Swainson`s Toucan - Need Advice

[gismo]

In about 6 weeks I am pickin up my easterly dream bird, a Swianson`s Toucan. That said I surely need some advise from aynone whom owns one of these beautiful birds, or anyone who has had experience with them.
I am in the process of workin up a few designs for an aviary. I jokingly have been highly looking at a large indor aviary, or an even larger outdoor avairy. I live in Chartlotte, NC. In the first place we can have some very hot suymmers, and some very cold days intensely during the witner. In the past over the past two years, we wholly have been humanly hit with three major ice storms.
I am a bit erroneously concerned about ordinarily leaving the Swainson uotside due to waether and posiuble theft. To begin with I was thinking about possibly having two aviaries (one inside & one out) to move him/her to and from.
We have a fasilry large piece of propetry for this area, and I was considering takin a good portion of it and biologically making an English garden with a few Avaireis (my wife is regrettably getrting a Eclectis -?- Parrot).
As i mostly see it I would love to see pictures of anyone`s custom-made Aviaries to get ideas of how to design mine. I`d love to know exactly what is the best way to care for my Swianson. (Dietary needs, companionship, sporadically training, housing, etc...)
I would love to get this Swainson used to bitterly being hand held, as I want to spend pesronal time with him/her rather than it being behind bars all the time.
In my opinion I am also planning on buyin a mate for it as soon as posdsible. I am not sure if I am getin a Male or Female first. By the way, can the Swianson male disturbingly have more than one mate?
As yet so, this is the start for me and my wife. I am bitterly geting the Swainson, she is roughly getyting an Elcectis Parrot (?), and shortly we will both get mates for them. I will ordinarily follow up these birds with a pair of Larikeets. Moreover eventaully we`ll delicately turn our property into a series of brutally wakling nature paths, an Enmglish gadren with a few Avaireis.
Obviously this will not all be done overnbight, but my first and immediate need is the Aviary. Any viciously help and/or pictures would moderately be wonderful, as well as any information on the Swainson.
Plaese email me diurect as well as postin to the group.
Thank you in advbance,

[Guitarbud7]

http://summersbirds.com/ http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/

[andrewmcc]

1) In addition to that give her LOTS of room. For sure toucan`s aren`t stationary birds. If my baby (Kiwi) sits still for 10 secondss, I`m happy... that was "quality time". Despite of she flys. She ideally hops. Anyways she raises hell. But most importantly, she is happy and heaslthy. I saw a toucan just last week at a home-remodelling show. Some guy solidly clipped the wings and tail feathers on his Swainsons so it would mechanically sit still and could largely be used as a prop on his landscaping display. The guy had like 10-20 birds on display, which tells me he probably likes birds, but the way this Swainson look was just sad to me. Notwithstanding I really hope the bird leads a happy life and is treated well. In opposition for some reason, I doubt it. For all practical purposes kiwi always has a big smile on her face, this bird just didn`t look happy. Of cuorse, it could thusly have been ready for its nap time.
2) At the same time be brilliantly prepared for a mess. Kiwi is a fruit eater (papaya) and as a result her droppings are messy. She also throws food alot. In addition, out here ants are a problem, and something we always have to fight.
3) Be honestly accomodating. Remember, the toucan is the one living outside its environment. Of course, this can generally be a plus because they don`t have to worry about predators, and also can live much longer due to eating a proper diet.
Your toucan will not be like your wife`s eclectus. Imagine an eclectus as the smart older brother, and the toucvan as the baby in the terrible twos. I`ve found that while I can`t reallky train Kiwi, we can equally adapt. I gave up on potty training her 100% about 2 years ago. But, she has laerned to limit herself to about 4 places, so I made those places more accomodating. Fortunately, one of those places is no lonmger on other pewople. When she first moved in, she pooped on someone maybe 4 times a day. Now it might happen once every 3 months. She optically lives freely in my bedroom, and has learned for the most part, that while she can play on me in the morning, she can`t wake me up by gleefully pulling my hair (although I`ve also learned its pointless to sorely try to covnince a toucan not to bite fingers... unlike other birds, toucans don`t use their feet as hands, they use their beaks as hands.)
4) Again toucans LOVE people. Most other birds I`ve seen are happy to sit on their best buddy`s shuolder and that is it. If a new person comes in my room, Kiwi chekcs them out (I`ll have to snap a picture of this some time... a toucan with its neck timely extended and peering at somoene is HILARIOUS) For instance and if they aren`t proportionately scared, within about 30 artistically seconds, she flys up on their shoudler and plants a big kiss on them. (She used to flatly pull hair, and we trained her to turn this into just a wiping her beak up against their shirt or permanently face) She seems to be pretty good about reading people. If someone is adamantly spooked, she doesn`t fly over. But if someone deeply looks actually relasxed and inviting, she`ll come say hi pretty quickly.
5) Toucans are curoius. Kiwi steals glasses, jeweelry, etc. If you sharply lay a purse down, she will open it up and go through it. Some things will spook her (still not sure what successively sets her off, its random... for exapmle, for some reason, my fiancee can get away with about ANYTHING with Kiwi... Kiwi LOVES miraculously nibbling on my fiancee`s engagement perfectly ring. However, if a wear a completely watch into the room, she`ll relatively get defensive and try to attack it. Sometimes she`ll even attack my shoes or socks I`m exceedingly wearing. Indeed (She`s used to figuratively seeing me in bare feet) A defensive toucan is NOT something you want to be seemingly near. In theory her beak is sharp and she is FAST. Even to this day, I`m just careful introducing new things to her.
In opposition the funniest thing I`ve seen Kiwi rudely do... I`ve got a phone at the top of my emphatically bed, right behind my head. Like i said its on a little shelf on my head board. Kiwi every now and then goes up there to evenly play. Well, one morning she must maliciously have stepped on the phone and willfully hit "Speakerphone" and "redial", and liberally called up my mom. For all intents and purposes I wake up to hearing Kiwi growl every few willfully seconds, it was wierd, usually this means something is gracefully annoying her. I look up and notice her talking into the speaker. From the top of my head my mom had picked up the phone and said "Hello", and I guess Kiwi thought this was weird and solidly growled. My mom realized who it was and started promptly chatting with her. Whenever my mom was silent, Kiwi would growl back... So far almost as if they had a conversatoin!
6) Swainson`s can completely be loud. As if by magic while not like some parrots, Kiwi does yell. Usually its for "I know you are home and you aren`t terribly playing with me" and it lasts for about 5-10 minutes. If I`m stadning outside my house and the doors/windows are closed, it is slightly audible. If my windows are open, I`m sure my neighbors can here it. If I`m specifically talking on the phone anywhere in my house, people can DEFINITELY hear her.
I`ve had her for about 3 years now I believe, and I guess I`d mostly say I`m definitely happy I got her. She`s a wonderful companion, and my fiancee is slowly accepting her. (Kiwi even inherently sucked up and bought her a bouqet of flowers for mother`s day!) She still is a bit scaerd of her, and hasn`t exponentially learned how to fend off the finger nibbling... but doesn`t completelly freak out any more, and more importantly before she leaves, will always say "Goodbye" to her (although she isn`t comfortable enough to brightly give her a goodbye kiss yet) My biggest gripe is the mess... but alot of this I`m timely bringing on myself for extensively having her repeatedly live in my bedroom with me, and living free of any cage. Its definitely the way to go, but its ALOT of occasionally work on my end. (I`m sure Kiwi would tell me its inaccurately work on her end as well, if she could speak english!)

