If you are considering getting a pet toucan, then it is important to learn everything about them, including their breeding habits and eggs.
Various species of a toucan are legal to own in the USA; thus, you can get them home and breed them.
What Does A Real Toucan Egg Look Like?
A real toucan egg looks like other eggs- white and shiny. The white is a dull white, and the surface is smooth. It is not possible to learn from its appearance that it’s a toucan egg.
How Many Eggs Does A Toucan Lay?
A toucan lays two to four eggs in a year. It is less than many other birds, but they make a happy little family.
How Big Is A Toucan’s Egg?
A toucan is a large bird ranging from 10-25 inches, but its egg is quite small. Its egg is only 1.5 inches, i.e., 4 cm in size. Some of these also have pitted grooves on them.
What Color Are Toucan Eggs?
Toucan eggs are a dull white with a shiny surface.
Do Toucans Eat Eggs?
Yes, toucans eat eggs. Normally, they are considered frugivores birds, but they occasionally relish some non-veg diet.
They eat insects and reptiles like frogs and other birds’ eggs. They eat small insects, including caterpillars, cicadas, termites, crickets, etc. They also eat other small birds’ eggs as they are rich in nutritious value.
Toco toucan is also infamous for eating rodents like rabbits, squirrels, mice, etc. Lizards are also one of their favorite foods.
Usually, juvenile toucans are more interested in eating food items other than fruits. As they grow up and find fruits easily in rainforests, they switch to them, but when an insect or rodent comes their way, they don’t hesitate.
Toucan Egg Hatching
Toucans are a bird of a tropical, hot climate. Both male and female incubate their eggs by sitting on them in turns. Their eggs need incubation for 16-20 days and then hatch.
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What Is A Toucan’s Baby Called?
A toucan’s baby is called a fledgling. They are also called juvenile toucans and are also called a chick. But there is no specific word for baby toucans like a pup for a dog’s baby.
Do Toucans Always Lay Fertile Eggs?
No. The fertility of eggs depends on their incubation and hatching. No bird can ascertain or lay fertile eggs always. Sometimes, more heat can cook eggs, and they don’t hatch at all. But the female birds are wise enough to understand if their egg has gone bad.
Related Read: What Birds lay Blue Eggs? | Identify Blue Egg Species of Birds
Do All Toucans Lay Eggs?
If you are wondering whether all toucan species lay eggs, then yes. They are oviparous birds and lay eggs. The females lay the eggs in their nest or tree cavity, which they call home.
Breeding Of Toucans
Toucans are not very popular pet birds, but they make good pets, and their breeding is also possible in captivity. Usually, they have a breeding season scoring to the climates of their habitat, but in captivity, it depends on their environment.
Different toucans have different breeding seasons. It ranges from May to October but differs for every species. June, July, and August are the peak months.
For large toucans, the breeding maturity reaches 2 years or sometimes 3-4 years, while smaller ones start breeding after 1 year. Getting a smaller toucan instead of a bigger one like Toco Toucan is advised.
Birds can be aggressive, and their large beaks can be harsh. In forests, they choose mates by throwing fruits at them, but in captivity, it is tricky. Once they choose partners, then comes the nest.
In forests, they choose hollow cavities in trees. You can try giving them hollowed tree trunks, and they will be happy to use them. Make sure that you make a large enough cavity.
Once they have settled, you will see them having fun. They will spend more time together, will purr a lot, the male will throw fruits at the mate, offering them to her, their cavity will become their hideout, etc.
When it’s time, the female will lay 2-4 eggs. They are white and shiny, and the female will spend most of her time incubating them. The male also takes an active part.
Once the eggs are hatched, do not disturb the fledglings or try to raise them. Their parents know what to do. All you have to do is give them nutritious food.
The newborn chicks look like other birds, featherless and small. They don’t even sport that large beak.
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Diet Of Baby Toucans
The diet of baby toucans involves lots of fruits and occasional insect diets.
Before they open their eyes, they are totally dependent on their parents to feed them. The parents offer them regurgitated food.
When Do Baby Toucans Start Flying?
Baby toucans start flying after 40-50 days. They remain in their nests for up to 60 days after their birth. During this time, they grow feathers, and their beak grows as they grow. It takes 1-3 years for their bill to fully develop.
Is It Hard To Breed Toucans?
It depends on which species you have brought home. Smaller birds are easy to breed, but if you are an experienced breeder, you can also bring home the large toucans.
Are Toucans Worth Keeping And Breeding?
Yes, these are very affectionate birds and are known for their playfulness and intelligence.
If you can give them proper care and time, they grow up very loving birds. You are advised to make them a large aviary so they can take short flights.
Proper diet and love can make any bird love you in return. So, if you can do that, a toucan is a good pet for you.
