This is the story of how a relatively normal couple from Orlando, FL was welcomed into Emerald Forest Bird Gardens and left there with a new goal in life. We were invited to EFBG by Jerry during a conference in Ocala, FL in January, 2009. We took Jerry up on the invitation and headed out there in late February, 2009 and talk about an incredible experience. It goes without saying that Jerry is an amazing host and a very knowledgeable person, but seeing him and his birds in action is something to behold and something no picture on his site, or anywhere else, can fully capture how stunning the place is. There is simply too much to tell but it can be divided into 2 main topics/paragraphs.

By profession we are both in the Veterinary Medicine field, me being a Vet and my wife being a Vet Tech/Hospital Manager. We were pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and efficiency in caring for the birds all over the farm. Every bird gets fed, watered and the cage cleaned daily almost at the same time every day. The cages are extremely spacious and provide ample room for exercise for each species Jerry has in the farm. The birds are always flying, hopping, singing, calling and doing everything else they would normally do with no signs of stress by our presence. If there was such a thing as Veterinarians grading bird breeding facilities like they do with restaurants, I would give Emerald Forest Bird Gardens an A+.

As animal lovers we were simply amazed at the amount of work and dedication that Jerry and his staff (especially Flavia) put into every bird. Not only do the babies at the nursery get spoiled, but so does every other bird in the facility. Fresh fruit and feed are offered daily and all the birds flock to it and eat it at their own pace. The body language of every single bird is one of a happy, established bird and they are not shy interacting with people, even complete strangers like us. We fell in love with Jerry’s Curl Crested Aracaris and we are working towards obtaining a baby as soon as possible.

So as an animal lover and as a Veterinarian I would recommend anyone to put their trust on Emerald Forest Bird Garden’s birds. My wife and I certainly do.

Ivan Alfonso, DVM

My name is Joe Carrieri. In January of 2007 when I was 16 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer. I was very upset and shocked by this. I thought my life was over. The doctors told me my immune system would be compromised and that I wouldn’t be able to have pets in the house. I had parrots and I had to give them up. It was really hard for me. I missed them, hearing them talk and their comical antics.

A sponsor named Maureen from The Make-A-Wish Foundation came to my house and asked, “If you could have one wish, what would it be?” I immediately knew what I wanted. I wanted a bird again. But no ordinary bird, I wanted a Toco Toucan. Throughout my treatments all my thoughts were on the anticipation of getting the bird. My sponsor Maureen kept in touch with us on the birth of the bird and kept us updated on what was going on. It made the discomfort of what I was going through bearable, knowing that my Toco Toucan would eventually come.

The People at Make-A-Wish contacted Jerry Jennings at Emerald Forest Bird Gardens in California, and immediately went to work on making my unique wish become a reality.

On November 2nd 2007, my 2 and a half month Toco Toucan flew in from California. I was ecstatic when I saw him. I couldn’t believe he was here. He was absolutely beautiful. I named him Rocko. He has been living with us for 6 months and has brought me nothing but joy. Every time I hold him and play with him I think about the people who made my dream a reality for me.

It is with great emotion and sincerity that I extend many grateful thanks to all the people at the Make a Wish Foundation of Suffolk County, New York for making my wish come true and especially all of the supporters whose generous contributions enable Make-A-Wish to grant these wishes that bring such joy to children like myself that have a life threatening illness. The anticipation and granting of my wish certainly made a difference in how I coped with my illness.

I would also like to extend my many thanks to Jerry Jennings and his Staff at Emerald Forest Bird Gardens for making my dream of owning one of the most beautiful exotic birds in the world a reality.

Thank you very much

Joe Carrieri, Ronkonkoma, Long Island, New York

I just fell in love with this Curl Crested Aracari from Emerald Forest Bird Gardens. It is so friendly I could hardly believe it. I never realized toucans were so intelligent and entertaining until I visited to Emerald Forest. The variety of toucan species there was amazing and the facilities and grounds gorgeous. I am from Norway and I have traveled all over Europe and there is nothing in Europe like it. If you love birds, especially toucans, then you must visit this bird paradise.

-Klemm fra Janne

Buffy came to live with us almost two years ago, after we lost the second of our pair of Red-Breasted Toucans after almost 20 years of happiness with them. Buffy was a delight right from the beginning. She’s active and happy, plays constantly and is very bright.

