International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

during cub-rearing. This section also describes locations and designs for keeper access doors
(to enclosures, buildings housing enclosures, dens, etc.) and animal shift doors/gates needed for
the same reasons.
Locations and Designs for Visual-Acoustic-Olfactory Introductions of Unfamiliar and
Temporarily Separated Otters
Chapter 2 Section 18 describes the enclosure designs and locations necessary to carry out
introductions of giant otters that are unfamiliar with each other and those that have been
temporarily separated (i.e. animals that were previously housed together).
Locations and Designs to Maintain Appropriate Temperatures Within All Enclosure
Areas
Chapter 2 Section 9 discusses the enclosure, nestbox, and den locations and designs that are
necessary to maintain dens, nestboxes, and other enclosure areas at appropriate temperatures.
This section also describes locations and designs for animal shift doors/gates needed for the
same reasons.
Locations and Designs For Husbandry Training
Chapter 2 Section 13 and Chapter 3 describe den and other enclosure areas where husbandry
training can be carried out and designs that can accommodate husbandry training activities and
procedures.
Section 6
Enclosure Vegetation
A plentiful amount and variety of vegetation should be provided in enclosures (Duplaix-Hall
1972 &1975). This will help to keep enclosures dry, enriched and complex, provide necessary
shade, as well as help prevent soil and hill/bank erosion and the caving in of natural
underground dens. See below for a discussion on the necessity that exists to allow
vegetation/turf to be freely dug up and cleared away/destroyed by the otters.
It is highly recommended to provide live growing bamboo stands and/or “man-made
bamboo stands / overhanging bamboo” that have the recommended stalk sizes that are
needed for successful utilization, in both indoor and outdoor enclosures. The latter, which is
bamboo cut and standing or overhanging for otters to play with, can be easily and inexpensively
constructed as described in Section 4 above. (See the necessary stalk size/bamboo type below
and Section 4 for a full description of bamboo types and uses.) Because both of these
provisions are used so often by giant otters for manipulation and play, it is advisable to
offer them. Resilient, soft, and flexible, both live and cut bamboo works especially well for
both otters to use and play with and caretakers to easily provide and maintain. Live growing
bamboo springs back up again undamaged after the otters play with it. After the animals
continually use it and when it is tall enough, the bamboo will continue to grow normally
without being damaged or destroyed whether it is growing outdoors or within large containers
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