So i have a question

[Silly Myna]

I have noticed that many pet toucans have no tail feathers, why is that?, is it related to something like poor husbandry or is it a general problem for toucans in captivity

 

[fashionfobie]

I do not have personal experience with toucans but it is my understanding that diet can be very complex for them. They are especially vulnerable to too much iron.

If your birds do not have healthy plumage I recommend making an appointment with an avian veterinary and/or avian dietitian.

 

[Aracorgi]

I know this is a few months old thread, but I figured I'd chime in as a toucan person. I haven't really noticed a huge amount of lacking in tail feathers in any of the toucan circles I run in, but it does happen on occasion. If it's larger toucans you're seeing it in, it's likely that they aren't being kept in large enough enclosures. I've only ever kept smaller species (a collared aracari and now a golden-collared toucanet) which are easier to keep, but my collared once shredded her tail feathers and had to regrow them. They can be haphazard fliers, and even more haphazard landers, so they often overshoot perches and land against cage sides, etc. which can wreak havoc on the tail.

Secondarily, some of them tend to go through really hard molts and lose things in large patches. My collared used to lose all the feathers around her legs all at one time and would look like she had just accidentally lost her pants for a few weeks lol. Additionally and more seriously, they have very particular diets because they're incredibly prone to hemochromatosis (iron storage disease) which can cause feather loss.

The most honest answer is probably it's a case by case basis and can be hard to diagnose via guessing about birds I've never seen. Some of it's likely poor husbandry, some of it's likely just toucans doing dumb toucan stuff.