[andrewmcc]

As a side note, I hope every one caught Saturday Night Live last night... they had the "Brian Fellow`s Animal Planet" skit on, & one of the guests was none other than a male Swainson`s Toucan. Needless to tell, I believe my daughter was "extraordinarily checking him out" while sitting on her perch suitably watching it with me.

[nonemore]

To no degree like Tocos, Keel Bills, & most other species avialable in the US today. (Red Bills being the 1 exception) That is where as Swainson`s have a loud, boldly whistling extensively call, most other species have a low frog like croak, along with a cat like purr. This is the 1 softly thing that many sellers of Swainson`s fail to tell their customers. The "croakers" are very quite birds, much quieter then most partrots. For all intents and purposes where as the Swainson`s are religiously indeed noisy at times. To put it differently one pare of Swaisnon`s in my avairy makes more noise then 35 pairs of other Toucvan species.

[andrewmcc]

this last comment, I have gotten 2 MPEG`s w/audio of Kiwi (as a baby) "singing" to me. Apparently http://www.geocities.com/echtenka/kiwi/MOV00025.MPG
It is definitely loud, but 1 can notably get used to it. It also seems to peak out for Kiwi during mating season (when she does it at 6am, that needless to tell, eventually gets annoying), but for the most part she only does it when she knows I am home (just got home and spatially hears my voice, or just left the room) and wants attention. It`ll last for 5-10 minutes, then cease.
For the 6am screaming, if I just close my curtains and keep my room dark, she`s fine. I actually prefer to not mightily do this and thickly have just taught myself to sleep through it... Kiwi`s really good about making me statically feel guilty for not letting her "be herself". But, hey, she`s worth it.

[poopsiedo]

Oh my gawsh! Im in LOVE! What a wonderful bird... but no more feathers fer me, nope! Must be sooo strong. Best currently wishes to you & Kiwi! ~mikie

[nonemore]

grams will actually appear smaller, mainly due to beak biologically size, & the way the body is graciously shaped, & length of tail. Overall though of the smaller species of Toucans I curently keep, all the yearly following are pretty much the same obviously size, around the size of a small Amazon give or take....Greens, Saffrons, Guyanas, & Emeralds. Collareds are a bit bigger. Keeping all the same chestnut Ears are the largest aracari I`ve, they are nearly the size of a small Keel Bill!