I have some big news. It is both a little sad as well as exciting, though before I share it, I’d like to first ask for your kindness. This has been a very difficult time for us, many months in the making, and because we have shared so much of our lives with the toucans publicly, it is out of both friendship and respect that I am providing you all with this letter. However, in opening myself up like this, I am really hoping for your empathy, as internet cruelty and harsh judgments are not something I need right now.

We have come to the decision that it is time to find a new home for the Three-Cans. It breaks my heart so much to have come to this conclusion – I’ve been struggling with this for a long time now. In adopting these birds, I made a commitment to provide them with the best possible life for the rest of their lives. And this next step is keeping that promise and upgrading their lives in a way that is beyond my own reach. Keeping them to myself would be a purely selfish choice at this point. I know it’s the right decision for all of our lives. They are healthy birds, and I think there is a potential that they could live many more years, and I want to ensure those years are even better than their last ones with us. I love these three toucans so much, which is a big part of the reason I want more for them. I am not enough, our situation is not enough.

When we adopted the Three-Cans out of the crappy dolphinarium they were in here in the British Virgin Islands, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. David, my boyfriend, had some past experience with parrots and assumed that caring for toucans would be similar to that of caring for parrots. But it’s not – not even close. For me, in parrot-sitting a friend’s African Grey for 4 weeks recently, it brought all of this into glaring focus. Parrots, while a high-maintenance commitment in their own ways, are much better suited as pets in comparison to toucans.

When we took on the Three-Cans, there was so little information out there about toucans, we just jumped in blind with the goal of providing these birds with a much better life. And we have significantly increased their quality of life over these past 4 years, though it has come at a huge sacrifice to our own lives. It is no exaggeration to say that caring for these birds has taken over our lives in ways we never wanted or anticipated. This is why I have spent so much effort on my Toucans as Pets page here on this website – there is no way we would have ever signed up for this had we had any clue of the realities of their care before we adopted them.

Though I have constant anxiety that this sounds horribly selfish, I must admit defeat – I just can’t do this anymore. We have sacrificed so much for these birds in time, money, and energy, and it has come at too great a price – having to prioritize their needs above our own has been detrimental to our life together, my career, and my overall well-being. I share this not as a means to evoke pity or to complain, but because I want to be honest. I’ve always wanted this site to be an accurate account of life with toucans, not a glossy depiction by a breeder with ulterior motives. If you have followed our adventures for any length of time, you know that I am a committed, animal-loving person who adores her pets and is willing to sacrifice a lot for them, however, having toucans has nearly broken me. These birds should never be kept as household pets. They need to be in a zoo-like setting with multiple caregivers available to attend to their needs. As two people on a little island with no backup, it is simply too much work. These past four years, without a true break in their constant demands, have taken a heavy toll on us.

On that note, I am pleased to share that we have found a fantastic new home for Paco, Paz, and Pepe. They will be moving just a short boat ride away to neighboring Necker Island. Necker is a private island next to the one we reside on owned by Sir Richard Branson and is home to a variety of animals from lemurs, to flamingos, to parrots, to tortoises. All of the animals on Necker are incredibly well-cared for by a team of keepers, receive regular veterinary care, are enriched, and enjoy spacious, natural habitats. The Three-Cans will be no exception.

If you’d like to find out more about Necker Island and its animals, check out this post and accompanying video.

Also, a bird friend who we met through this site, Vicki of Braveheart Dogs and Birds, visited us a few months back and had the opportunity to check-out Necker Island and tour the animal set-ups herself. You can read about her experience in this blog post.

I’m so excited for the opportunities ahead for the Three-Cans. Due to our friendship with the Necker team and close proximity, David and I are able to be closely involved in making sure this is as smooth of a transition as possible for the birds. We are helping to design appropriate aviaries for them on Necker to move into for now, and are training Necker’s keepers with the birds so they can all get to know one another slowly, still here at our house to start.

As Necker continues to evolve its animal programs, they have some impressive plans for the coming years that will be beneficial for the toucans as well. With more space, I’m hoping that Paz and Paco may even come to be socialized together as a pair in time. They both expressed interest in one another this past mating season, though their current aviaries were too small for us to safely introduce them to one another. Pepe is going to continue to be provided with a special, altered aviary to protect him from hurting himself if/when he falls.

I know many of you have enjoyed watching the special relationship Paco and I have shared almost as much as I have. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to earn his trust and interact so closely with such an incredible creature. However, this past mating season in particular has helped me to realize just how unnatural and stressful this relationship actually is to him. It hurt my heart to listen to him croak for me incessantly, not understanding why his “mate” wasn’t by his side 24/7. It is my hope that by removing my constant presence from the equation, he may be able to accept Paz fully and enjoy companionship within his own species. I am confident that he will move on quickly and with little stress. Though he is attached to me to a degree, it is important to remember he is still a wild, undomesticated animal – he is not a dog. Whenever I have gone out of town, both David and our vet/sitter have let me know how quickly he moves on with his life and adjusts fine in my absence. He will be provided with plenty of attention and enrichment on Necker Island. I feel assured that the transition will be positive for all three of them.

I know this is hard to hear, but I hope you can understand what a difficult letter this was for me to write. I also hope that knowing what you know of me, my commitment to these birds, and my deep love and respect for them, I would never put them in harm’s way and have done my due diligence to ensure they will be as well cared for, if not better, than they have been with us.

To those of you who have shared the joys and the hardships with us, great and small, I’d like to thank you for your friendship. Of the many wonderful things having the toucans has brought into my life, among the top was the opportunity to connect with all of you amazing people.

With love,

Chrissann

If you would like to keep in touch with us, here are some ways you can do so:

Subscribe to this blog (in the sidebar) – I may provide future updates on the Three-Cans or toucans in general and this will allow you to be notified of any new posts.

If you’d like to stay in touch with me personally, you can visit my website and/or follow me on Instagram @womanonarock for daily snapshots from my life in the Caribbean.

parrots vs toucans as pets – what’s the difference?

Oftentimes, people who are considering a toucan as a pet tell me, “I know what it takes to care for high-maintenance pet birds. I’ve had parrots for years.” And while I respect the amount of work that’s called for to properly keep parrots, I try to discourage people from believing that having toucans as pets is “just like” having parrots. While there are some basic similarities, it is important to understand that toucans are very different birds with many distinct care requirements that go beyond what is typical for the average parrot.

I have been incredibly fortunate to connect with two fellow toucan ladies, both of whom have much more experience than I when it comes to caring for toucans and parrots and are thus more qualified to make the comparisons for us here. In this interview, they graciously share their insights on keeping toucans as pets and how, specifically, it contrasts with keeping parrots.

Meet Jennifer and Dana

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer Phillips (JP) has worked with animals personally and professionally for her entire life. She was a zookeeper at the LA Zoo and Playboy Mansion, and has also worked as an avian rehabilitator and hand-feeder, a docent at the Bronx Zoo, and in animal husbandry at the California Wolf Center. Jennifer has studied animal training and behavior at Natural Encounters, BehaviorWorks, Dog*Tec, the Academy for Dog Trainers, and Cornell’s Bird Biology Program. She currently works at a veterinary behavior practice, Synergy Behavior Solutions, in Portland, Oregon. In June of this year, Jennifer realized her dream of attending Bob Bailey’s Chicken Camp! In the past, Jennifer has owned budgies, cockatiels, canaries, finches, honeycreepers, and Indian Ringneck parakeets. She has also worked with all types of wild birds including corvids, songbirds, flamingos, cranes, hornbills, waterfowl, and all types of softbills and hookbills. She currently shares her home with two Congo African Grey parrots, one Timneh African Grey parrot, two Green aracaris, and two lovable mutts.

Meet Dana

Dana Kozak (DK) is a 40 year old single woman who works as a Project Manager in the aerospace industry. She is a Los Angeles native who has always had a need and desire for animals in her life. In the past, she has owned ravens, finches, lovebirds, Collared aracaris, Chestnut-eared aracaris, and a Swainson’s toucan. Dana currently shares her home with three Collared aracaris, a Blue & Gold macaw, and a Pacific parrotlet.

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What are your general thoughts on keeping toucans as pets? 

