Toucan Tending by Frank J. Svoboda San Diego, California

Toco toucans are a fascinating that delight almost everyone that glimpses their magnificent bills, fur-like feathers and playful antics. However, raising such can be a trying task, not only because their diet is quite specialized but also because little is known about the species. When illnesses do occur, professional treat-

Adultmale two and one halfyears old.

Toco youngster two months oldgetting readyfor a nap - tail up. Soon the head will be tucked back with mostly lost Baby tocosjust coming intofeather. Afterthe parentbirds cannibalized theirfirst chicks, infeathers. Toucans tend to look like black these two were removedand handraised. furballs when they are asleep.

, .

Young tocosfive months old. Indoor toco aviary.

36 Jooe/July 1988 ment often is based on the more com­ mon psittacines, which mayor may not be applicable to toucans. I'm writing this article to share my trials and tribulations in trying to mate a pair oftoco toucans and to later raise their offspring. I suppose that most people read books or articles in 'magazines when they undertake the task ofcaring for a newly acquired bird friend, and base their care on that information. That is the approach I took with my toucans, reading all the earlier articles in Watchbird that con­ tained toucan information and reading any book about toucans that I could find. Those of you who raise toucans know you can count the number of informative toucan books on one hand, but reading what was available at least gave me some idea on how to start. I acquired two toco toucans of approximately two years of age and built an outside cage that was 17 feet in length, 6 V2 feet in height and 5 feet deep. I built the highest cage I felt was possible for the given location, but I was afraid it wouldn't be high enough. Everything I had read indicated that toucans like to be high up in their cages. I later found out that they do sleep on the highest perches available any award-winning birds have been raised in the cage; but during the day they on a diet of Kellogg foods and supplements, like to explore, often hopping around Mincluding Kellogg's Handfeeding Diet. on the ground searching for fallen morsels offood. Your chicks can be winners, too! Kellogg's One of the first discoveries I made Handfeeding Diet produces strong, healthy chicks. was that toucans are highly cautious. Blended by Kellogg, this easy-to-mix, no-cook Small changes in their environment formula is nutritionally complete. And, our can cause them to become highly agi­ Handfeeding Diet contains only the highest­ tated. Putting a new plant or a bird quality raw ingredients available. bath in the cage causes them a great amount of distress and they avoid the Look for Kellogg's Handfeeding Diet and complete immediate area for several weeks. I can line of bird foods and supplements where you shop, understand large changes affecting or call 1-800-792-3504 (ext. 492) for the name ofthe their behavior, but I have also noticed Kellogg distributor nearest you. this fear in the face of what appears to be small changes. For example, they became distressed when I entered their -_-. cage wearing beach thongs and once --- when I entered wearing a small ban­ Kellogg Inc. dage on my hand. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 Another discovery came about one For more information call toll free 1-800-792-3504 Ext. 492. year after I had acquired the birds. Things had progressed fairly smoothly, with the female laying a clutch ofthree K ~ fay Kelloqg ...the choice of champions .. in a palm log that I had hollowed out. At the upper end ofthe log I creat­ ed an entrance with a diameter of

