Toucans and Diet
Toucans are subject to iron storage disease or hemochromatosis. Therefore they need a low-iron diet. Following a strict diet is necessary to ensure toucans’ longevity in captivity.
Many years ago toucans would often perish from hemochromatosis from diets that had too much iron. Luckily, this is no longer the case. Breeders, zoos, and pet owners have learned through sharing information with one another about what a proper diet should be for a captive toucan.
While the debate on what is an ideal diet is still debated, one thing everyone agrees on is a low-iron fruit diet.
The theory behind tea for toucans:
Why have toucan teas been developed? The idea behind using the teas is simple.
Tea has tannins. Tannins are naturally found in plants, leaves, as well as bark. It is believed that in the wild these natural plant items fall into puddles or other areas that collect water and may form a natural type of tea.
It is thought that the availability of natural tannins in the wild is what prevents wild toucans from getting hemochromatosis.
Therefore, giving captive toucans a tea regime is thought to possibly stave off hemochromatosis. Of course, adhering to a low-iron diet is also necessary.
What the research states:
In the article “Effective Use of Tea to Limit Dietary Iron Available to Starlings (Sturnus Vularis)” from the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine the authors concluded that in wild-caught starlings, those that were given tea in conjunction with a high iron diet did not have increases in liver iron concentrations. The starlings that were given a high iron diet without the tea saw a “significant” increase in levels. (URL: https://doi.org/10.1638/02-088)
Now I fully recognize that starlings are not toucans, however, they are among one of the species of birds that are iron sensitive similar to toucans. While the research was not conducted on toucans one could definitely make the assumption that toucans would have similar results.
It is important to note that the experiment used black tea leaves mixed into the food, and the tea was not brewed. Further study would be needed to determine if brewing would make a difference or not and whether or not other types of flowers or leaves would be just as effective.
A second research article on starlings was also written to determine if using tea as a treatment for starlings with iron storage disease would be effective. In the article “A Comparison of Four Regimens for Treatment of Iron Storage Disease Using the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) as a Model” the authors tried to determine effective treatments for the birds who were fed high iron diets to mimic the iron levels of birds that died of iron storage disease. (URL: https://doi.org/10.1647/2004-033.1)
They determined that feeding a low iron diet did lower iron levels, however only slightly and it was not significant. There was no significant difference in the birds that received tannic acid and inositol and a low iron diet. Starlings that received a low iron diet and deferoxamine had a significant decrease in levels. However, the best course of treatment to lower levels was determined to be phlebotomy, where 1% of the body weight was collected in blood.
This study is significant in that it appears to show that tannic acid is not a successful intervention to reverse iron levels, however, as proven in the previous study it can significantly decrease iron absorption.
How does the research help us?
The research helps us conclude that while tea may stop or limit the absorption of iron in the liver; it does not act as a way to treat iron storage disease. So prevention is the best way to help keep toucans in captivity healthy and living their lifespan.
In my opinion, while I believe there is still more research that needs to be conducted, I believe there is enough evidence in starlings to suggest that tea serves as a benefit to our toucans in captivity.
References:
Bob Seibels, Nadine Lamberski, Christopher R. Gregory, Kerri Slifka, and Ann E. Hagerman “EFFECTIVE USE OF TEA TO LIMIT DIETARY IRON AVAILABLE TO STARLINGS (STURNUS VULGARIS),” Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 34(3), 314-316, (1 September 2003). https://doi.org/10.1638/02-088
Olsen, G. P., Russell, K. E., Dierenfeld, E., & Phalen, D. N. (2006). A comparison of four regimens for treatment of iron storage disease using the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) as a model. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 20(2), 74+. https://doi.org/10.1647/2004-033.1
