Are you a bird lover? If you are, then this article is for you. We are here to talk about an exotic bird known as the Toucan.

Since our knowledge of food and nutrition for animals is constantly changing, we need to be aware of the significance of nutrition and health to improve our research information-gathering tools for various animals.

Like other animals, birds need a proper balance in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and other vitamins and minerals in their diet. It will ensure that they will be able to stay healthy and alive for a very long time.

Toucans and their offspring usually have high moisture in their diet. They’re also known to have a relatively short digestive tract. It makes for a quick traveling time between one food passage to the next in these particular birds.

It also means that toucans will have to eat a lot to survive their hunger. With these bits of information presented, what kind of food do they eat most of the time? What can you expect to add to their diet if you decide to take care of these animals in your aviary?

The following paragraphs will try to answer these questions and much more. Would you like to continue learning more about it? Go ahead and read on then.

What Is a Toucan’s Favorite Food?

These particular birds are well known to have large, sharp, and colorful bills or beaks that we use to get food from the tips of branches which may usually be out of reach for other bird species. They usually can be found in South American rainforests.

These birds also are cousins to woodpeckers and other woodland birds. What do they usually eat? They go for fruits as well as small insects and reptiles. In addition to this, they can also eat other bird eggs.

So it would be best for you not to put them alongside any other bird species if you would like to take care of them all independently. Luckily, these birds seem to be loners and usually carve holes in trees to build nests.

You wouldn’t have to concern yourself about finding a proper place for them in your aviary as long as you have trees around.

Aside from fruit and other insects, these exotic birds are also known to eat a lot of rodents, lizards, and other birds. They are omnivorous creatures that will eat everything and anything dead or alive. They’re not very demanding.

These birds do not have a crop or any dilated pouch in their esophagus that would usually be useful for food storage. Because of this, the birds tend to eat in smaller amounts with varying frequencies.

So if you want a chance to take care of this particular type of bird anytime soon, it would be important for you to take note of the frequency of their feedings. Because of the smaller amounts of the food they take into their bodies, you would have to feed them regularly in hourly intervals.

By doing this, you can get to nourish the bird effectively.

What Kind of Fruit Does the Toucan Eat

As mentioned earlier, these particular types of birds usually ingest a lot of berries. Aside from this, they also take a bite out of figs, oranges, and guavas. Their specialized bills have saw-like edges that help with peeling the fruits.

Aside from those mentioned, they also eat papayas and bananas. Perhaps this is why we have such long life spans. However, toucans, much like many other exotic birds and animals, are starting to get endangered.

We ought to protect the environment even more so now than before. It will help keep these birds alive while protecting us from other harmful members of the animal kingdom.

Normally, toucans could eat alone or in small groups within the canopy. They are considered flightless birds because they tend to hop more so than fly. Their brightly colored feathers provide good ways to hide within the vast canopy of the rainforest. They also serve as protective mechanisms from larger animals.

These birds are also known to be quite noisy, so you would easily find them amid the silence of the forest. They usually make grunting and snoring sounds which can often be compared to the croaking of many frogs.

If you have a rodent or reptile problem in your house, these birds can also take care of it for you.

It would be best to take care of fully grown toucans if you want to use them to eliminate any lizard or rodent infestation in your house. It is because younger toucanets aren’t born with large bills, to begin with. However, they do grow over time.

It would also help you to research the different types of animals that toucans can ingest as well. They also eat insects and other animals. However, what kind of insects or lizards can be poisonous to them?

This question will be answered in the next section. If you want to find out right away, you should go ahead and continue with your quest for knowledge. You will not have regrets in the least.

What Meat Does A Toucan Eat?

In this section, we will discuss another facet of the toucan diet. What kinds of meat do they eat most of the time? It was touched upon in previous sections, but we will now give you a more in-depth discussion about these birds and their predatory nature.

Toucans usually focus on eating reptiles as well as smaller birds. These animals can eat smaller hatchlings or eggs. As a responsible aviary owner, try to separate toucans from other bird species if you plan to take them in anytime soon.

This way, you won’t have to deal with potentially dwindling numbers of birds in your aviary anytime soon. However, their omnivorous nature usually is very good for the environment mainly because they also take in a lot of wild insects such as spiders, frogs, different kinds of bugs, and even snakes.

Below are other examples of insects that toucans usually ingest.

• Crickets
• Cicadas
• Worms
• Other soft-bodied insects

Doing this will not only protect your birds from potential harm but also keep the environment safe or other animals to roam in as well. Aside from getting rid of insects and other harmful animals, they also tend to propagate the seedlings of the fruits that they eat through their waste products. Because of this, these birds help sustain the environment for all living things.

Now that you know what kind of meats they tend to ingest, you will be able to better care for your birds as much as possible. One question remains though, what kind of food can you feed them aside from animal meat?

It is a very good question to ask and answer, especially if you are an animal lover and you wouldn’t want your pets to end up eating each other in the long run.

The next section will surely answer your questions about potential alternative diet plans for your toucans and much more.

What Do You Feed A Pet Toucan?

As a responsible pet owner, you ought to know what kind of food goes into your pet’s body every single time. You need to figure out how to effectively feed your pets, no matter how small or big they are.

So far, we have already discussed what these particular birds usually eat in the wild. However, what can you possibly feed them in captivity? Do they eat all kinds of fruits? Or should this particular part of their diet be controlled as well? Hopefully, we will find the answers in the following paragraphs.

When formulating your pet toucan’s diet, the first thing to do is to make sure that you consult experts before doing anything. This way, you will know what they can and cannot eat in terms of fruits or even vegetables.

As mentioned earlier, these birds do eat fruits, but it is important to note that they cannot ingest all types of fruits.

Usually, veterinarians have them stay away from citrus fruits. It is because of citric acid, which can bind the iron in the body. This condition can lead to iron storage disease and birds if left unchecked. Experts also warn bird lovers against feeding toucans avocado.

This particular food is reported to be toxic to the birds, as mentioned above. The toxicity is usually attributed to potential chemicals that may be in the fruit itself. It would be advisable to wash any food and vegetables thoroughly before feeding them to your pet birds.

You should do this with fresh, clean water at all times.

Speaking of water supply, depending on the purity of your tap water, you may have to consider using bottled water when feeding your toucans. This way, you can be assured that they will be safe while using the water itself.

You should do this mainly because toucans, more often than not, bathe and drink from the same container. So what would be best for you to make sure that it is clean.

Additionally, try not to feed your pet toucan with any of these snacks in the house. These are talking to the animals and may lead to their demise if ingested.

• Pretzels
• Caffeinated drinks
• Extremely salty foods such as garlic, onions, and chips
• You should also avoid trying to feed and chocolate or any other food that has a lot of fat

Ingesting any of these types of food will prove to be fatal for the birds.

The Conclusion

Knowing these important points, you can build an effective diet plan for your pet toucan. However, this is just the first step. Remember that taking care of an animal is as much of a responsibility as taking care of humans. You will be responsible for the bird’s everyday needs.

As mentioned earlier, it would be best for you to consult medical experts before you even try to adopt this particular animal in your home. Doing this will surely learn more about toucans in their natural habitat and how to properly take care of them once you take them out of the wild.

Additionally, you have to make sure that your purpose is clear in taking care of them. Are you doing it for pleasure? Or to continue propagating their species? Your answer to these questions will show whether you are worthy of taking care of these particular animals in the future.

Knowing the answers will also make it easier for you to take care of these birds much more effectively in the end. You should not be afraid to do some more research if you feel that you cannot take care of the animals just yet.

If you cannot take care of them on your own, it would be best to ask for help from experts down the road.