Because we don’t believe in wing-clipping, she spends daytimes in her outdoor aviary, sleeps inside our home at night, and doesn’t roam around with us when we go out. But, she is still very much a part of our lives. We often tease that the leg-band that Emerald Forest put on her, is actually a wrist-watch, because she knows to the minute, when it’s time to go outside. She starts by rattling her favorite indoor toy – a plastic heart on a chain. If that doesn’t work immediately, the bell ringing starts and continues until she gets my attention. She adds squawking to the mix as well, on the mornings when I’m unusually slow. Once outside, she spends her day communing with the outside critters – squirrels and other birds, playing wildly with her toys, and taking baths. We also play catch – a game she excells at. She didn’t know what rain was whe she came to us, and I guess she thought the sky was falling or something because she’d hide from it under her partial roof, but she soon got used to it and now enjoys bathing in it.

She will now sit for as long as my arm holds out – and get petted. It starts with her holding my finger in her bill, as I stroke up and down her neck and rub the back of her head with my other hand. She really gets into it when she starts mouthing my finger gently with her bill, and closing her eyes. One week, we had been away for a few days, and the first thing she did when I got back was to hop down onto the one perch that we use for this activity, throw her head back, open her bill and close her eyes – all ready for attention. Guess she missed me!

Here’s a picture I took of Tecate this past weekend. He’s such a meek little sweetie. He has settled in with us quite comfortably here in Southwest Florida. On the weekends, when the morning sun shines brightly, I will place Tecate on one the coconut palm leaves out front so he can enjoy the warm rays and stretch his wings and feet. Although it might be tempting to take flight, he chooses to just perch and carefully survey his surroundings. He studies every bird that he sees, maybe many of them for the first time. See, the Florida Gulf Coast has a huge variety of birds, like King Fishers, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Pelicans, along with many more that are rather large. With the tropical warm weather we have most of the year, most of the birds have decided to just kick back and stay permanently.

Quite often, as he’s peering out at the water through the sliding glass doors, he’s see a large bird glide right on by. He sounds off with a sharp screech! So as to warn them, “See this Beak!? Do ya’ wanna piece a’ me!?, Well, do ya’!? Don’t make me have to get Mid-Evil on you!!!” He won’t let up until I report to him. Once I acknowledge his call, he’s satisfied that his job is done. He’ll then hop around in his large cage almost as though he’s playing a game of “Catch me if you can!” So I’ll open his cage door and I’ll reach in, and like a flash! He’s on my arm and ready to explore with me.

I was fortunate enough to get this gorgeous Chestnut Eared Aracari from Jerry this past November. He’s already 5 years old and has already accepted us as his family. We named him Tecate (name of a Mexican beer) because it sounded just right for a Toucan. He responds directly when we call his name, with high hopes that we’re heading right over to him so he can catch a cuddle or a shoulder ride! Just about every time, he get’s his wish!!

He thinks he’s a puppy! In the evening, he especially wants me to hold him close and cuddled right up to my neck under my left jaw. I’ll gently stroke his forehead and he’s go right to sleep like a baby. I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful it is to have such an extraordinary treasure! He is genuinely precious, and is so very special to me.

Thanks Jerry!
Sincerely, Adrienne Reeves

My name is Kim Wilkerson. Our animal family members always bring us so much joy. I have worked in the veterinary field for over 15 years and now work part time teaching at my children’s school. We decided to adopt a Toucan (a male Green Aracari) from Jerry Jennings at Emerald Forest Bird Gardens. When our bird arrived, the first thing I saw was a beautiful colorful beak poking through the carrier door. The name Pokey seemed perfect.

Right from the start Pokey loved to be cuddled and petted. We set up his aviary in our kitchen family room area where he is with us all the time. Though the dogs bark and the kids yell, Pokey is so happy and content to be a part of it all. He purrs all the time especially when we hold him. He loves to put his tail up and fall asleep on me at night before we all get ready to go to bed. He lets anyone hold him and really enjoys socializing when we have company. It is so entertaining to watch him play with his toys or toss a piece of fruit in the air and go diving after it.

Pokey has been a great addition to our family. He has the sweetest disposition and is so incredibly beautiful with his colors becoming more vibrant each day. For us, just like potato chips where you can’t have just one….we are getting another Green Aracari in the spring! Thank you Jerry for such a great bird and we look forward to our next sweetie to arrive.