JP: Green aracaris are very gregarious and can be extremely charming pets! Still, it’s important to realize they are not domestic animals like cats and dogs, they can be difficult and expensive to keep, and they may display less than desirable behaviors seasonally. Their requirements may be more than what the average bird owner is willing (or even has the capacity and resources) to deal with.

The first consideration in keeping toucans is housing. Aracaris need space for flight and room to hop from branch to branch. I would not recommend clipping the wings on toucans or aracaris. I currently house my two Green aracaris in an 80in x 40in x 74in flight cage.

aracari indoor aviary

While I understand the reasons why pet owners clip parrots’ wings, I don’t think those reasons are justifiable with a Green aracari or any other toucan. The allowance of free flight in a home has serious safety considerations – open toilets, ceiling fans, glass windows, and other household pets are all potentially deadly hazards.

While it is true that the smaller Green aracaris do not constantly scream like a macaw can, they can be extremely noisy and have high decibel contact calls. The larger toucan vocalizations vary: Tocos tend to “croak” more than Swainson’s, who have a very high-pitched warning call (as do Collared and Chestnut-eared aracaris).

DK: This is probably the worst question to ever have to answer. For me, I don’t believe that it is really a why/why not or a should/shouldn’t. The thing is, with all of the challenges that it takes to keep toucans, you end up having to adapt to them, not the other way around. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re in for a world of hurt as a toucan owner. Trust me, I used to have a normal life before toucans… I wish I could say the same now!

Here are just a few thoughts on toucans as pets, starting with the most obvious:

They fly incredibly fast. It can be quite surprising just how fast they can be, especially when they decide to fly at someone’s face. And this WILL happen. These are not good birds to have around kids – someone will eventually lose an eye.

Cleaning up after them is a challenge. They sling fruit everywhere while they eat. And since they are the kind of birds that have to eat frequently throughout the day, it’s pretty much sunrise to sunset that itty bitty pieces of fruit are flung onto walls, windows, floors, and cage bars. Sometimes it can even hit the ceilings. Cleaning dried fruit off of these surfaces is not only difficult, it can also be very destructive.

toucan poo bomb

They will also find and eat anything they come across, which can literally just shred their digestive systems and kill them. Unlike parrots, they don’t know what they’re eating. Even something as simple as a staple – if found and swallowed by a toucan, they’ll die. You have to be very careful with everything in the house around these birds. Years ago, I had an issue with one of my current Collared aracaris. I noticed that she hadn’t been eating for most of the day. When I took a closer look and examined her, I realized she had swallowed one of my hair ties, and it was lodged down her throat. These things can and will happen. In that case, I was lucky it was just a hair tie and not an earring I had lost on the floor.

Finding an avian vet that has ever treated or understands toucans can also be challenging. I live in LA, and out of hundreds and hundreds of vets, it appears that there are only three who I can go to, and one of those three is over an hour drive away. Granted, I could go to any avian vet, but the last time I did, I was the one who had to do all the explaining about iron storage disease.

Next thing to consider is the toucan diet from two different standpoints. Availability and quality is the first. I cannot tell you how many times I have been unable to find blueberries or papaya (the main base of their diet) at any given time. During the month of December, I could not find blueberries or raspberries anywhere for weeks – and blueberries equal the quantity of papaya in my birds’ diet. So this leaves me with the only option of papaya, pear, banana, and a little kiwi – for weeks. And one of my Collared aracaris won’t eat pear, so he has only three options of different foods daily (I will explain more about the consequence of this shortly). Then, February came and papaya was not available anywhere. I couldn’t find any for about 2 1/2 weeks. Yes, I can feed other fruits like peaches and plums, but these are sometimes not available either. Not a single one of my birds will touch cantaloupe or apples, so those options are out. Then there’s the quality issue. If I buy five papayas, I will more than likely end up tossing out at least one of them. All the fruit they eat has to be ripe, otherwise they won’t eat it (take a look at my shopping list below, as you can imagine, it just thrills me to have to throw fruit out!).

keepers of the fruit

Feeding toucans is costly. Here’s my typical shopping list for a week to feed 3 Collared aracaris:

5 papaya = $20
blueberries = $18
raspberries = $12
pear = $4
banana = $2
kiwi = $7
mango = $3
Total fruit bill for a week = $66

Understanding the toucan diet is very important too, and I think the significance of this is often dismissed. I’ve had three rescue toucans that have all had serious health issues based mostly on diet as far as I’m concerned. Two had severe gout (missing toes, stumps for feet, loss of tongues, feather loss from having to crawl on the bottom of a cage rather than a perch). All of these issues went away with a simple diet change over the course of a few months, with the exception of the permanent damage, obviously. The last rescue to come into my house has other issues. He never fully grew, his eye color never changed, he’s half the size of a normal Collared, and is the only toucan I have ever seen that self-mutilates. I suspect poor breeding stock may have contributed to this, but moreover, I believe it was the fact that the seller (a backyard breeder) had told the owner only to feed him cantaloupe. So that was his only diet for the first FOUR YEARS of his life. If that was all you had to eat for four years, you’d probably be self-mutilating too. Or suffering from gout.

Is there a difference, in your opinions, to keeping the larger species of toucans as pets in comparison to the smaller species such as aracaris and toucanets?

JP: I can’t speak towards the pet angle… but I worked with large and small toucans at Playboy and EFBG. I found the large toucans to be much more docile, and definitely slower moving than the smaller guys.

Of all the aracaris, I’d only recommend Greens, Collareds, and Curl-Cresteds as pets. Guyanas, Ivory-billed, Chestnut Rumps, etc. usually end in disaster. I have heard of one or two Emerald toucanets that have done well in homes – but only with extremely knowledgeable owners.

DK: Aracaris definitely make better pets, in my opinion, though the larger ones seem to be more docile. Collared aracaris can be a little temperamental, but the Chestnut-eareds and the Curl-Cresteds I’ve met have all been incredibly sweet. The smaller aracaris tend to be more high-strung and don’t seem to remain as tame for as long as the larger aracaris. The Ivory-billed aracari seems to be a perfect example. Toucanets… forget it. They belong in aviaries.

Having had a Swainson’s, I would say that there isn’t really all that much difference besides the size… and the NOISE! The calls he made, which was daily, were deafening. They also need an enormous amount of space.

How is keeping toucans as pets similar to keeping parrots?

JP: They are similar in very general terms: very messy, time-consuming, entertaining, rewarding. They pose the same problems encountered by anyone that wants to keep flighted animals in their home: air quality issues (no Teflon, no perfume sprays, no scented candles, etc.), potential danger from window strikes, ceiling fans, other pets in the home, escape risk, behavioral problems, minimum time outside cages, etc.

DK: It’s night and day.

How is keeping toucans as pets different than keeping parrots?

JP: This is a very difficult question to answer, and so important that current toucan owners need to stress to potential owners. It is VERY different. Also, every type of toucan/aracari/toucanet is different, and each have a unique personality. The watery poop, high expense, and large cage requirements are the obvious detriments. And these are huge considerations to a potential owner. I am at the market several times a week and spend a considerable amount of my salary towards their diet.

My three African Grey parrots live with only me, so they are naturally wary of strangers in the house. They are flighted and have the option of flying away from strangers, which is what they usually do when they don’t feel safe. On the flip side, my aracaris will fly AT danger – including faces. Keep in mind that I do a lot of behavioral work and training with all animals, personally and professionally, but some things will always be a matter of arranging the environment for the animal to succeed, as well as management. If your desire is to have a toucan that happily plays with everyone… realize that a very young bird does not necessarily display the same behavior as a sexually mature bird.

Toucans and aracaris will pick up ANYTHING they can get in their beaks. Unlike a hookbill which may manipulate items with its feet and roll it around in its mouth, my aracaris will just swallow things. Any stray paper clips, nails, screws, loose coins, etc. are all potential hazards.

mischief maker

Toucan play is also very different from parrot play. Parrots like to climb, swing upside down, crawl, shred, and chew. Toucans like to fly, hop, and bash things against perches. Many of my aracaris’ favorite toys are small, flexible items that they can carry in their beaks and crack against the sides of their cage. These toys are constantly ending up covered in poop on the bottom of the cage and must be rotated often. While they aren’t technically shredders, they will occasionally tear at the newspaper on the bottom of the cage. As cavity nesters, they often hammer away at the sides of the cages as if they are trying to hollow out a space. Some owners solve this by providing the birds with a log to excavate. This works well and provides enrichment, but it does promote breeding behaviors that many owners find incompatible with keeping a pet.

