Meet Mindo!

[emeraldtoucan]

My toucanet Hal had some scary crashes (but fortunately not nearly as bad as they looked in reality) that led me to rush him off to the vet. Ended up that he has vision problems, but in time he could even overcome this issue enough not to crash into things anymore (though he's by no means as good a flyer as my other toucanet, whom is actually quite impressively agile in flight, she reminds me of a little helicopter). Sometimes they just need to be given a chance to slowly and carefully adjust to their surroundings. Try making sure you keep multiple perches available for the bird to land on where you let him out, keep their locations consistent, and take him around to each perch so he can familiarize himself with them. I found this helped with my Hal.

 

[Stormcloud]

Great to see Mindo. I've always loved seeing the Aracaris, because they are bird we don't get to see over in this part of the world.

 

[Zobe Wan]

Careful Zobe Wan, this is how Staryberry and I wound up with Mindo.

Sounds dangerous! I'd better be prepared then, if I go!

 

[BindiWW]

Alright, I have a couple of questions:
How do you house a toucan?
What do you feed it?
Do they make good companions? Can you train them?
What is they're life expectancy in captivity?

 

[waterfaller1]

Alright, I have a couple of questions:
How do you house a toucan?

It depends on what type. A large toucan needs something on the order of a large aviary,10X10 or better. Aracaris & Toucanettes can be housed in cages for macaws, and bigger.

What do you feed it?

Mostly fruit that is low in iron, and low iron pellets made for softbills. Fruits like papaya, blueberries, grapes, and several others.

Do they make good companions?

Yes, they are comical, smart, and fun. They can love to snuggle. As any bird, it depends on how much nuturing they had as babies, and their individual personality.

Can you train them?

Yes.

What is they're life expectancy in captivity?

10 years for the big guys, 16 for the little guys.

 

[kiryu343]

he is so cute

 

[Zoie]

Welcome, Mindo! You're beautiful!

Sorry I can't offer any advice.

 

[annebirds]

Hello, and congrats on your new baby! We have an 11 year old green aracari that we also got from Jerry Jennings. Her name is Bamboo, and she is the light of our lives. So affectionate, sweet, adorable!! Her favorite food is blueberries, too. After that, garbanzos and red bell pepper. Funny, but she has never liked grapes! She loves to catch the beries when we toss them to her.

She was clipped when we brought her home and it took several months before she could fly. During that time, we were very concerned about her falling off of surfaces as she couldn't break the fall. Her wings finally grew out and we absolutely think its the best thing for her. Since she cannot climb like a parrot, its her only way to get around.

Naturally, we take tons of precautions, but it gets to be second nature. Signs on the doors to remind visitors not to open them without ascertaining her safety first... signs to keep toilet lids down...NO ceiling fans! and we do not put mirrors on the walls. When we moved to our new house we put blue tape on the windows until she learned her way around. Except for a few times when she has been frightened, she is very adept at avoiding collisions.

She has about 3 spots that she visits regularly and we put baskets there for her to sit on. One is on top of her cage, the other is by a window where she takes sunbaths (that's a hoot, wait till you see them spread out in the sun!) and the third is on the kitchen counter where she hangs out the most.

At night she snuggles down my husband's shirt until bedtime. She sleeps in a carrier on my bedside table, and in the morning taps on its door so she can be let out and snuggle in bed for a little while before we get up. Like I said, she's adorable!

She takes a bath every day in her large water bowl, so I recommend giving your Mindo access to bath water and a warm spot to dry off in.

I could share a million experiences, but mainly, have fun, you've gotten a treasure! Feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about your baby!

Anne

p.s. attaching a pic of Bamboo with her favorite toy and taking a bath.

 

[lupe]

I love Mindo!!~~ stunning fella & congrats on your new addition..

 

[waterfaller1]

Anne your pics are adorable.I would not feed garbanzo beans. Too high in iron!
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

 

[annebirds]

Didn't know that, thanks! I put tea in her juice every few days, as I hear it helps the liver shed iron. Anyone else doing that?

 

[waterfaller1]

In her juice? What kind of juice? They cannot have any citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit, pineapple,etc, at all. Even apples are high in iron. I have heard that giving decaf black tea is ok. It creates tannins, which prevents the storage of iron. But, how much per bird? It is a controversial subject, without any documentation. We just stick to pellets and fruits low in iron, so it is a non issue. Do you have the food list Anne? It is a PDF, I can e-mail it to you if you want to send me your e-mail address in a PM. I believe you have to have at least 20 posts though, so get posting!

 

[waterfaller1]

The reason they can not have citrus fruits is the acid, it makes the body pull the iron from the other foods and store it{all fruits have some}

 

[waterfaller1]

A few more thoughts about fruits. You say Bamboo does not like grapes. Where are the grapes from? You should never buy any fruits from Chile. The pesticide levels are too high. I have found with my mousebird and aracari, that if I offer a fruit that is high in pesticides, even though they are washed, they will refuse them. They know! With the grapes, are you cutting them? Have you tried both red and green? Have you tried organic?
This includes blueberries, which much of the latter part of the season they are from Chile. Your package may say something about Plant City Fl, but scrutinize it and make sure the fruit was actually grown here, because Plant City also handles and distributes blueberries from Chile. Buy blueberries from FL, NC, and Canada. Or buy frozen organic if nothing else is available.Papaya is one of our main staples. Some like banana, Pico does not. Gryphon who is a mousebird but has the same needs, loves them.

 

[staryberry]

p.s. attaching a pic of Bamboo with her favorite toy and taking a bath.
View attachment 147852 View attachment 147853

Wow! Bamboo's beak is so serrated! It really makes her look like a dinosaur. It is funny to see how individual the birds can look, even when they come from the same breeder!

We have had Mindo now for four months and he is a wonderful part of our family. We have decided to keep him flighted, and except for the first day, he hasn't really had any accidents. He loves flying between his cage and the backs of the dining room chairs. We keep him in his cage whenever we are cooking, make sure the bathroom door is closed, and keep the doors to the house locked.

He is definitely a sweet bird. Every evening, when we watch TV, we put him in a sweatshirt pocket so he can doze until bedtime.

His favorite food is probably blueberries, but we try to feed him a wide variety of fruits. He gets papaya everyday, and then a variety of banana, grapes, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, watermellon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, cooked sweet potato, cooked acorn squash, cucumber, and baby carrots (he likes to gnaw on them). We go with what is in season. So far, we have yet to find a food that he does not like, though he loves to pick around pellets, instead of eating them.

Here are some more pictures of Mindo.

 

[waterfaller1]

Mindo is soo handsome!!