International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

These husbandry provisions produce the aforementioned benefits by allowing and encouraging
essential innate goal-oriented terrestrial behaviors to be carried out to the fullest range and extent
that is possible in captivity. The most crucial of these behaviors are digging (both deep and
shallow) and grooming as they are among the giant otters’ most favored and most
frequently performed terrestrial activities in captivity (see below for a description of how
otters groom and dig). These therefore constitute a significant proportion of their goal
oriented activities. Digging and grooming carried out to their full extent (as described
below) are among the most important activities that giant otters need to perform to
maintain their mental/behavioral health and normality as well as to promote successful
cub-rearing and adjustment to new/unusual situations. Because playing and exercising on
land also constitute a significant proportion of their goal oriented activities, Pteronura must
be able to carry these out to the fullest extent for the same reasons aforementioned. Digging,
grooming, playing, and exercising on land constitute a significant proportion of a behaviorally
healthy giant otter's daily goal oriented activities.
The type, frequency, duration, intensity, and location of each daily behavior/activity that a
giant otter carries out can, to a large degree, help determine if the needs of that captive
animal are adequately satisfied/met. (Location refers to where the otter performs each
activity/behavior in the enclosure.) It is very important to note that these factors are greatly
effected by enclosure quality and design.
Giant otters with healthy behavior and that are kept in the recommended enclosure
conditions, dig deep into and groom, dry, rub, roll, dig and scratch on/into soft loose
natural substrates throughout the entire expanse of their land area. As instinctively avid
diggers and groomers, they carry these behaviors out with a high degree of frequency and
intensity, and long (relatively speaking) duration throughout the day. They do not just limit
the location of these activities to a specific enclosure area, e.g. to just limited digging and
grooming areas that may be provided, they instead use the entire enclosure land area to
perform these behaviors. Obviously the enclosure must have the appropriate land area designs
and locations and the entire land area must be covered with the recommended substrate types,
depths and qualities that allow these activities to take place or else otters can not use the entire
land area for such behaviors. See below. Giant otters groom and/or dry themselves by
rubbing, rolling, scratching, and digging on the surface of/into soft loose natural substrates.
During these activities substrate particles are moved/dug freely about and otters’ often
cover their body/fur with the freed particles. They groom themselves when they are dry as
well as wet and also rub on substrates to help mark their territory. Pteronura also dig and
scratch on/into the surface of soft loose substrates to help mark their territory and simply dig. [In
the wild they use these behaviors to help form/clear “campsites” to help mark their territory.]
Captive giant otters also dig deeply into substrates whether they can create underground
dens or not (they can easily dig 100 cm (3.28 ft) deep). They dig both deep and shallow into
substrates. Most of their activities on land are spent engaged in grooming, digging (both deeply
and on the surface), marking, playing, exercising, and eating. Behaviorally healthy otters also
use the entire land area, when they are given the recommended conditions (sufficient land
size and soft substrates), to frequently play and exercise on because this environment
allows them to perform these activities in a comfortable and unrestricted manner. I.e.
sufficient land to water ratios allow them enough land area and soft substrates provide a
comfortable surface. In an appropriate enclosure, this diurnal species will also spend more
of its daytime hours (including daytime resting hours) on land than in the water.
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