, when Zoe curled her feet up and succombed. It was 9 PM.

I called the breeder, Charlotte, (who just said a long range of 4 letter words), and informed her I would get a necropsy done. This was also in our contract. Zoe died of e-coli pneumonia so severe that one of her lungs was solidified. There was also liver damage. When I called Charlotte, she told me "I don't guarantee unweaned babies" and told me I had aspirated Zoe and killed her. I informed Charlotte that had she been healthy to begin with, I wouldn't have had to force her to eat. All she could offer me was another bird at wholesale...but the money was spent and Zoe was gone. I asked her (although I had NO intention of purchasing another bird from her), what she had in the way of weaned birds. "I don't sell unweaned birds"..."OK, you don't sell unweaned babies, but you don't guarantee them either? You don't guarantee anything that goes out the door". I told her I'd get back to her.

Today, I am filing charges... I know my chances of winning are slim, but I have heard from others who also purchased a bird at Charlottes Nest that have died. I had Zoe 4 days...breeders who sell unweaned babies don't care about the heartache they cause, the poor little lives they put in jeopardy. Their babies are just little commodities, little price tags.

Please, DO NOT PURCHASE AN UNWEANED BABY BIRD...let the breeder finish what they started. A baby bird will bond, yes, but so will an older one.

Bren Murray