Toco Toucans
Please read the bottom of this page for our position on toucans as pets.
These just-hatched Toco Toucan (Ramphastos
toco) chicks are quite delicate and are very challenging to hand-rear
from day one. They grow quickly if fed correctly.These just-hatched Toco Toucan (Ramphastos
toco) chicks are quite delicate and are very challenging to hand-rear
from day one. They grow quickly if fed correctly.
Looking more like dinosaurs
than birds these Toco Toucan chicks are several days old and will
open their eyes soon. Once their eyes open they beg incessantly
to be fed!
Ever watchful for the
hand-feeder these alert Toco babies are eating machines! At this
age they begin to hop out of the tub to explore.
This adorable Toco
Toucan youngster is "sunbathing" under a warm light.
This little fellow kept this rigid pose for several minutes!
We no longer raise Toco Toucans at Aves International but display these images on our web site for informational purposes only. Toucans are difficult to breed and hand-rear in captivity and should be in the hands of expert aviculturists. In our strong opinion, the Ramphastids (toucans, toucanettes, and aracaris) should not be kept as pets but instead should be in breeding programs. We do not recommend any of the toucan family as pets for several reasons. The primary reason is that they are becoming more rare in captivity. Aviculture does not have self-sustaining populations of any species- quite the contrary. We strongly feel they should be in the hands of experienced breeders and kept in southern climates in large outdoor aviaries. Those kept as pets usually live short, miserable lives in cages too small for them and often are fed incorrectly. Toucans have health issues such as hemotomachrosis that baffle even experts and avian veterinarians. We do not sell them for pet purposes and would not recommend anyone who would do so.
All photographs are by Gail J. Worth and are copyrighted. They may not be reproduced by any method without written permision.
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