Getting an Emerald Toucanet

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Hello everyone!

I'm a bit new here, but not to bird ownership. I currently own a sun conure and finches, and my wife owns a cockatiel and a couple of parakeets. We have quite a flock!

For a long time I have wanted an emerald toucanet. I hesitated as I live in an apartment, and I wanted to make sure I would have plenty of room (and the necessary funds!) for my new baby. Well, I have finally signed a lease to rent a house, and I have finally saved up enough funds, so the time is almost here when I will be putting a deposit down on my new baby! But before I do, I thought I'd approach anyone willing to pass on any knowledge.

Has anyone kept a toucanet or similar bird and parrots at the same time? Does anyone have any advice for a first time toucanet owner? I understand there is quite a mess-increase, and I know they can be aggressive to other birds. For this reason I'll never have other birds out when the toucanet is out, and vice versa (don't want to risk anything!) For cages, I was thinking a double-macaw cage (without the divider, of course), but I'm not sure if I have a specific one in mind yet.

I mostly work from home, but I will be starting graduate school fall of next year.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I have no advice but I think a double macaw is great size for a toucanet! And just be careful of him escaping and possibly getting to the smaller birds. I read somewhere that toucan species eat other birds in the wild.

 

[Greycloud]

Welcome! There are several members here with Aracaris and I think a toucanette too. Hopefully they will see this and offer advice. A double macaw cage is great as long as the bars are not to far apart. Emeralds are gorgeous. We had a pair at the zoo I worked at.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I think Carole keeps her aracari in a 1" or bigger bar spacing cage. (Please correct me if I'm wrong Carole! are toucanettes bigger or smaller tha aracaris?

I think double macaw cages are 1.5"bar spacing.

 

[Cyreen]

Nice! I've always liked the look of the Crimson Rumps and Aracaris seem very sweet.

 

[Renae]

I haven’t got any advice as I know little to nothing about them, but wanted to say congrats on your future Toucanet, how exciting! Looking forward to hearing about your future Toucanet and seeing photos.

 

[Anne & Gang]

welcome...I have no advice either but sure would love to see pics.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

I found a double macaw cage that has 1" bar spacing, with an interior height of 61". Exterior dimensions are 74'' height, by 80'' length, by 40'' depth.

I talked to Jerry of The Emerald Forest Bird Gardens, and he has babies available right now! He said he'd be willing to hold one for me for a couple of months (until I move into my new home), or to put me on the waitlist for the babies of the future, who will probably be available in August or September. He also invited me to come visit the babies in the Gardens, to see their habitat and meet them. I think I'll take him up on that offer come summer!

I'm very excited!

 

[emeraldtoucan]

Hello everyone!

I'm a bit new here, but not to bird ownership. I currently own a sun conure and finches, and my wife owns a cockatiel and a couple of parakeets. We have quite a flock!

For a long time I have wanted an emerald toucanet. I hesitated as I live in an apartment, and I wanted to make sure I would have plenty of room (and the necessary funds!) for my new baby. Well, I have finally signed a lease to rent a house, and I have finally saved up enough funds, so the time is almost here when I will be putting a deposit down on my new baby! But before I do, I thought I'd approach anyone willing to pass on any knowledge.

Has anyone kept a toucanet or similar bird and parrots at the same time? Does anyone have any advice for a first time toucanet owner? I understand there is quite a mess-increase, and I know they can be aggressive to other birds. For this reason I'll never have other birds out when the toucanet is out, and vice versa (don't want to risk anything!) For cages, I was thinking a double-macaw cage (without the divider, of course), but I'm not sure if I have a specific one in mind yet.

I mostly work from home, but I will be starting graduate school fall of next year.

I think having both toucanets and parrots is fine, but as an owner of two emerald toucanets, several finches, and cockatiels, I highly suggest not letting them have access to one another (which as you say, you wouldn't let them out together anyhow). My emeralds tend to view anything that isn't too significantly larger than them as potential food (my other birds included), and parrots can do a whole lot of damage with that sharp hooked beak of theirs as well. Toucans are all predatory to some extent, and I've seen plenty of videos of toucanets preying on birds, small snakes, and the like.

A double macaw size cage should be great. However I have an aching suspicion a 1 inch bar spacing may be too much for an emerald toucanet (I go for less bar spacing myself), but maybe someone else has experience with cages that have that wide of bars.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Oh wow, I love your website! I used it for so much information when I was first learning about toucanets, and it gave me so many points and just general advice. Top notch!

What kind of cage would you recommend, if I can't find a double-macaw cage with smaller bar spacing?

 

[waterfaller1]

Welcome to Avian Avenue. I have Pico in his third cage. It's an expandable habitats SS cage with 1" bar spacing, and I love it. The SS makes cleaning the sticky fruit off so much easier than powder coated cages. Congrats on getting your toucanet. Any particular reason you are going for a toucanet, is it looks? Definitely make sure no mistakes are made with respect to him being out with your other birds.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Oh, I would never get a bird just for looks! It's what's inside that counts to me.