Kim

My Life With Chester…………….. I started going to bird shows about 4 years ago, and I saw some Swainson’s toucans there. A guy told me if I wanted to talk to a toucan expert, I should get in touch with Jerry Jennings. When I went to Emerald Forest Bird Gardens, I was blown away by the varieties available. I was especially drawn to the Aracari and Toucanet because they are smaller, and I liked the look of them. I hesitated, because I was worried I couldn’t care for an exotic fruit eater….. I was afraid I couldn’t provide what he needed.

A couple years later I ended up buying 2 parrotlets, because I thought it was more practical and “safe”. I loved them very much, but those beautiful soft bills kept haunting my imagination. I think I visited Jerry 2 more times before I finally decided. He showed me a Chestnut-Eared Aracari that was totally tame and I knew this was the type of bird for me. I’m happy that I did so much research and waited, because I knew exactly what I was getting. Actually, I take that back…… I never knew how much fun I would have with this bird. He is the sweetest, cuddliest, most playful, and beautiful pet I have ever had.

Every day when I go to greet him in the morning, I feel a big smile come across my face when I look at him. It’s so fun to see him develop and grow, his colors becoming more intense, his beak developing it’s amazing graphic design. He has his main walk-in aviary in my kitchen (and of course, the Parrotlets have their place in the kitchen, too)! And after breakfast, we all go into my art studio, the “girls” in the window sill playpen, and Chester in his “playpen” cage and perch. I don’t let them interact, because Chester could hurt or kill them. But I manage to keep them in the same room with no problems.

When I take him out in public, people are really curious and excited to see him. The main question I get is, “Does he talk?” I am very happy to say that he does NOT talk. I love hearing his exotic jungle sounds and was never interested in having to listen to a bird talk all day long. He is a good fit with my personality, because of three things: He is quiet, making wonderful sounds every now and then, his beauty is mesmerizing to me, and when I am busy, he is the type of bird who will play quietly with his toys and not beg for my undivided attention all the time. (Which makes me want to GIVE him my undivided attention all the time!)

This is a picture of Chester and me. He is about 6 months old here. We live in a loft in downtown LA, so if you think you needed a big outdoor aviary, think again. I make sure he has a stimulating environment with lots of toys and colors. We go out and see other people, and he visits with other birds at the bird club meetings! Sure, it takes time and dedication to care for him, but I think he has given me far more than I could ever give to him.

Sincerely, Stacia

Our Green Aracari, Bamboo, is doing great, as much of a delight as always. We’ve let her wings grow out and she loves to explore the house, has her favorite spots. She’s sitting next to me as I type this, on top of a basket by the kitchen window. We LOVE her so much!

She’s even learned to get along with our other two birds. She has her own aviary, but when we’re home her door is open and she often goes into the parrots’ aviary to hang out with them. She’s really become a chow hound, will try to eat everything if we don’t watch her. She loves the parrot’s veggie “mush” which is ok, but I have to draw the line when she tries to steal a piece of my breakfast pastry and take slurps out of my coffee.

Take care,
Anne Kunzig

We acquired our pair of Rainbow Billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) Leonardo & Twitchy several years back from Emerald Forest Bird Gardens at first to possibly breed them in a backyard Aviary. Well things sort of changed, We ended up keeping them in the house and since then they have became part of our family. They have adapted well and are very healthy to this day.

I’ve owned an African grey parrot in the past, but the experience was never really quite the same as owning a pair of toucans. To this day, they both fly around the house freely during the day when someone is there and at night we put them in their bedrooms (cages). When they are out they interact with us a lot, they like to follow me around the house from room to room and demand my presence the majority of the time. There as been times were I’ll have to get my work done and they can be quite a distraction sometimes, so what I’ll do is make a run for my office when they’re not looking and slowly close the door so that if they are right behind me I wont close it on them.

As time has gone by I’ve trained them to do a few tricks which was pretty easy, they are fast learners and have the ability to learn tricks just as proficient as parrots, I have an Avian Acrobat team, at least that’s what I call it, I have taught my female rainbow bill toucan to do back flips and my citron cockatoo to rollover, and they fly to me when I call them. I just love to show them off when we have people over which seem pretty impressed after the performance.

