How Much Will An Aviary For Your Toucan Cost?

Toucans are famous for their beauty and color, and these birds are also known as birds of the jungle. They have this amazing skill to fly between trees and shrubs and even through narrow openings. Toucans are also high-energy birds that spend most of their days bouncing around their house. They also require lots of room to expand their high energy. This is why in caring for toucans, you must prepare a large enclosure for them, most probably, a wide aviary.

What You Need To Know First

Every bird owner is looking for an aviary that will not cost so high that it will empty their wallets. But so far, a cheap one will not meet your toucan’s needs. They cost a lot of money to make. They will also cost a lot to buy. They will also still cost a lot, even if you do this yourself.

What It Would Be Like If You DIY Your Own Aviary

For this specific aviary that is able to house three toucans, the cost for materials and labor amounted to about 15,000 US Dollars to build. Toucan owners must keep in mind that the costs will vary depending on how many people are there and where they are located.

What To Prepare Before You Start Building

1. Determine the size of your toucan. Know the size of your bird and if an individual or more will reside inside. This will dictate how big the entire aviary will be.
2. Calculate the volume of the aviary depending on the size and number of birds that will reside inside.
3. Identify the appropriate wire mesh spacing and gauge. Also, make sure to use stainless steel wire mesh and avoid using galvanized wires.
4. Plan the design of your bird’s aviary using a pencil and paper.
5. Purchase all the necessary materials from a hardware store.

Some Conditions To Think About

1. The aviary must be strong enough and solid enough to withstand heavy storms, not necessarily with the birds inside them, especially if you do reside in an area where they are in a hurricane zone.
2. The aviary must be aesthetically pleasing, as it would serve as a permanent home of the toucans.
3. The aviary must be able to give the toucans plenty of space so that they can move about and are high energy birds that require having a lot of space compared to other birds.
4. The aviary must also offer the toucans some protection from the hot rays of the sun as well as protection for and from human visitor friends.
5. The aviary must also be easy to maintain and clean.
6. The aviary location must be chosen based on the offering of protection against the wind, which can get very strong and unpredictable sometimes.

Details of The Toucan Aviary

1. The cage is built using wood and 1 inch by 1-inch wire mesh. There is no need to worry about the specific type of wood or wire because toucans, unlike other birds, do not have the desire to chew or bite wood and wire.
2. The aviary must have tall ceilings and a peaked roof so that there is more space for the birds. It would also be better if you can leave the end peaks open but covered with more mesh in order to provide airflow.
3. Each section of the aviary must be separated by 8 inches of poured concrete. This will make cleaning much cleaner and simpler. It will also protect the aviary from rotting.
4. The doors of the aviary must swing inward. There must be latches on the inside, as well as padlocks on the outside.
5. As additional support, wood nails can also give way to additional support as perches.
6. For additional structural strength to weather strong storms, stainless steel bolts can be used in tying the floor, roof, and walls together. As roof security, you can also add some hurricane clips.
7. For a stronger aviary foundation, you can dig footings as the concrete is poured so that anchorage can be secured.
8. For perches, you can use branches that are cut down from an almond tree or other similar trees. You just have to make sure that the branches are organic and natural and have not been sprayed with pesticides.
9. Toucans enjoy lots of perches as they thrive on hopping and playing around.
10. Shelves must also be built within the aviary, and these shelves will hold food bowls and water bowls for these birds. Some larger water pans can also serve as something that toucans can bathe in.
11. Make sure that the floors of the aviary are installed with drains. This will make cleaning and maintenance much easier as the drainage allows quicker cleaning, lack of waste build-up, and keeping bugs and pests under control.
12. The aviary can be cleaned through scrubbing down with mild soap. That would be enough to make sure bacteria won’t live in the toucan’s enclosure.
13. To give the toucans some protection against the four elements or people that are interested in harming them, you can also install a large canvas to roll down, which covers three sides of the bird’s aviary. These can be rolled after the sun sets, and rolled up just before daybreak so that the toucans can enjoy the sunrise.
14. In securing the aviary’s canvas covers, you can mount them with some hardware at different levels that can secure the covers from flapping in the wind.
15. If your aviary is displayed at a place where they are almost in public, you can install signage that specifies your bird’s name, its species, as well as some distinct rules like no smoking and no feeding.

Other Tips in Aviary Building

1. If possible, position your bird’s aviary so that it is within view of your house. This will allow you to enjoy life with your birds and checking on them even when you are relaxing or working inside your house. This will also make you more aware if there are predators upsetting your birds if they are just located nearby.
2. Try to avoid building an aviary under a tree. This will limit your bird’s sunshine, which will lead to dampness that will also be easy access for predators and pests.
3. At least one-third of your bird aviary must be covered by a roof, and it should be enclosed on one or two sides.
4. If you live in a locality where the temperatures can rise up, you should ensure that your aviary is not located in the area of the garden that can get extremely hot.
5. If you can, plan your toucan aviary to face the morning sun, which means that the aviary should be facing south, south-easterly, north, north-east, or easterly direction.
6. In terms of soils, loose sandy soils will be fine, clay soils have poor drainage, and it can retain water on the damp floor.

Conclusion

An outdoor aviary for your pet toucan can be quite pricey, but this specific bird species are already pricey on its own. This is why you should weigh everything very carefully before you decide on taking on one of these birds and make them as your pet.