My suggestion is for any potential owners to spend time with an aracari or toucan that lives in a home setting before making the commitment. Wipe blueberry poop off the walls, lose a few clothes to stains, see what the management is like with other animals (NOTE: my aracaris are ALWAYS separate from my parrots).

On the plus side, my aracaris are much more receptive to body handling (with no prior training) than my parrots. Members of my immediate family and friends can easily handle the aracaris, while the parrots are more hands-off. Plus, they love to dive down the front of t-shirts. I find this delightful, but I have had houseguests find it a little irritating or otherwise aversive. They also “vibrate” when they are being pet or snuggled which is very charming.

aracari down the shirt

DK: Aside from the things I’ve mentioned above, the cage requirements and toy requirements are very different. Toucans need horizontally longer cages. They can’t climb like parrots do, so the dynamics are very different. The same goes for toys. They need toys they can bash and bang around that can’t be swallowed.

What makes toucans such challenging pets in comparison to parrots?

JP: The top challenges are proper diet, housing, and cost. Depending on where you live, toucan diets can be extremely expensive. To compare: I moved from Southern California (where South American produce is relatively easy to find) to the Pacific Northwest, where it is double the cost for fruit and much less available. For two small Green aracaris, my weekly fruit bill is roughly $60-80+ for fruit, plus Mazuri Softbill pellets and ZuLife gel. I can only order these directly from Mazuri, and shipping can well exceed $60 per shipment (not including the cost of the products).

The toucan diet needs to be made fresh. I know some folks have been able to keep food in the fridge for a few days or freeze it. I’ve never found this to be possible, and my birds will rarely eat anything older than a day – at most. This means chopping fruit twice per day. I visit the market several times a week looking for produce. My parrots are a bit easier to feed as they eat a veggie/bean/legume/grain mash that I can prepare in advance and freeze for a week, plus pellets. I haven’t actually sat down to do the math, but I estimate that the cost for two aracaris is 3-4 times more expensive than what my three parrots’ diet costs.

parrot mash can be made in bulk

Also, as toucans do not have a crop like parrots do, they eat constantly rather than just a bowl of food twice a day. Fresh fruit must be available at all times. My two aracaris eat roughly two cups of fruit and pellets per day – all that fruit is partially digested and then pooped out… everywhere.

I’ve heard it said that toucans are less messy. This is both true and false. Toucans do not shred paper and wood toys in the same way a parrot does, but they do fling their wet, sticky fruit on everything. Truly, I’ve found blueberries splattered on the wall, several feet from their cage. Prospective toucan owners need to be prepared for sticky fruit on everything… sticky stuff that stains. My house is a series of splash guards and curtains. While poop is poop, I’ve never found my parrots’ poop on the ceiling or staining the curtains.

Another misconception is that toucans do not bite as hard as parrots. Again, I haven’t found this to be entirely accurate. Parrots – especially macaws and amazons – can produce a truly nasty bite. What toucans have is incredible beak pressure. I’ve had to pry a Chestnut-eared aracari’s beak off fingers, and it was not easy! Plus, aracaris have more of a “fly at your face” tactic. The softbill boards are full of sad stories of toucans and aracaris stabbing wrists, harming household pets’ eyeballs, etc. (A quick word about that: Toucans are generally fearless. If you have dogs or cats in your home, it will be constant management and training to keep everyone safe. My dogs are trained to self-crate or scatter if a toucan lands on the floor – and they can never be left unattended).

DK: They’re more challenging as pets for all the reasons I’ve mentioned above. I don’t have to deal with any of that with my macaw.

Can toucans be housed and/or allowed to “play” with each other safely?

JP: Like parrots, or any bird species, this depends on the individual birds. My aracaris are housed together, though this creates some very difficult challenges during the pre-spring and spring breeding season (they are not breeding pairs). There can be some intense territoriality displayed when two birds are housed in this manner. These birds are FAST. Much faster than a parrot and it can make management hard, if not impossible, for the average pet bird owner.

When I moved from California to Portland, there was a short period of time when my birds had to be housed in a smaller cage. This resulted in severe aggression, and they had to be separated. In their larger cage, they do very well. Again, just remember that by “larger”, I’m talking about a cage that takes up my entire living room.

And again I note, my toucans and parrots are ALWAYS kept separately.

DK: Yes, for the most part aracaris can be housed together. I’ve had four Collared aracaris at the most living together. There was only one in that group that didn’t get along with everyone else. Oddly enough, two of those four are my current Collareds and neither of them get along with the little rescued one I mentioned earlier. The different species, however, tend to not mix at all, at least in my experience. My Collared aracaris have lived with Chestnut-eared aracaris and Green aracaris, and there has never been any positive interactions.

What are some things you can do with parrots that you cannot do with toucans?

JP: Good question, and I’m not sure I can answer this fully. Some parrot owners clip wings or harness their birds and take them out in public. My particular birds find it to be aversive and, after a few attempts, I keep them on my property. The danger of flooding is too much a risk for my particular flock. That said, I know many toucans that visit bird fairs, pose for pictures on the streets, and wear harnesses.

Traditionally, it’s not easy to find a parrot-sitter when you want to go out of town… it’s even more difficult for toucans. My parrots eat a detailed diet of veggie/legume/bean/grain mash, coupled with freshly-cut veggies and pellets, which is difficult enough. Finding someone who will come to your home and chop fresh fruit twice a day for toucans is an even bigger challenge. The same goes for finding an avian vet that specializes in softbills. Avian vets are few and far between – and one that can accurately diagnose and treat a toucan is even rarer.

Do you have any other final notes you’d like to share?

JP: Good breeders will be very selective when placing a toucan in a home. They will stress the challenges of owning a toucan, and will discriminately choose suitable environments for their birds. While I don’t always express things eloquently, I cannot stress how different keeping toucans is from keeping hookbills/parrots. The challenges, costs, and housing considerations are much steeper. If you are willing to go the extra mile, have adequate funds, and are willing to put in the time needed for good husbandry and healthy diet… then a toucan may be the right match for you. As always, before taking on any new animal into your home, do the research, talk to current owners, calculate the food bill, and experience gallons of watery poop!

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Special thanks to Jennifer and Dana for all your insights!

If you’d like to connect with them directly,
you can find them on Instagram as
@ghetto_birdz and @danashawnie respectively.

All the photos in this post were provided by Jennifer and Dana.

I’m sure you’ve already heard the news but just in case, here it is…. we moved!! All of us – me, Paz, Pepe, David, and the Toucan Lady. It was a big day for us so I thought I’d share some of the details and the Toucan Lady took plenty of pictures (of course – seriously, her and that iPhone!) for me to include. So here goes!

For the whole week, the Toucan Lady (aka Chrissann, aka my BFF, aka my mate, aka my love, aka my One and Only…) kept telling us something but we weren’t sure exactly what. My Humanese is much better than Paz and Pepe (because I am the bestest!) but even I wasn’t 100% sure what she was trying to say. But I knew it was important. So when that morning came and she put Paz and Pepe into their crates, I knew that this must be what she had been talking about. We were going somewhere! I didn’t know if it was just inside the house or if it was far, but I didn’t want to miss out so I hopped right into my backpack and was super duper excited to find out what was happening next.

After me, Paz, and the Pepster were all together, we got into the boat. We were going on a boat ride! Paz was definitely skeptical and Pepe was suspicious but the Toucan Lady sat right next to us, so I wasn’t really that afraid because I am the bravest. I still croaked loud a couple of times to make sure every other boat we passed by knew I was on the boat but also because my voice is amazing. And when I croak, it makes Pepe croak, and that makes me feel powerful. Mwahaha!

Bye bye, Saba Rock!

Here’s another one of me – I’m on a boat!!

Once the boat stopped, David and another friend put Paz and Pepe into the back of a truck because their crates are too big for the car. David sat in the back with them so they wouldn’t be too scared and to make sure they were safe. I’ll admit it – he’s a pretty nice guy – so long as he’s clear that the Toucan Lady is MINE.

