International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

Deciduous plants (i.e. trees, shrubs etc.) should be planted / offered rather than coniferous
plants so that otters are not exposed to sap, pine needles etc. which may irritate the otters’ feet
or skin or foul the otters’ fur. Plants with thorns or thistles should not be offered for similar
reasons. (Giant otters have been reported to keep away from such plants.) Toxic or poisonous
plants or plants that may bear poisonous leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds etc. should not be offered.
Pesticides or other dangerous chemicals should not be used in enclosures. Enclosures should
not be so shaded from the sun, i.e. by trees, bushes etc., that the shade would inhibit the land
area from sufficiently drying (although inappropriate land and water area designs and locations
and substrates are usually the reason that land and floors do not remain dry enough, so these
conditions must be corrected in all cases). Giant otters should also be provided with areas
where they can lay in the direct sunlight, as they enjoy sunning themselves.
It is highly recommended to offer deep leaf piles (esp. indoor where it remains dry) as they
are another of the otters’ favorite areas to dig, groom, play, and rest in. (See Section 4 above for
more information on leaf piles and what qualities they should possess.) Leaf litter (i.e. fallen
leaves), scattered branches, sticks, tree bark etc. can be left on the ground or offered for
manipulation and investigation.
Section 7
Water Area Designs and Furnishings
Observations of wild giant otter swimming behaviors in Suriname:
“The depth of dives varied from a few cm to approximately 3m in large
rivers…[They swam and fished in both shallow water and]…in the relatively deep
water of 3-6m. The feeding behavior sequence begins with active aquatic
locomotion when a fishing area has been reached, usually associated with
shallow areas of 50cm to 2m in depth. The otters search the bottom and dive
under floating vegetation, surfacing among the mats for a quick gasp, pushing the
head out of the water only long enough to open the mouth wide to breathe,
submerging almost immediately. Underwater chases are very rapid and, in the
shallows create turmoil as several otters splash through the water in pursuit until
the fish is seized….A fish in deeper water will elicit a single dive whereas in
shallow water it may entail several dives and lunges. Perhaps this is due to the
reduced mobility of the fish in the shallow water glutted with vegetation whereas
in deeper, more open water, the fish can escape more easily or the otter abandons
the chase more quickly.” (Duplaix 1980)
Wild Pteronura very frequently and commonly use shallow water to play, fish,
and wade in (Staib 2002).
It is necessary that a swim area is provided. The recommended land to water area ratio
required for each indoor and outdoor enclosure as well as separable enclosure area will
specify the size of the water area (pool, pond, swim tank etc.) that is needed in each area.
The water area proportion in the ratio/size will vary according to the total size of the enclosure
or separable enclosure area. Each enclosure or separable enclosure area below 240 m²
(2,583.4 ft²) in size requires a different land to water area ratio based on its specific size.
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