# Toucans



## JPReptiles

Went into a shop near me last week [manchester pets & aquatics] I'm not going to get started on what i think of the shop as i will be here all night..

Anyway they have two beautiful Toucans in there,one was i think a Toco toucan and i can't remember the other one which was a little smaller.

They are stunning birds and i was just wondering if anyone privately keeps them?

I heard one of the guys that works there say he has been offered £5,000 for the Toco which was wild caught and he has refused it,

I also heard him say that the smaller one is CB and hand reared,and he was telling someone it was worth around £10,000 - £11,000!

That is a hell of a lot of money..

John


----------



## cooltom28

tocos are about £6000pr so he shoudl of snapped their hands off

there is a couple people with toucans in the uk but mainly zoos and again more in europe.

i was offered a collection with about 11pairs in last year but ridiculos money


10k for a toucan i doubt it tocos are the dearest


----------



## JPReptiles

cooltom28 said:


> tocos are about £6000pr so he shoudl of snapped their hands off
> 
> there is a couple people with toucans in the uk but mainly zoos and again more in europe.
> 
> i was offered a collection with about 11pairs in last year but ridiculos money
> 
> 
> 10k for a toucan i doubt it tocos are the dearest


11 pairs..!

He was saying it was 10k because it was hand reared.

I think they are stunning birds and i can understand that there are not many private keepers of them with a price tag like that.

John


----------



## cooltom28

talking rubbish about the handreared bit!!!

i know of 2 for sale at the moment the hand fed one is less money: victory:


more over here than you think though,


----------



## cubeykc

the pet shop had one in about 3 months ago it was stunning but he was only asking 1000 for it


----------



## *mogwai*

Mephitis said:


> Went into a shop near me last week [manchester pets & aquatics] I'm not going to get started on what i think of the shop as i will be here all night..
> 
> Anyway they have two beautiful Toucans in there,one was i think a Toco toucan and i can't remember the other one which was a little smaller.
> 
> They are stunning birds and i was just wondering if anyone privately keeps them?
> 
> I heard one of the guys that works there say he has been offered £5,000 for the Toco which was wild caught and he has refused it,
> 
> I also heard him say that the smaller one is CB and hand reared,and he was telling someone it was worth around £10,000 - £11,000!
> 
> That is a hell of a lot of money..
> 
> John


i hate that shop as well. but anyways, they've had toucans in before & were never asking for that amount of money for them. do they still have that harlequin macaw?


----------



## cooltom28

cubeykc said:


> the pet shop had one in about 3 months ago it was stunning but he was only asking 1000 for it


 
depends on species but sounds a good buy!


----------



## JPReptiles

teshu said:


> i hate that shop as well. but anyways, they've had toucans in before & were never asking for that amount of money for them. do they still have that harlequin macaw?


I'm not up on what breeds they are but there was two macaws in there,hanging from the roof LOL i always thinks its going to drop one on my head..

John


----------



## cooltom28

harlequins should be drowned as easy as that to look after, bloody hybrids


----------



## JPReptiles

cooltom28 said:


> harlequins should be drowned as easy as that to look after, bloody hybrids


Am i missing something LOL..

John


----------



## cooltom28

harlequins are a hybrid macaw

greenwing x blue and gold


----------



## JPReptiles

cooltom28 said:


> harlequins are a hybrid macaw
> 
> greenwing x blue and gold


Arr i see,now i understand.

John


----------



## JPReptiles

cooltom28 said:


> harlequins are a hybrid macaw
> 
> greenwing x blue and gold


Do you keep any birds?

John


----------



## cooltom28

yes hawk heads and bodini amazons, and hopefully next week a pair of queen of bavarias


----------



## Lover

Ive been in there.. when i went in there last the birds told me to f:censor:k off.. great that for selling tut tut

they had a mime bird or something there was a noisey thing.. aslo see a tuccan in there once.


----------



## fenwoman

cooltom28 said:


> harlequins are a hybrid macaw
> 
> greenwing x blue and gold


 So? No good for breeding but they have a right to life and can make brilliant pets as any other bird will. Killing them simply because they are hybrids is as bad as killing mismarked or mongrel puppies just because they aren't perfect. There was a German chap who once had the same ideas about race purity and killing inferior specimens. Now...what was his name.......?


----------



## Ssthisto

cooltom28 said:


> harlequins are a hybrid macaw


Some of the hybrids are lovely and "improve" on the pet quality of certain macaw species. And with common macaws like the greenwings and blue-and-golds, I don't see that big a deal with hybridising them in captivity, since they will NEVER be released into the wilds of the Amazon.

Now, start talking about Caloshuas or Milifons and that's a different story... (Blue&Gold X Hyacinth, Military X Buffons) - where each captive animal is needed to be bonded to another member of its OWN species to produce pure offspring, then allowing them to bond with other species is irresponsible.

And toucans... they look like they'd be fantastic and very interesting to keep. The prices seem a little steep, though!


----------



## cooltom28

but why produce a hybrid when you can produce a pure species?

greenwings and blue and golds aren't rare and what happens to them once they are no longer wanted


----------



## Ssthisto

cooltom28 said:


> but why produce a hybrid when you can produce a pure species?
> 
> greenwings and blue and golds aren't rare and what happens to them once they are no longer wanted


Well, some of the breeders who work with hybrids say that the multi-generation hybrids are calmer and less likely to be feather pickers than pure species animals... this may be "kennel blindness" but it's a move towards "domesticated" macaws, too. Selecting for the traits of a macaw that are most favourable to captive petkeeping and breeding those individuals who show those best possible traits.

And just because SOME people like hybrids doesn't mean there will be no market for pure animals... certainly the availability of Jungle Corns hasn't hurt the market or popularity of California Kings OR Cornsnakes!


----------



## JPReptiles

The breeders will always need the pure species to breed from to get the hybrid species won't they?

John


----------



## cooltom28

people breed hybrid x hybrid, i wouldnt give £50 for one personally, in the usa some breeders are down to f4


----------



## Satans Little Helper

I am not a believer in purposely breeding hybrids, as like you tom, I believe that pure breds should come first. However, unlike you, I am a bird lover and feel that is an extremely stupid and childish comment to make. When I read things like this it reminds me just how old you are :bash:


----------



## cooltom28

if people didnt buy them less people would breed them


----------



## bobbydazzler75

i have one, its a channel billed toucan, i dont know anyone else who has one though.


----------



## bobbydazzler75

i have a channel billed toucan called rio. ive looked all over the net and cant seem to see them for sale, only eggs that sound abit of a con to me.


----------



## Zoo-Man

fenwoman said:


> So? *No good for breeding but they have a right to life and can make brilliant pets as any other bird will. Killing them simply because they are hybrids is as bad as killing mismarked or mongrel puppies just because they aren't perfect.* There was a German chap who once had the same ideas about race purity and killing inferior specimens. Now...what was his name.......?


........or if they are white & there is a chance they may be deaf!


----------



## xXFooFooLaFluffXx

never been, dont intend on goin to that shop either, what were ya doin there john if you dont think much of it?


----------



## brittone05

Any pics of your toucan Bobbydazzler?


----------



## JPReptiles

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> never been, dont intend on goin to that shop either, what were ya doin there john if you dont think much of it?


 
Looking??

John


----------