I've always wanted an emerald toucanet, ever since I first interacted with one a long time ago. I was actually planning to get one when I finally got a place of my own, but my sun conure came along (he was a rescue), so that and a lack of space put it on the back-burner for me. But now that I'm moving into a rental house, and then buying a house after that, I'll finally have the space!

I'm aware of how dangerous it would be to have the toucanet and the other birds out at the same time. I'm debating even having the cage in the same room as the other birds. Fortunately, the house is big enough that if I decide not to there's plenty of space. I do work mostly from home, as does my wife, so all of the birds always get plenty of attention, even with the stipulation that they can't all be out together. I also live in a very pet-friendly area, and local shops tends to allow caged pets in their stores, meaning I can give them extra attention as I go about my day doing errands.

 

[waterfaller1]

Well so far none of the standard harnesses work on any of the toucans. Frank Hirz, a member here, has done some correspondence with Steve from The Parrot University, to fashion a special one for his curl crested aracari. I am not sure what the modifications were, but I would like to inquire. I have also looked at the Bird o pac as a possibility. I would like to take Pico on my walks.

 

[waterfaller1]

The reason I asked about the type is I have read that the Toucanets are not as friendly as the aracaris like the green and curl crested.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Really? I've read quite the opposite! A lot of it might also depend on breeding. Rather than have my bird shipped to me I'll actually be heading to the Emerald Forest in CA to pick up my bird, so that might give me the ability to pick the one that bonds to me most.

Maybe a current owner can shed light on this?

 

[waterfaller1]

Oops..it's Pak O Bird, not the opposite.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Carol, I used a harness on the Ivory bill aracari but you are right about the fit. •The head needs to be big enough but they have a short body. •I am having the same issue with a harness for the Vasa and just bought a feather tether since it's connectors can be lengthened and shortened in a couple of places. •Will let you know how it works out.

Other birds. •I had a caique out with the aracari. •these are about the same size birds. •The aracari went to grab the neck of the caique as aracari's grab the neck and slam the prey against a hard surface. The caique was wise and backed away and the two were separated. •

Cage. •Beaks can get caught in too large of a spacing so be careful. •They do not climb bars as parrots do. •Rather, they hop to get place to place. •I liked a cage with height and Trixie would hop up and down the perches. •Toys were a little different than parrots also. •Mine liked plastic or a plastic cat toy with bell in the ball.

 

[emeraldtoucan]

Oh wow, I love your website! I used it for so much information when I was first learning about toucanets, and it gave me so many points and just general advice. Top notch!

What kind of cage would you recommend, if I can't find a double-macaw cage with smaller bar spacing?

Thanks, hopefully I will have a chance to update it at some point, it's one of the first sites I ever designed. Glad you found it useful.

For bar spacing I tend to stay at around 1/2 inch. Double macaw sized cages are great, but going a bit smaller than that if need be isn't terrible, just make sure you don't go too small, they do need room to hop around since they are pretty energetic birds. An ideal cage is a custom made one IMO, but I have to admit I haven't gone that route in a while (I used to have a big custom built outdoor aviary). If I happen to see any online that look good I'll post them.

As far as how affectionate toucanets are (since that's been debated) both of mine are extremely cuddly playful animals. Certainly on part with the more affectionate dogs and cats I've had.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

Thank you so much, everyone!

I had a very, very, very long (and HIGHLY informative) conversation with Jerry about my flock dynamics, work situation, what I can realistically handle, etc. His recommendation to me is that while he feels an emerald would be a perfectly fine bird, for me he recommends a curl-crested aracari. I had wanted one, but I had no idea he was actively breeding them! To make a long story short, I decided that a curl-crested is in my immediate future, with an emerald in the distant.

The eggs hatched this week, and they'll coincidentally be ready to go home about the time I move/will have the space. As much as I adore emeralds, I do still have the nagging concern regarding aggression, which he says can be worked with in a curly, so long as I train it as soon as I get it and don't push the envelope (not near one another, not near the tiny birds, etc).

So, my apologies about the false-alarm regarding the bird. But I'm still very excited about my aracari.

Regarding caging, I spoke to Jon at Affordable Custom Cages, and he'll be making a custom cage for my new baby. Does anyone have any experience with his work? His cages look beautiful, and very fairly priced given the level of work that's going into it!

On a similar note, does anyone with aracaris, toucans or toucanets have recommendations for toys? I know they like to bang things around and tug things, but does anyone have any specific examples of toys their birds like? I want everything to be perfect when my baby gets here (even if that won't be until July).

 

[waterfaller1]

Good morning. Congrats on getting a baby curl crested. I am jealous! No apologies needed!
I spoke with Jon a few times at ACC in e-mails. He is very nice, and was excited to build me a cage for Pico. I held out and bumped into the opportunity to get the Expandable habitats cage, and very glad I did. I had some concerns about the wood holding up to the deluge of constant fruit slinging. I do not know of any member here that has one unfortunately. I just woke up...I will get back to you on my recommendations on toys.