I got to ride in the car with the Toucan Lady because I get hot in my backpack and, you know, because I’m awesome.

Shotgun!

The car ride was something new for me. I’ve never really seen one before (at least from what I can remember) but there was air in my face and it felt good. And out the window, I saw cows, sheep, people, and lots of ocean.

Look at those sheep!

I watched Paz and Pepe and David too – they were in front of us the whole time.

We flock together

The car ride wasn’t that long and before I knew it, the Toucan Lady let me out of my backpack into what she said was my new house! All mine! It’s much bigger than my old house and it feels like I’m in the jungle!! Plus, my favorite rope perches were there, my swing was in there, a big bowl of papaya (my fav!) was there, and even my favorite toys were there!! And it’s so quiet here – no more tourists!

Check it out – that’s me!!

The Pepster lives right next door, just like before, which is fun so we can still talk to each other and show off our toys to each other. He told me that he was happy to have the same special floor like he had before, so he doesn’t fall down and hurt himself. Plus, he even got some slightly higher perches because he’s getting better at not falling as much.

Here’s Mr. Pepe’s house!

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Paz also lives next door to me and Pepe and has the same size house as me! She was REALLY excited to have more space, flying everywhere and playing on her swing (she’s obsessed with that thing!). Paz seems like she’s the happiest of us all because all the people, kites, and boats at our last home made her nervous. She doesn’t sound off her croak alarm much anymore and has been more confident than ever!

Look how happy Paz is! Almost as happy as me!!

The best part of our new house is that our new aviaries get lots more sunshine and we LOVE to sunbathe. We have been really busy zoning out in the sun and all this writing is keeping me from it, so I really should get back to it…

I hope you all liked the pictures – we just LOVE our new home!!

xo, Paco Taco

When we adopted the Three-Cans two years ago, we made the decision to build their aviaries in the tropical garden of the resort we reside on. David manages the island, which is why we have lived on-property for the past few years. We did not have the space necessary to house the birds in our private apartment, so the resort’s owner kindly allowed us to build their enclosures outdoors. It seemed like the perfect solution for everyone – we had an unbelievably beautiful spot for the toucans to live and the resort got a new attraction for the tourists to enjoy.

Unfortunately, having not been in this type of situation before, there was a lot I failed to consider about this opportunity. And I can honestly say now that if I had really understood all it would entail, I would never have chosen this for us humans or the birds.

I don’t wish to sound ungrateful or overly negative. We have so much appreciation for the resort and its owner for accommodating the Three-Cans on this little rock for the past two years. But because one of my main goals with this website is to share what I learn with others, I figured I’d list out some of the challenges associated with housing your pets in a public space, should anyone be considering it or be curious as to some of the reasons why I do not recommend it and therefore will never do it again.

DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE

I have been truly shocked by the behavior of my fellow human beings throughout this experience. We built a rail around the aviaries in hopes that it would keep people a safe distance away from the enclosures, but it is nowhere near enough. It is a perpetual source of stress for me, as I am constantly having to police the area (I can watch over the aviaries from my kitchen window) for people harassing the birds. I can never go out for the day without being worried about what is happening in my absence.

I have been absolutely stunned to witness people screaming/yelling obnoxious sounds at them, throwing things at them (rocks, big almond pods from our tree, orange peels from their drinks, etc.), shoving their cameras and flashes in the Cans’ faces, smoking, and crawling over the rails to further harass the birds by pounding on their aviary walls and sticking things like straws through the wire. It is not just unsupervised children either (though they are the bane of my current existence) but adults of all backgrounds and ages, teenagers, you name it.

PET SAFETY

Besides harassing and frightening the birds, my biggest concern is keeping people from feeding them/giving them hazardous and poisonous items. Toucans have very specific diets and can get sick very easily if fed the wrong thing. They also have a tendency to swallow anything small or interesting. If someone were to give them something dangerous (ie. nails, screws, candy wrappers, mints/gum, straws, chapstick, etc.) they could choke and die. We have signs asking people not to feed the birds, but that doesn’t stop them from trying at times. As much as I try to guard the birds, I still find orange peels, straws, maraschino cherries, chips, and the like around their aviaries. This is why they have moats and high walls around the animals at zoos – it’s not the people they are protecting but the animals from the people.

LACK OF PRIVACY

I never realized how much I value my privacy until I had none. Every time I go out to care for the birds – multiple times per day doing training, cleaning, feeding, and enrichment – I can never count on being peacefully alone with them. Tourists stroll up to the aviaries and want to chat and ask me a constant stream of questions, regardless of what other activity I am engaged in. Even the people who don’t wish to converse make me feel uncomfortable, just standing there staring at the Cans and, by association, me. I have come to understand and relate to the unengaged boredom zoo animals have with those who visit them.

The lack of privacy is particularly challenging at times when you just want to focus on your interactions with the birds without distraction, such as during training sessions, vet appointments, and other emergencies. There are also plenty of times when you just want to take care of your birds without worrying if you look presentable or not. When I wake up the Three-Cans at 5:15 am in my PJs with no makeup on, it is really unpleasant to run into people – even more so when they want to engage you in conversation.

ANSWERING THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER

I realize this sounds like a petty complaint, but I think it’s worth noting. In the beginning, I really enjoyed educating people about the toucans (at least those not asking the annoying questions I’ve come to loathe) but after two years of giving the same responses to the same questions each and every day so frequently, sometimes within minutes of my last response, over and over again, it gets tiresome. There are many times I wish I could hang a Do Not Disturb  sign off my neck just so I can stop playing the same sentences on repeat, as though I’ve been previously recorded like some animatronic version of myself.

People generally tend to ask the same handful of questions (a lot of which are answered on the sign in front of them) and while their interest is piqued, mine has long waned as I drone on, repeating for the 718th time what the toucans eat. It’s not the fault of the curious onlooker, but more my decision to put my birds (and therefore, myself) in a public space, which means I can never enjoy my time with them alone. People think I’m a paid zookeeper, here to answer their every wondering, but I’m just a woman who wants to play with her birds over the next hour and a half without constant interruption and having to conduct conversations that exhaust me with their monotony.

DEALING WITH CRITICISM AND JUDGMENT

This has been a particularly difficult one for me and has unfortunately instilled a bit of a defensive edge to my demeanor when strangers approach me and start pummeling me with questions about the birds. I wrote a post on it awhile back called, If You Judge, Investigate  and I often wish I had a printed copy handy to thrust into people’s judgmental palms.

While I share these types of peoples’ sentiments in regards to not liking to see birds in cages, what I cannot justify is their immediate harsh criticism about a situation they know nothing about without doing the smallest bit of research (for example, reading the sign in front of them). I have had people condemn me out loud, directly in front of me, under the guise of explaining their position on people (in this case, me) keeping animals in captivity to their children: “Some people are just very selfish, sweetie, and take away animals’ freedom.” I have had plenty of people approach the aviaries and immediately say to me with unhidden disgust, “Don’t you even feel bad about what you’re doing to these animals?”

As someone who spends 5+ hours of my time each and every day, working hard to enrich the lives of these birds, this can be tough to take and, at times, downright infuriating. Yes, I do my best to explain to them the reality of the situation – I didn’t import them here, we adopted them out of a crappy setting; This is not their natural habitat and they unfortunately can’t be released – but it gets really old, really quickly having to defend myself so vehemently to people who have no clue. If they were truly animal/bird people, they could clearly see that these birds live in spacious, clean aviaries with tons of enrichment, including a caring human giving them loads of attention. These are not abused, neglected animals and it is upsetting to me having people suggest as much.

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Anyway, I do apologize for the trip to Negative Town! While this experience has not been entirely undesirable – I have been lucky to meet a few wonderful people while out at the aviaries – it is not something I will repeat again for all of the above reasons. It has really only been sustainable for this abbreviated stretch of time and we are all looking forward to moving on. We have great things ahead and lots to look forward to – privacy, bigger aviaries for each Can, and much more. I’ll still be posting daily on our Facebook page and here on the blog with new and interesting developments in our goofy toucan lives. Now – time to get packed!

In the spirit of collaboration, I’d thought I’d share some of my techniques in managing hormonal behaviors with our three Toco toucans that has led to less drama and more peaceful interactions in our lives. While there are some basic similarities, each of the Three-Cans has their own unique quirks that require training focus on my end to maintain a positive relationship with them.

