International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
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ehavioral enrichment. If although, additional enrichment can be offered, this should be<br />
provided. For example, it is highly advisable to provide toys for additional behavioral<br />
enrichment. Toys for behavioral enrichment should only be used as addition to <strong>and</strong> never as a<br />
substitute for the recommended enclosure furnishings <strong>and</strong> designs. See Section 15 for toys<br />
for additional enrichment.<br />
[Note: during introductions of unfamiliar <strong>and</strong> temporarily separated otters, animals need to take<br />
frequent breaks from the intensity <strong>and</strong> tension, as well as possibly fear, of the new situation by<br />
having stimulating enclosures to focus their activities <strong>and</strong> attentions on. They also need to<br />
refocus their attention on something else other than solely each other. It is important to<br />
remember that in addition to the otters having to adjust to each other, they also have to adjust to<br />
a new enclosure, husb<strong>and</strong>ry practices, keepers, etc. when they are moved from other locations<br />
<strong>and</strong> this can cause additional stress. Also when otters are held in very small temporary holding<br />
enclosures, such as in quarantine or separable enclosure areas during visual introductions, this<br />
may likely cause additional stress. It is especially important that they have adequately furnished<br />
<strong>and</strong> sufficient l<strong>and</strong> area to focus on to relieve their stress etc. <strong>and</strong> focus on something else other<br />
than the other otter. They also need sufficient l<strong>and</strong> area to get away from each other <strong>and</strong> rest<br />
alone. Focusing solely on each other <strong>and</strong>/or abnormally elevated or excessive negative<br />
responses can cause introduction difficulties. It can result in serious fights <strong>and</strong> injuries; see<br />
below. The recommended l<strong>and</strong> to water ratios (i.e. enough l<strong>and</strong> area), substrates, <strong>and</strong> deep<br />
digging areas are the most important enclosure conditions <strong>and</strong> otters being able to carry out<br />
digging, grooming, exercising <strong>and</strong> playing on l<strong>and</strong> to their “full extent” are among the most<br />
important behaviors, that giant otters require to reduce stress <strong>and</strong> other negative responses during<br />
new/unusual <strong>and</strong> all other situations. (See Section 3B above for what the “full extent” of these<br />
activities means. This meaning is very specific <strong>and</strong> it is often misinterpreted because of general<br />
misconceptions about how giant otters should behave.) The other natural furnishings as<br />
recommended <strong>and</strong> a plentiful amount of them, in addition to the aforementioned essential<br />
enclosure conditions, helps further to reduce stress, boredom etc. in all situations.]<br />
<strong>Giant</strong> otters are social animals <strong>and</strong> in captivity they should be housed as a single mated<br />
pair with/without offspring, having only one breeding pair. Single sex groups, usually males<br />
<strong>and</strong> usually 2 individuals <strong>and</strong> rarely 3 in a group, have been kept together successfully, but they<br />
must be reared together or introduced slowly with proper introduction practices. Adult females<br />
have been reported to live together, although only a few cases were reported <strong>and</strong> no other<br />
information is known at this time. It is not advisable to introduce adult females. In a few<br />
known cases, when female otters that had previously been housed with each other or that<br />
previously lived adjacent to <strong>and</strong> in visual-acoustic-olfactory contact of one another were<br />
introduced or re-introduced with physical full-contact introductions serious fights, injuries, or<br />
death resulted. (See below for more general information about females <strong>and</strong> Section 10C for a<br />
description of failed introductions between animals <strong>and</strong> information on social structures.)<br />
Currently there are a significant number of otters being housed singly or in single sex pairs<br />
<strong>and</strong> this number has a critically negative effect on the small captive population. See<br />
Chapter 1 Section 1 for more information.<br />
Single sex groups, mixed sex groups <strong>and</strong> single individuals have caused injury or death to<br />
individuals, including adults, juveniles <strong>and</strong> young otters, introduced to them or already<br />
previously housed with them. During introductions/re-introductions <strong>and</strong> more commonly<br />
females are reported to have injured or killed males <strong>and</strong> even other females, but also males have<br />
injured other males. Females seem to be the more dominant animal during introductions (<strong>and</strong><br />
afterwards once animals are paired) <strong>and</strong> they seem to initiate fights more often. Even otters that<br />
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