International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

with his mate in the underground dens. It seems that the inadequate housing conditions
aforementioned can predispose giant otters to vertebral problems.
Optimal housing conditions or/and simply appropriately furnished and designed housing
seems to play a significant role to help reduce, avoid, or eliminate the chance that giant
otters develop the aforementioned problems. These conditions also help improve health,
once problems have already developed. It also seems that the longer the otter has been
exposed to hard surfaces or/and the greater the percentage of enclosure area covered with hard
surfaces, the greater the resulting health problems. On a different note: soft substrates will also
soften the surface for cubs that are dropped or pushed around by parents and therefore reduce
the chance of cub injury.
Health problems with pads, webbing, and skin on feet/toes .
Are pink foot/toe pads healthy?
This species has sensitive delicate feet. Healthy pads, skin, and webbing on giant otters’
feet and toes are entirely brown, not pink, in color and supple, smooth, and soft in
condition. If any part of the foot appears differently, then the otter has unhealthy damaged
feet and inappropriate substrate types, qualities, or depths (aside from any obvious
accidental injury) are causing the problem. Insufficient land area size, because of
inappropriate land to water ratios (or other inappropriate land and water area designs and
locations), can also worsen foot condition or be a cause in itself. Infections, can develop if
enclosure or foot conditions decline too far.
It was previously reported that “Giant otters have delicate feet. Hard or rough surfaces all over
the floor of the enclosure will result in cut feet.” (Wünnemann 1995). Lesions of the skin of the
feet were treated with medication. Duplaix-Hall (1972 & 1975) also described that captive river
otters “which are kept on damp concrete floors are prone to these tenacious [fungal] infections,
which usually start on the interdigital webbing but may soon spread to other areas, particularly
axillary regions.” Individuals kept in such conditions “...often have cracked webbing between
their toes, which may become the site of persistent fungus infections”.
It was although only recently found that the simple occurrence of pink foot or toe pads is
also a health problem, i.e. that it represents irritation and damage rather than normality or
health, and that it is directly caused by inappropriate enclosure conditions (Sykes-Gatz and
Gatz, unpublished study, 1996-2003). Unfortunately, captive giant otters are often observed
or reported to have the aforementioned foot condition. This occurs most often because
otters are kept on hard surfaces and soft natural substrates are not covering nearly the
entire enclosure land/floor areas. (If hard surfaces are not responsible for this problem then
other inappropriate surface conditions, such as continually very damp/wet surfaces (whether soft
or loose or not) or other inappropriate substrates, e.g. sand or soil mixed with pebbles or small
rocks throughout, are responsible.) Even when the greater portion of enclosures are covered
with soft natural substrates, continual exposure to just those lesser areas with hard
surfaces causes pink foot/toe pads. The longer the otter has been exposed to hard surfaces
or/and the greater the percentage of enclosure area covered with such, the greater the
resulting health problems.
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