Adopting a Toucan Bird

Toucans are eye catching with their colorful beaks and are known as soft beaks. This type of bird originates from South America. They have stolen the U.S.A’s imagination. Their image is on refrigerator magnets and cereal boxes. Does anyone remember Toucan Sam, the cartoon spokesman for Fruit Loops, stating, “Follow your nose, wherever it goes”?

They make excellent first pet birds because their diet is easy to supply, which is pellets and soft fruit. In fact they train as easily as parrots. http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com recommends Steve Martin’s tape “Training Your Parrot”…This tape is advertised in many bird magazines.

A Toucan’s bite is less powerful than parrots because the muscles in its jaws are weak. Their crunching capabilities are limited and they have a problem chewing grapes. They make great pets because they are loving and friendly. This type of bird loves to be stroked and will even sit on a shoulder. Toucans make a soft purr when they are happy. This type of bird has been known to greet their owners,by flying, when they arrive home. In fact the abundance of Toucans has increased due to the success of breeding private collections.

When feeding a Toucan, you should provide low iron soft bill food in order to prevent the early death of your bird from iron storage disease. This is a health problem that is hard to cure once it starts. Also feed your Toucan diced fruit as well as meal worms, which can be bought in a variety of sizes. In fact you can place pellets over fruit. Fresh fruit should be fixed daily in order to prevent rotting.

A Toucan is not as noisy as a parrot. In fact they do not yell as do parrots. Also they do not produce feather dust. The stool of the Toucan is watery and can be quickly cleaned up by using a sponge.

A large Toucan should not be housed with a smaller one. Chances are that the larger one will hurt or kill the smaller one. The cage for a small bird should be 8 feet wide by 12 feet high. You should provide a cage for a larger bird that is twenty four feet in width and 9 feet high. It should be made of wire mesh. Another option is to provide the bird with a perch, if it has clipped wings.

During the breeding season they are active birds. In fact they fly a lot during the breeding season. The hen will lay 2 or 3 eggs. An incubation period last 20 days. Live food should be included in the diet for the young. Aggressive behavior is exhibited by the male during mating and should be separated from the female. Then introduced back to the female’s cage when she exhibits nesting behavior.

In conclusion, Toucans make great pets. Always buy a Toucan from a reputable pet store or breeder. They love human contact and are easy to feed as well as maintain. So think about buying a Toucan, they make better pets than parrots