afa WATCHBIRD 37 about six inches. In the process of will hop down to the ground to attack were all four to five feet above the brooding the eggs, the birds broke two my cat or dog whenever they come by ground. I systematically tried changing eggs which I attribute to the awkward to sniff near the cage for the dry dog all the variables such as lowering the way the birds spread their wings and food the birds have dropped. perches, separating the birds, and even extend their bills to shimmy down the For the next nine months things pro­ confining the bird to a 1 V2 ft. by 1 V2 ft. hole to the eggs. I suspect this was a gressed normally until suddenly I by 4 ft. cage. Nothing seemed to help learning experience for the birds and found my adult female on the bottom and both the bird and I were getting they destroyed some eggs in the pro­ of the cage too weak to jump onto a frustrated with pulling one or two cess. Seventeen days after the female perch. I raced the bird to the vet where blood feathers a week. toco had laid the last , I heard the it was injected with numerous drugs to I went to yet another specialist who sounds ofa baby toco coming from the counter whatever it was that was suggested we remove one of the nest. Baby tocos are born blind and making her sick. Ten minutes after the feather follicles and have it sent in for bald (altricial) and are totally helpless shots the bird died in my arms. A sub­ analysis. I wasn't happy with this solu­ for many weeks. sequent necropsy revealed that she had tion because it entailed surgery. I rea­ I was highly excited that I had been suffered from a build-up of iron in her soned that the breaking ofthe feathers successful in getting the birds to breed, liver, a condition which the doctorsaid might be a protein deficiency, so I start­ but after three days I experienced had been seen in most of the toucans ed sprinkling a protein powder (with another toucan mystery: the baby was he had necropsied. no added iron) to the bird's food, even eaten by one ofthe adults. I had read of I had never even read of this prob­ though it was getting protein from the several zoos that had had similar expe­ lem so I proceeded to research what dry dog food I was feeding it. It took riences but I was nevertheless shocked. had happened. A call to a well-known about two more months before the One week later a second clutch offour toucan breeder revealed that he, too, feathers started growing normally. The eggs was laid; and eighteen days later, had lost many birds to this iron accu­ bird currently is almost full feathered the first of three baby tocos hatched. mulation; some as early as six months and would most likely be flying had After a week the adults again pulled of age, others after almost ten years. not the wing been weakened by almost out a baby and devoured it. It then Lacking a good understanding ofwhat eight months ofbeing featherless. became necessary to extract the two had happened, I resolved that the best Although this article has been focus­ remaining babies and hand-raise them. way to combat an iron build-up was to ing on all the problems I have had in Looking back on the experience, I limit their iron intake. I was surprised raising toucans, there have been many am aware that the male toco became that the worst offenders were the items rewards. Seeing the baby tocos grow up highly agitated with the female after that most articles on toucans recom­ was a fascinating experience that has the eggs hatched and would not let the mend. For instance, mynah pellets have taught me much about the species. I female come out ofthe palm log to eat 1600 parts per million (ppm) of iron, have also developed a special fondness in peace. I suspect that in the wild the vitamins which are recommended for the male baby that experienced the male can fly off a distance and harass often have 8,000 ppm and dog food feather problem. Although I "tor­ the rest of nature's inhabitants, thus often has at least 200 ppm. I immedi­ tured" him every week by plucking leaving the female alone. It could be ately stopped sprinkling bird vitamins out bleeding blood feathers, he inter­ that the confining of the birds, even on their food and chose a dog food acts with me much more than the though the cage seems large to the (Purina Hi Pro) that was low in iron. other toucan does. I go into the cage in casual observel). was stressful during Most fruits and vegetables don't have the morning to feed them and usually the nesting period and contributed to more than 20 to 40 ppm of iron so I bend down to clean the cage. As I do the cannibalistic traits they exhibited. don't think they were the problem. this, he hops onto my back and makes The hand-raising of the tocos was a The only sign of this disease appeared a contented rattling sound, gradually wonderful experience, mainly because one day earlier when the female toco hopping up to my shoulder where he we found two wonderful people to do appeared to be tired and slept occa­ slaps the side of his bill against my it. This left the difficult task for my sionally. She had done this a year earli­ neck. Ths slapping ofthe bill is a sign wife and me ofvisiting the babies once er when she was about to lay eggs so I of contentment; the only other time I a week and loving them to pieces. After didn't think it was a problem. have seen it done was during nest about thirteen weeks, we were able to About the same time as this was hap­ building. bring the babies home to another cage pening, I began to notice a gradual At night, when the lights are off, he I had built inside the house. I wanted to problem with one ofthe baby toucans. likes to hop onto my arm or shoulder build as large a cage as possible in the The feathers on its clipped wing began and be fed little bits ofdry dog food. house since the toucans are extremely to crack and break. I took the bird to a He can't see in the dark so he just active birds. Therefore, I built a cage specialist who suggested pulling out all gropes in the dark while nibbling with that was 10 feet in length, 8 feet in the feathers on that wing and letting his bill until I place a tidbit between his height, and 4 feet in depth. Three sides them grow again. We tried this but, to upper and lower bill. ofthe cage took advantage ofthe exist­ my dismay, the feathers grew out one In summary, I feel that much still ing walls of the room. The front was to two inches and then broke. To make needs to be learned about the specific constructed of three panels covered matters worse, the feathers at this stage dietary requirements of toucans. Iron with wire; the outer two being station­ are blood feathers and need to be accumulation and protein deficiency ary and the middle one sliding in immediately pulled if broken, other­ occurred in some of my birds, even either direction in front of them. I did wise the bird will lose a lot ofblood. though all the birds were on the same not try to introduce the babies back Since all the birds had been fed the diet. There are many variables that we 'I into the adults' cage because of the same diet, I figured the problem might have yet tc :.lOderstand and, unfortun­ 11 tocos' aggressive behavior. In fact, to .~ be environmental. Two birds were ately, toucans are but a very small per­ I this day I'm amazed that the baby tocos sharing the same cage and the perches centage ofthe pet bird population.• I 38 June/July 1988 I I Know more about your birds-.

Do you know: ~ ~ How an egg is formed? If birds do need exercise? If grit is necessary in the diet? ~S==~~~~~~======~~ Why the birds mut turn their eggs? UNo other avicultural Why the air space in the egg is important? Why young birds are more prone to sickness? book like itJ" How birds adapt to the changes in the weather? "Rnally, a book which explains If learned behaviors can be passed on to offspring? the biology ofbirds in terms that Why birds don't fall off their perches when sleeping? the average reader can understand. " "The trip through reproduction and egg This book explains: development makes one look at the birds Avian reproduction + Egg formation life cycle with new wonder. " Chick Development + Digestion Understanding : read it Feather structure and color + Flight from cover to cover, or use it as a reference How birds are named + Nutrition book. Contains glossary, full index and orig­ Avian genetics + Sense organs inal art. Hardbound. Over 300 pages. Price is $21.95 plus $2.00 shipping & handling. Patrick G. Coyle, a professor of biology, has been keeping (California residents att 6% sales tax) and breeding birds for over 15 years. He also teaches a very popular class in aviculture. The author excels at MAIL ONLY combining his scientific background with his personal interest in birds to present avian information that is both Summit Publications, Dept. W interesting and useful. 11565 Sunset Knolls Rd., Lakeside, CA 92040

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