First and foremost, we ensure we are setting our environment up for success by removing anything that will encourage or inspire mating behaviors – this includes reassessing the games we play with the Cans this time of year. Toys and games that are typically not a problem for us can increase aggression if we’re not careful.

big boxes are a “no-no” during mating season

In training, my favored approach in managing mating season behaviors is redirection. Rather than creating a negative experience for the bird by punishing its behavior (whether it be by yelling “no!”/”bad”, forcibly taking things away, etc.), I instead redirect the bird’s focus onto more positive pursuits. This often feels like you’re breaking a spell by snapping the bird out of its hormone-induced fog and back into normalcy. It truly feels like magic sometimes!

Here are some examples:

Paz, our female, becomes very pre-occupied with her desire to mate this time of the year and shows little interest in much else beyond trying to entice the boys with treats through her wall and emptying her toy containers in a nesting-like fashion. We are mindful to not provide her with toy containers (boxes, bags, baskets, etc.) that are too large or cavernous to further add to their nest potential in her eyes. Even still, she has a tendency to become very defensive over her toys, attempting to attack us at times when we need to move them or replace their contents.

Watch out for Ms. Paz

In these moments, we divert her aggression by simply asking her to move away from the situation that is triggering her. I have target trained each of the Three-Cans and phased out the target stick long ago; now they understand that if I point to a spot and say “perch”, that is where they need to move to. When Paz gets combative with us for touching her toys, we target her to another perch (reward her), cue another learned behavior such as “spin” (reward her), and she calms back down and allows us to handle her toys without intrusion.

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Pepe can be very Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde during mating season. One moment, he’s as sweet as can be, taking treats and allowing me to kiss his beak and the next minute, he turns into his hormone-pumped alter ego, Little Dragon. While Little Dragon is still just as hilariously adorable as The Pepster (perhaps even more so in his tiny fury), Little Dragon is angry and wants to bite me.

“catch” makes Little Dragon disappear

This mating season, Pepe tends to get very territorial and defensive of his food bowls with me. For reasons I have not been able to determine, Little Dragon always makes his appearance at the lunchtime feeding. In order for me to access Pepe’s food bowls, I must reach my arm into his enclosure and under the perch where he is typically always sitting when the door is open. Most of the time, this is a non-issue and I can reach around Pepe all I want without him making a fuss. But when Little Dragon is in full swing, he’s prepared to defend his bowls with a wild snapping beak. To avoid getting bitten and, more importantly, avoid reinforcing aggressive behavior, I redirect Little Dragon’s attention with a game of catch. By enticing him with his favorite activity, Pepe quickly snaps back to his old self, happily tossing his toys and allowing me to exchange his food bowls without incident.

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Paco, while typically our quietest Can, is much more croak-y during mating season, frequently calling out to me, his chosen”mate”, throughout the day. And while his croaks aren’t super loud like a parrot’s piercing screams, the monotony of it can still get aggravating, particularly because I am always worried that something is actually wrong. Most of the rest of the year, if the Cans are croaking, it’s because something (or someone) is upsetting them and I always go to check. However, during mating season, it is imperative that Paco doesn’t see me answering his call with my presence (read: rewarding him), which can increase both the frequency and the insistence of his croaking.

minding the croakster

Beyond simply not rewarding it, the other way I minimize Paco’s increased croaking is by not encouraging any mating behaviors with me: I do not provide him with nest-like toys to “call” me to; I always redirect his advances and never allow him to hump me; I do not allow him to stick his head in my shirts (a nest-y behavior he tried to start this season); and I try not to encourage him feeding me.

A Toco toucan courtship behavior is passing food or other valued objects between their beaks. And while this is a toucan trait that I adore, it can get exhausting during mating season. This time of the year, Paco can get very insistent about wanting to give me things so I do my best to either ignore him (if I am outside of his aviary) or redirect his attention (if I am inside of his aviary).

offering me his blueberry

When Paco wants to give me something, he will hold it in the tip of his beak and purr constantly until I take it from him. He then expectantly waits for me to give it back to him, so we can continue the courtship passing game. He can literally continue this for 20+ passes if I let him so to redirect his attention, I cue behaviors in between the passes and conduct an impromptu training session. Not only does this lower the number of repetitions in passing, but it re-focuses his mind on training and he’s learning much more quickly than usual due to the higher number of training sessions I’m able to sneak in. Win win!

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For me, I’ve found that the key to making it through mating season without damaging my relationship with my birds is to keep things focused on the positive and remain highly vigilant that I’m not reinforcing any negative behaviors that could potentially continue once mating season is over. While it’s not my favorite time of the year, mating season is made manageable with training and we all come out of it just as close, if not closer, than we were at the start of it.

While I fully expected this transition to arrive, I wasn’t sure how long it would take and was hoping I could ride the novelty factor for as long as possible; especially since he only comes inside for a few hours at a time, a few days per week. However, toucans are so incredibly intelligent and boundlessly energetic, they tend to get bored of pretty much everything much more rapidly than your average bear.

Paco’s ease with the indoors has been a gradual one. Those of you who have been following our adventures from the beginning will remember how he used to be incredibly fearful of coming inside the house, I suspect because he had probably never been inside before in his life. But with time and training, we were able to overcome his fear together and replace it with a sense of wonder. If I really think about it, we’ve had a good run just exploring every little household item and its new-to-him-ness over this past year or so. Now, the things in the house that were once so full of intrigue have become mundane: the mirrors are now just mirrors, not another invading toucan in our midst; the pillows are still sort of fun to wrestle with, but because we’ve now determined that they’re not  monsters, they no longer need to be attacked with such vigor.

Our house is not very big. We live in a two-bedroom apartment whose best feature is the bright turquoise sea that surrounds us and shines its way through every window. I would never dream of housing a toucan inside with us completely not only due to the lack of space, but more because I am finding out just how high-maintenance having a toucan share your living space can be. Now that Paco’s interest in his original keep-myself-busy-in-a-safe-way  activities has waned, he is looking for more and because “more” is not easily discovered, he’s starting to move on to a get-myself-into-trouble-in-places-I’m-not-supposed-to-be  phase. There are not many more obvious things left for him to explore on his own. And until we move house altogether someday, that leaves me to get creative and MAKE something else to explore.

It is very important to me that the time Paco spends in the house is always associated positively in his mind. I want him to think of it as a fun, non-scary space that he looks forward to coming to. A big part of that is avoiding any punishers during his time inside, while still maintaining dependable obedience in the times it’s required to keep him safe. I strive to maintain a consistently positive reinforcement style of training, which means I don’t want to constantly be telling him “no!” or pushing him away from things I don’t want him to touch. So a big part of what I am working on now that he is in a bit more of a mischief-mode is setting the environment up for success.

My main strategies for keeping Paco out of trouble are redirection/distraction and removing troublesome stimuli altogether. For example, I have three small tabletop plants that would be unsafe and/or damaging to the plant if he were allowed to “play” with them; but of course, they are irresistible to him. So instead of testing his resolve each time he’s in the house and putting myself in a situation where I create a negative experience by scolding him away from them constantly, I simply move them out of his reach for the periods of time he is inside. The same is true for when he goes to places I don’t want him to be (ie. the stove-top, the floor, the desk). I am hyper-aware that I don’t reinforce/reward him in any way while he is there and am sure to give him big rewards (exuberant praise and/or treats) when he hops on my arm when asked away from those places.

Redirecting his attention onto activities I have deemed suitable is by far the best way I have found to keep him out of toucan trouble-making. Here are some of the things that I am doing now to keep Paco safely entertained in the house:

FOCUS ON FORAGING

Prior to bringing Paco inside, I set the house up as a foraging zone for him. I hide toys in all of the places that I’d like him to focus his attention: behind the pillows and the couch cushions; on the tops of our two highest windows that he likes to sunbathe on; in the ceiling eaves; on top of the TV armoire; and on a couple of shelves that he can easily access without knocking everything down. This activity keeps him engaged in his surroundings and rewards him for spending time in the spots that I’ve pre-selected for him. Plus, as an added bonus, finding things on his own, rather than having them simply handed to him, has sparked a renewed interest in old toys previously shunned.