Both toucans have a close bond with us, I have to say Twitchy is the one that requires the most affection, she just loves it when you pet her, she’ll start purring like a kitten demanding more. She always has to be around someone, it makes her feel comfortable, I’ll be sitting on the couch and within seconds she has landed on me and starts purring. I have been very pleased with the decision of getting my birdies and hope that each and everyone who owns these beautiful birds shares the same experiences that I’ve had.

-Paul

When we first brought Tilly home with us from Emerald Forest, it was almost as big an event as was bringing home my now ten-year-old daughter from the hospital for the first time. And now, Tilly has been an important member of our family for more than three years. She is a delight, in every way. And we love to take her along with us on outings. Her favorites are trips to the local Petco, where she rides on the push handle of the shopping cart as we shop and soaks up all the attention she invariably gets from the store personnel (who love her visits so much they often neglect their duties just a bit when she is there) and the other shoppers in the store. She loves to go for rides in the car, too. She sits on top of the front passenger seat headrest and ducks her head low so that she can get the best view of the passing landscape as we drive along. Without a doubt, however, her very favorite outings are bicycle rides around our neighborhood or to the nearby park. She climbs aboard my shoulder or rides on the handlebars (safely tethered, of course) and extends her wings just so in order to feel the breeze as we sail along.

It goes without saying that she attracts so much attention whenever we take her out that we never expect to get anything done in a hurry when she is with us. But that is half the fun, so we don’t mind. And when people ask us what she’s like, we usually describe her as a “puppy with wings”. She is playful (she even plays catch!), mischievous, affectionate and gentle with children. She is a joy to share our home with and, based on our very happy experiences with her, we recommend toucans as companion pets to anyone who has the means to provide them with a proper home.

-Joanne Gifford

I have to tell you how thrilled we are with our Green Aracari, Olive. She is everything we’ve dreamed of in a pet bird: beautiful, quiet, funny and loving towards everyone. She was amazing from the minute we picked her up in the airport: she was chatting and eating on the way home in the car. After one day, she was all over us, playing in her cage, and acting like she’d lived here forever. She fits beautifully into our family of Collies and cats. She loves the dogs, and goes to the bottom of the cage when they come in the room so she can try and pull their long hair. She would do the same with the cats, but we don’t let them interact, for obvious reasons!

Olive is about 95% paper trained – meaning she will leave the couch, chair, carpet area, etc. and fly to her open cage door and poop over the paper. We have been working on potty training her with positive reinforcement every time she poops on the paper, and so far it’s working. She is incredibly smart and seems to want to please us. She loves the water and takes a bath every day. She soaks herself in her water dish, then preens her gorgeous feathers. She loves to spend time in her cage, and is very good at entertaining herself. She is remarkably quiet. Her loudest noise is a chipmunk-like chatter that isn’t loud at all. We love her sounds – they are very sweet. So far, she loves all of our friends and family members, even our young niece and nephew, and will go to any of them in a minute. It’s wonderful to interact with a bird that really can’t bite you much at all. Her beak is too weak to do much more than exert pressure. It makes everyone feel comfortable, even people who have never had any exposure to birds, because they don’t have to worry about being hurt. She won over many of our friends the first time they all saw her, because she cuddled with them on the couch at bedtime.

Our favorite thing about Olive is her incredible personality. She is so full of herself, and happy. One of her favorite games is to play peek-a-boo. She sticks her head inside the paper towel roll to look at us on the other end. I’ve attached a picture of this. She loves to pull on my pajama pant drawstrings, so this has become a morning ritual. She sits on my shoulder, and likes to watch the cursor move around on the computer screen. Besides being adorable and funny, she is incredibly loving. During the day, she sometimes snuggles up with us, tucking herself tight against us, under our arms. It’s the sweetest thing ever. She purrs and coos and takes a nap. At night, when it’s bedtime, she always does this. It’s our nightly ritual. After she has sat with us for a while, she scoots off down the couch and goes in between the pillows to sleep for the night. She did that all on her own about the 2nd week she was here. We put a shirt over the pillows, so it’s cozy and dark in there. It’s hysterical! We have a bird that sleeps on the couch. She actually lays down on the couch and sleeps!

We can’t say enough about how much we love this bird. She is perfect for us: she doesn’t bond with one person, she is practically silent, and she has an incredible personality. Thank you, Emerald Forest, for breeding these gorgeous, adorable creatures and for making them available as pets. We love her to pieces!

-Carol Fant