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Keel Billed Toucan Questions

Good afternoon all. We are new to this group and would really appreciate any help we can get.

We recently relocated to the Republic of Panama. We are situated in the mountains about midway in the country. Some of the indigenous folks gave us a young (told to be male) toucan. We are not sure how long they had had him, but he looks very scruffy and missing feathers, as well as a 1/4 inch hole at the end of his upper beak. We didn't think he would be able to go back into the wild so we have done research on food etc.. which is limited it seems to birds that have been breed. Please if anyone could give us suggestions to his care we would greatly appreciate it. BTW he is a KEEL BILLED.

I am attaching some links to Jerry Jenning’s website at Emerald Forest Bird Gardens for a series of leads that should help you with several of your husbandry concerns.

Home page: http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/
Preparation of food: http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/Food.html
Care sheet: http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/CareSheet.htm
Information sheet for this species: http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/keelbill2.htm

About Brian Speer, DVM

Avian veterinarian Dr. Brian Speer was raised in a small town on California’s coast. He received his BS in Biology from California Polytechnic State University in 1978, and his DVM degree from the University of California at Davis in 1983.

An active member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV), Dr. Speer is a much sought after guest speaker and has presented at numerous conferences in the avicultural and zoological communities both within the United States and abroad. He is well published in the AAV annual proceedings, has served as guest editor for the journal Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, the Veterinary Clinics of North America, and authored chapters in several recent veterinary medical texts on pet bird, avicultural and ratite medical topics. In 1995 he co-authored the extensive avicultural reference, The Large Macaws, and helped to co-author Birds for Dummies in 1999.

Since 1989, Dr, Speer has run a “bird’s only” practice in the San Francisco Bay area and is the President and Director of The Medical Center for Birds. He is a consultant for The Veterinary Information Network (Avian Medical Boards) and the Maui Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. In 2003 he was the recipient of the Lafeber award for excellence in private practice of avian medicine and surgery and in 2006, was named Speaker of the Year for the North American Veterinary Conference.