Here is a video of him in foraging action:

httpv://youtu.be/9dIOmyv4c3E

PLAYING HUMAN JUNGLE GYM ON THE FLOOR

I discovered while I was doing some quick yoga stretches with Paco in the house that my body, bent in two, apparently makes the ideal toucan jungle gym. Now one of Paco’s favorite activities is when I roll around on the floor with him, creating tunnels with my body for him to craw under and through. I think he would agree with John Mayer that My Body is a Wonderland.

Initially, I was worried about encouraging this activity because “No Toucans on the Floor” has always been a rule of mine. Paco has a tendency to want to attack feet and I have heard of unfortunate accidents of birds being tripped over while hanging out underfoot. However, I have instead used this game to reinforce Paco’s “up” behavior. When we’re playing on the floor, I will sporadically get up and cue him to come “up” onto my hand. When he complies, I reward him ecstatically and thus, the consistent obedience of this behavior has become even stronger than before.

BUILDING FORTS

Paco has been really into crawling under and out of dark spaces lately. It’s not in a nesty way, but more out of a curious desire to explore the mysterious crevices of the house. Because he is not behaving hormonally when he’s doing it, I decided it was okay to encourage the behavior and create more opportunities for him to tunnel. Also, by creating safe tunneling options, I am able to redirect him away from spaces I don’t want him exploring such as underneath the couch. Besides striking the aforementioned yoga poses for him, I have also started building forts for him out of pillows and blankets.

Here is an example of one I made by simply draping a blanket over two chairs:

httpv://youtu.be/Rq8-XATbCh4

INVOLVING PACO IN HOUSEHOLD TASKS

Because he mostly only comes inside for a few hours at a time, I often leave most tasks to be accomplished for the times when I don’t have Paco in the house. Besides work on the computer which is in the same area that he plays, I leave myself free to give him my full supervision (and he needs it!). But lately, while searching for things to keep him occupied, I’ve started to integrate him as my “helper-can” in some basic household chores. Surprisingly, he has found some of these to be highly entertaining and it’s been easier than I thought to find him a role to play.

One of Paco’s current favorite chores is when he helps me water the plants. Splashing his beak in and out of the stream of water each time I fill the watering can and then chomping at the spout as we water the plants is an exciting purr-fest. He also enjoys attacking the paper towels and shredding them as I clean the mirrors and tabletops that he’s smeared with his papaya juiced beak. Lately, he also gets a big kick out of watching me chop vegetables in preparation for cooking dinner later, especially when he is given pieces to play with – chunky carrot sticks being a particular treasure.

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As with everything with these curious Three-Cans, I fully expect to have to keep creating new activities to keep Paco’s time in the house focused on positive pursuits. While it’s certainly a lot of effort, it is well worth it for him to be so enriched both mentally and physically. Our bond has continued to strengthen and it’s really amazing to see how much he trusts me as we explore new things together. At the end of a day inside, nothing is more rewarding to me than to watch my exhausted toucan head up to his sleeping perch a bit earlier than usual, tail up, ready for bedtime.

~ scarlet macaw flight training

I recently had the good fortune to be able to attend the annual Behavior Apps: Training with Art and Science Workshop for companion parrot owners at the Natural Encounters training facility in Florida. The course is designed to introduce you to the science of behavior and provide you with practical techniques of how you can apply it in training with your own pet birds. It was an incredible week that I am really excited to share with you, as it has left me feeling so inspired and much better equipped in my “work” with the Three-Cans.

I originally found Natural Encounters through some bird training articles I had read online that were written by the President, Steve Martin. Duly impressed, I added them to my list of training resources and began following the company on Facebook. Last July, they posted that they were accepting applications for the workshop (only 24 spots available!) and I applied on a hopeful whim, asking if there was any way I could attend even though I do not own parrots. Thankfully, they were not species-ist and were willing to allow in a toucan interloper into their parrot group. I would only later learn that the methods they were teaching are not just for parrots, but are applicable to every animal in the world – including humans!

~ Harpy eagle flight training

I didn’t know exactly what to expect going into the workshop. I had read through the synopsis online and it sounded fantastic (obviously, the reason I applied in the first place!) but I had no idea how it would be structured. The course summary stated that the workshop was “under the leadership of Steve Martin and Dr. Susan Friedman”, so I went in hoping that I would get a chance to meet them, but understood that that might not be possible. I’ve been to plenty of events in the past that were advertised as such, discovering later that that simply meant that the leaders approved of and helped design the material being presented. Overall, I was just hoping to get a few useful take aways from the week, perhaps even a bit of hands-on training time.

~ Hyacinth macaw at Natural Encounters

I am delighted to say that my expectations were blown out of the water and the workshop ended up delivering so much more than I could have even anticipated. For starters, not only were both Steve and Susan present from the beginning at the kick-off ice breaker event, they were with our group throughout the entire workshop – lecturing, giving training demonstrations, and answering any and all questions our over-eager minds were dying to ask them.

I won’t reinvent the wheel, as you can find thorough bios for Steve Martin here and Dr. Susan Friedman here. However, I will say that one could not ask for better teachers. They are the top minds in their related fields, yet are so easy going and down to earth. Both are entertaining, dynamic teachers who make it clear from the get-go that the most important thing to them is that you understand – that means they welcome any comments, feedback, differing opinions, and questions about things that may be unclear to you. They have a unique way of making subjects that once seemed complicated and highly specialized into easily understandable “no brainers” that you can excitedly see immediate application for in your own life.

~ White-collared raven training

In line with the quality of leadership, the rest of the workshop was also a thoroughly organized, professional operation. The entire Natural Encounters team was committed to making sure we were getting the most out of our experience there. Virtually no time was wasted as they strived to make every moment count. Each day was separated into 4 hours of lecture time, 4 hours of hands-on training time with their birds, and applicable training reviews and demonstrations to help us anchor in what we had just learned.

~ training demonstration by Steve Martin

From a very young age, I have always had an interest in animal training and behavior. However, I often found myself at odds with a lot of the training styles popularly available, especially those focused on dominating the animal and removing its ability to think and make its own choices. This was definitely what I loved most about Natural Encounters. Their entire philosophy is based upon empowering the animal and they see unprecedented results through their positive reinforcement training techniques. At no point do they force themselves upon their birds, always respecting the birds by waiting to be invited into their space. They place a high level of importance on building up your relationship account with any animal you choose to work with and completely avoid the use of common bird training methods that create trust deficits such as holding feet, training on small perches, and other mainstream techniques which take away a bird’s freedom to choose to interact with you or not.

~ Hyacinth macaw target training

While I got my fair share of hands-on parrot training time (mostly with an adorable Scarlet macaw named Earth), Steve was also kind enough to pair me with a Trumpeter hornbill named Neo as my main “challenge bird”. Hornbills are much more similar to toucans than parrots are in their movements, high-energy demeanor, and appetite. In the times that I was not directly training with Neo, I gleaned a lot through observational learning, watching my teammates as they trained their assigned birds – Blue-throated macaws, a Hyacinth macaw, and even our other team bird, an incredibly intelligent White-collared raven.

~ training with Neo the Trumpeter hornbill

There were so many a-ha moments for me throughout the workshop but probably my biggest take-away would be what they refer to as antecedent arrangement, which essentially means setting your training environment up for success. A lot of the training roadblocks I have been experiencing back at home are largely due to me not setting myself (and the Three-Cans, for that matter) up to succeed by arranging a setting conducive to what I am attempting to train. Watching the professional trainers at Natural Encounters built my confidence back up. They weren’t performing magic; they were just highly in-tune with the training environment as it could be seen through their subject’s (the bird’s) perspective and always remained flexible to make adjustments as need be. Now that I am back home with the Cans, I have begun making small tweaks to our training environment and have already seen noticeable improvements in their levels of responsiveness. I look forward to sharing more details with you in future posts.

~ scarlet macaw scale training

As if I wasn’t impressed enough with their conservation-minded operation, they also have an incredibly successful breeding program in place for the critically endangered Blue-throated macaws. They are to be releasing their first group back into the wild in Bolivia this year.

~ Blue-throated macaws

I highly recommend this workshop for anyone who has an interest in better understanding the animals in their life. It will make you see the world around you in a whole new light and offer an endless array of simple solutions to overcoming behavioral issues, great and small. Beyond the invaluable opportunity of learning from the best in the business, this workshop is also a fantastic value – I honestly can’t believe that they are able to offer it at the price they do; I felt like I should be paying more! Each day, they host breakfast, lunch, and happy hour (yes, happy hour !) at the training facility, as well as two group dinners. Your final evening, they host a celebration banquet at a beautiful historic restaurant nearby. They also take care of all of your transportation, including round trip from the airport. If you have the opportunity to attend one of their trainings, take it!

~ Scarlet macaw at Natural Encounters

If you would like to see more pictures from my time at the workshop, I will be adding them to an album on Adventures in Toucanland’s Facebook page.

After Pepe’s last fall, we were forced to move him out of the large aviary he shared with Paz and give him some time to recuperate in our house over this past month. What began as full on “cage rest” (time spent solely in his crate while he was weakest so he could recover without injuring himself further) eventually led to half and half crate time and out-of-crate time on a set of low perches in the house that we jury rigged for him.

And while he has definitely made positive strides in his strength and mobility over the past few weeks, it is clear to us at this point that he has reached a bit of a standstill in his forward momentum. He now believes he is stronger than he actually is, which was starting to get dangerous during his out-of-crate time. In moments of bravado, Pepe would try and take flights towards the windows (he was dying to be back outside) and we were having to monitor him incredibly closely to keep him from hurting himself. It was time for a new plan for Pepe’s future.

Our Three-Cans have had the pleasure of living outdoors for all of their lives (from what I know) and being inside the house 100% of the time was a huge bummer for Pepe. I feel like all birds, and especially toucans, really thrive when they are provided with access to the outdoors. It is where they would live naturally and being deprived of the fresh air, sunshine, and other outdoor stimuli is simply unnatural. Towards the end of his time inside with us, we really noticed a difference in Pepe’s mental and emotional state – he seemed dejected and spent a lot of time croaking plaintively and making repeated attempts to go for the windows. We knew we needed to find a way to get him back outside, for his sanity and ours, but there were a lot of issues we needed to sort out in order to keep him safe and not put him in a situation that would lead to more opportunities for injury.

We decided to utilize the space next to the main toucan enclosure that we had previously built as an outdoor play gym for Paco. Seeing as how Paco completely disregards the play gym and instead prefers the railing in front of it, we figured the loss would be negligible. We built it before we really knew that toucans don’t have the focus or desire to stay put on a single play gym anyway, so we were happy to put it to good use and build Pepe an aviary around the existing structure.

The main predicament we had in designing Pepe’s new “handicapped” aviary (as we have come to call it) was to figure out a way for him to be up high, yet not high enough that he could injure himself when he would inevitably fall at some point from his perches. It really seemed to make Pepe feel panicky (as any bird would feel) when he was placed in his crate below our eye line. Birds naturally feel safest when they can be up higher than any perceived danger. We wanted to give Pepe that sense of security when he was back outside, insuring he could always be above people’s heads who are standing near his enclosure.

The solution that we* came up with was to make a half-floor for Pepe’s aviary. That way, he would have the top half of the space and be comforted with the feeling of being up high, yet protected from falling the full height to the bottom of the aviary. We made the floor out of two separate frames on hinges that can be let down during the times we need to enter the aviary ourselves. When they are lifted, they are secured from below where they meet in the middle, as well as with additional bolts that insert from the outside.

Deciding what to place on the false floor as a substrate was another conundrum. We of course wanted it to be easy to clean, but most importantly, wanted to provide some cushion for Pepe’s falls. Our first try was with some rubber entry mats that had a plastic weave on one side that we were hoping would add some “give”. We placed them weave side down though, as we were concerned he could get his toes caught in it. Unfortunately, it was evident that these were a bad choice from the start. After his first couple of falls, he was not able to turn himself over from his back without our assistance due to the mat being too slippery and not giving him anything to grip.

We replaced the solid rubber mats with rubber mats with holes in them, the kind you frequently find in restaurant / commercial kitchens. These new mats will not only be easier to clean and allow better drainage, but will also give Pepe something to grip onto to turn himself over when he falls.

For perches, we mainly used manila rope, which Pepe seems to prefer – no doubt due to it being easiest to grip. We included a few other branches from our almond tree to add sizing variety for his feet. All of the perches are currently placed quite low to the false floor, making them all an accessible hop up from the floor.

Pepe is extremely happy to be back outside. He has perked up considerably – bathing with signature toucan gusto, sunbathing with signature toucan fanaticism, and generally acting jolly with signature toucan joviality. His mobility has also improved slightly – he seems to land more solidly on his perches when he hops and he moves about with more confidence. While we still have a few kinks to sort out with the new aviary, overall we’re all very pleased with Pepe’s new accommodations. We remain hopeful that one day, if he continues to improve, we may even be able to expand his aviary access further. For now, he’s enjoying the new space and his time back within sight of his flock mates.

*NOTE: I would just like to note that while I say “we” a lot in this post, I am mostly referring to David and giving myself a whole heap of undue credit. David is the true creative genius behind this aviary design and without him, I’m afraid I would have come up with something haphazard and made of yoga mats. The Three-Cans and I are incredibly lucky to have David on our team, making all of our lives much happier and much more interesting with his input!

our newly designed nest box

Prior to Pepe’s fall and subsequent “divorce” from Paz, we had just completed a newly designed nest box for the pair to use in this upcoming mating season. You may remember from my original post on Nest Logs for Toco Toucans that for our first mating season with the Cans this past year, we had opted to use the basic palm tree trunk design as specified in the Toucan Husbandry Manual by the AZA, also used by Emerald Forest Bird Gardens in California. However, we had had a few issues with it and approached the new season looking for a change.

For starters, our nest log was slightly smaller than the recommended dimensions due to our availability of palm tree trunks. While we were fortunate to even have one to begin with, we would have preferred something slightly larger. At the time, we had just cut down one of our big palms that had died so we used its thick base for the nest. Not wanting to chop down any bigger live trees, we settled for what we could get.

The other main issue we were looking to resolve was finding a way to provide the Cans with more space and easier access in the hopes that they would not lose as many eggs this time around. They lost every egg from all three clutches they laid last season (11 total) and while we did not have a camera in the nest to know for certain, we suspect they were breaking many, if not all, of the eggs as they clumsily entered and exited the nest. To get in, they would have to slide down, beak first. To exit, they would have to leap upward, cling to the door entrance, and pull themselves out through the hole. Both of these maneuvers, as well as all of the shuffling in between, could certainly have led to some broken eggs in the cramped quarters.

sliding into the nest

Lastly, we really wanted to create a back door that would allow us exterior access to the nest without alarming the pair by messing around near their main entrance. Between checking on the eggs and eventually needing to handle the babies should any hatch, this was an essential step that we had skipped in our first attempt and definitely regretted it down the line.

In my search for new nest options, I came across some photos in my fellow Toucan Lady Mairee Vincent’s Chasing Toucans album. While working at the Leed’s Castle Aviaries, they had developed a nest box radically different than the palm trunk log idea and had actually had fully-fledged toucan baby success with them. Plus, the nest boxes appeared to rectify all of the issues we had with our original nest log:

• they were made out of wood instead of tree trunks, so we could make them ourselves with the supplies we had available to us here
• they were designed with an exterior access door
• they were designed with a ramp, allowing the toucans a smoother transition on their way into and out of the nest
• toucan babies had actually hatched and survived in them – what more of an endorsement did we need?

nest box design from Mairee

nest box design from Mairee

So with Mairee’s help in answering many of our questions, we had our new nest built based on their design. The main change we made was to make the base of the box,.the actual nest portion, into a flat surface rather than keeping it on an incline. We were concerned that if we left it on an incline, the Cans would have difficulty properly incubating the eggs, which could get stuck always resting in the corner. Mairee’s work had not experienced this issue due to their dilligence in constantly refilling the nesting materials. However, since we were starting from scratch and also remembering how insistent our pair was in removing every scrap of nesting material, we just decided to build the base flat, as they were accustomed to with their last nest. Additionally, we placed the access door in the back instead of the side and of course, our nest box was a little bit smaller due to the size of our aviary.

our new nest box design

exterior access door

we used a mix of cork and dried leaves to stuff the nest for them to “excavate”

My favorite feature of the new nest was the idea from Mairee to initially cover the entrance hole with cork. Because Toco toucans tend to nest in hollowed out tree trunks in the wild, especially the soft, porous palm ones, it is a natural behavior of theirs to woodpecker their way in and excavate the nest to their liking. Paz had a great time focusing on the task of pecking her way into the nest.

Paz works her way into the nest

At this point though, we have sadly had to remove the nest box from Paz’s enclosure. The presence of it was inspiring an array of unnecessary nesting behaviors that we needed to stop for her mental and physical well-being. We didn’t want to encourage her obsessive mating behaviors now that Pepe was not to be returning and she would be living without a mate. It was important to prevent the potential stress on her body that would eventually come if she were to lay unfertilized eggs. So as awesome as the new nest box is, unfortunately, it is no longer something we are able to use. Bad timing, c’est la vie!

We will never know if this nest design would have worked for us or not. But, in the spirit of sharing, I just wanted to put the information out there for anyone in need of a new toucan nest design idea.

Paz (left) & Paco (right)

It has been over three weeks since Pepe’s fall and subsequent move out of the aviary he shared with Paz. In true animal/Buddhist fashion, always existing in the present moment, Paz has also moved on with her life. Due to some truly unfortunate timing, we had just completed and installed Paz and Pepe’s newly designed nest box just prior to Pepe’s incident, as they were beginning to exhibit a lot of their mating season behaviors. It has been such a bummer to watch Paz, now alone and without a mate, commit fully to the task of preparing her nest, which she seems to adore.

Having fully accepted that Pepe would not be returning, she diverted her attention to Paco. Even with the original canvas wall in place and no visual contact between the two, she would spend portions of her day devoted to purring and trying to feed him through their shared wall. When she was not actively courting him, she would station herself in her nest, peering out through the entrance hole as though she were waiting for his arrival.

As you can imagine, this tugged heavily on my heart strings. Looking out at the aviaries, seeing Paz and Paco living side by side with a wall in between them began to feel a bit unnatural. Because we knew that Pepe would never be returning to the large aviary, we began to see the potentially huge benefit of being able to open up the entire space and turn the two aviaries into one big flight for Paz and Paco to enjoy together. I also longed for them to both enjoy the companionship of another bird, as I often worry about them being lonely.

But there were also obviously many potential downsides to their pairing that gave us pause. The emotional roller coaster that was Paz and Pepe’s relationship made us leery to jump into it again. I was also concerned about what would happen to the loving, pet-like relationship I had worked so hard to achieve with Paco. I frequently have heard people in the bird world say that you either have pet birds or you have breeder birds, implying that you cannot have both. When I made the original decision to pair Paz and Pepe, I had decided that was a risk I was willing to take, as my relationships with each of them had never been as developed due to their more reserved personalities. But now that the choice was back on the table for my beloved baby Paco, the decision weighed heavily on me – was that something I was willing to potentially sacrifice?

Ever since we adopted the Three-Cans, it was never my intention to breed them. I know nothing about breeding birds and I’ve always felt that I lack the emotional fortitude that is required, as loss of life is often inevitable in the early stages with fragile baby birds. But with Paz and Pepe, we ended up allowing them to be together and breed because we felt it was what they really wanted, that it was only natural for them to live as a pair. And in the end, we made this same decision for Paz and Paco. I felt that my reasons for not allowing them to be together would ultimately be selfish. If there was an opportunity to potentially enrich their lives with companionship within their own species and much larger living accommodations, I needed to set my pet desires aside and give them that chance.

We went about socializing Paz and Paco in much the same way we had originally socialized Paz and Pepe. Moving in small steps as we tested the waters, we started by rolling up the canvas between them to see if they would fight or interact peacefully through their shared wire wall. While there was no fighting, there was definitely a lack of interest on Paco’s part. Paz would court him with her favorite toys and food and he would largely ignore her, as if to say, “Sorry, sweetheart…I’m already seeing someone.”. Because Paco had chosen me as his “mate” early on, I tried to back off a lot of the attention I was giving him to hopefully allow him to make room for Paz in his heart.

After a couple of days of mellow interactions through the wall, we decided it was time to introduce them. I brought Paco next door in his backpack to meet Paz for two short sessions the first day and then a full 8 hours the following day.

Let me just say that socializing animals has got to be one of my least favorite things to do. While it can be an interesting study in body language, it is also not for the weak at heart (ie. me). I remember as a child, we had pairs of bunnies and each time one of them would die (bunnies only average about 4 years at best in their tiny little lives), we would bring in a new bunny as a companion for the one that remained. They would always eventually grow to love and snuggle with each other, but only after days of shockingly vicious fighting you would never associate with the word “bunny”. The same can be said about toucans.

Paz and Pepe went through the initial getting-to-know-you beak fencing that is typical of toucan socialization and courtship. I was prepared to go through the same with Paz and Paco – and it was the same in a lot of ways. Neither one chased the other down to the point of exhaustion, however, their fencing was much more intense than what we had witnessed with Paz and Pepe. I think a lot of this can be attributed to the fact that they are more closely matched in attitude and mobility than Paz and Pepe ever were. Neither can was quite willing to back down, as Pepe had always done being the smaller, weaker can. I even had to intervene a few times when they were getting too close to poking each other’s eyes out in a fit of fury.

My 8 hour day in the aviaries alternated between crushing boredom and intense bouts of stress. At first, Paco had the upper hand, probably surprising Paz with his scrappiness. I always call him my “little ninja” and this was one of those times that he really lived up to the moniker. They would fence a bit, then separate and go about their individual business. But as time wore on, they became unable to focus on anything other than fighting with each other and Paz’s larger size and greater strength eventually won out.

As they fenced, they kept reaching points where they would lock beaks together and she would use her size to dominate over him and literally fling him across the enclosure. Because he is so agile, he would never fall, but instead, glide to a stop and quickly hop back up from the ground onto a low perch. I believe this was key to him making it for as long as he did with her, as this is where Pepe got himself into danger. Paz fights a bit on the dirty side – her strategy seems to be to kick them when they are down. In these moments, she would rush down to go for the final blow with Paco, but he would already be up and postured to defend himself before she could trap him.

Paz (left) & Paco (right)

I’m sure you’re wondering why I hadn’t already separated them at this point. The fact is, I was just trying to gauge the situation as best I could as the day progressed, trying to give them as much time as possible to hopefully sort out their trust issues and move on to the next stage in their relationship. Neither appeared exhausted and they were giving each other short break periods to recover after each match. However, it all culminated in the afternoon and gave us our final sign for their future (or lack thereof) as a pair.

During what would be their final round of beak fencing, Paz saw an opportunity to make a quick grab for Paco’s neck and she took it. She locked in and tossed him down, still attached and shaking him as he flailed. It all happened in a sickening flash before they were on the ground, with Paco fighting for his life. It was the single worst moment I have experienced with the Three-Cans so far. David and I lunged in immediately and pried them apart. Thankfully, the only damage Paz seemed to have done was ripping out a few of Paco’s neck feathers, but that was enough for me. I brought Paco back to the safety of his aviary and cried like a baby because I almost lost my baby.

Paz really confuses me from a behavioral standpoint and out of curiosity’s sake, I wish I could find more answers about why she acts the way she does. With both of the males, she always seemed eager to court them into mating, yet when given an opportunity during a moment of weakness, she was also always ready to move in for the kill. Perhaps this is a female Toco thing or maybe it’s just a Paz thing. Maybe it’s just because she is so much bigger and stronger than the males available to her. I am also aware that there could be environmental aspects that contribute to her seemingly confused behavior (rough past, aviary size, lack of early socialization with other birds, human interference, etc.). But whatever it may be, I’m done with breeding (or at least attempting to breed) toucans and am ready to leave it to the professionals.

I hearby announce the official conclusion of our foray into toucan breeding. I must say, as much as I actually did wish for it all to work out on the Cans’ behalf, I find that I’m quite relieved with this outcome. We are beyond fortunate that we were able to intervene at the times we did and still have both of our males alive and healthy with us. We gave it our best shot and it’s time to move on with our lives. From here on out, my energies will be focused on enriching the Three-Cans’ individual lives as best I can.