International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

To encourage a feeding response when cubs are not interested in eating, new to nursing
from artificial apparatuses, or are sick or weak, the following techniques, as well as those
in the paragraph above, can be used. The area around the cub’s lips, face, throat, or anus can
be stimulated by gently rubbing fingertips or a warm damp cloth on these regions. Light
energetic, but gentle rubs / massage should be used. The cub’s tongue can also be lightly
stimulated with the caretaker’s fingertip. Toileting and encouraging the animal to move about
also stimulates feeding. Cubs should be gently and slowly introduced to artificial nipples or/and
encouraged to nurse by the carrying out the following. The cub should be allowed to suck on
the feeders finger/fingers first, then the caretaker’s fingers should be associated with the bottle
nipple. Moistening nipples and fingers with warmed formula will entice cubs to suck on them.
After putting the nipple in the cub’s mouth, its mouth should be very gently closed around the
nipple. The bottle should be lightly squeezed so that a drop or two of formula (i.e. only drops to
prevent aspiration) comes out. Gently moving the nipple in the mouth or in and out may also
help. The caretaker should observe, listen, then feel with his/her fingers (i.e. under the cub’s
throat, chin, etc.) to determine when the cub has swallowed. Young or weak cubs will often fall
asleep when nursing, these cubs should be gently woken up so that they can continue nursing.
(Cubs normally fall asleep on the mother’s teat.)
Even when cubs are healthy and proper handrearing techniques/formulas are used; cubs
may still refuse to eat. In cases where cubs absolutely refuse to open their mouths, handrearers
can gently pry cubs’ mouths open by the following technique. A thumb and forefinger can be
placed on either side of the cub’s mouth/lips, and these fingers should be positioned behind the
cub’s canine teeth where there is a gap between its teeth. The caretakers fingers should be
gently squeezed inwards towards the mouth, until the mouth opens. Once the mouth is opened,
bottle nipples can be inserted. Nipples must be positioned at the front of the mouth and a milk
drop/or a few drops should be expressed to the nipple hole to encourage suckling. Sometimes
the handrearer must continue to lightly hold the cub’s mouth closed around the nipple when it
feeds, until it learns to suckle. In worst cases, the caretaker can even use his/her fingers or
spoons to feed cubs (i.e. drop by drop) if necessary, until the cub learns to nurse. If older cubs
refuse to nurse from a bottle, milk formula can be tried in a small dish instead. See techniques
under Section 12 to encourage cubs to eat from a dish.
Handrearers must hold cubs in the proper position when feeding them. Cubs should be
held on the caretaker’s lap or other solid surface in a ventral recumbent position (on the stomach
lying down) with its head held up. Cubs should not be fed when they are on their back.
Cubs like to push their front feet/paws on a surface while feeding, so the caretaker’s hand /
bottle should be positioned so that the cub can push off these surfaces when feeding. The
caretaker’s forearm should be positioned along the cub’s side to prevent it from rolling off the
feeding surface and that hand can be used to hold the cub’s head up (Green, unpublished report).
The caretaker’s elbow can also be pressed against his/her hip to prevent the cub from falling off
the surface/lap backwards. (E.g. to support the head, the thumb can be placed on top of the head
and three fingers can be placed on the chest and the forefinger can be placed under the throat
The cub can be felt swallowing this way as well.) The other hand should be used to control the
feeding apparatus. Experienced healthy cubs can usually suck ample amounts without the
handrearer squeezing a bottle. But with sick, weak, inexperienced, or very young cubs the
feeder may have to apply a very light little pressure to the plastic bottle, so a drop of formula is
at the tip of the nipple, to help entice nursing. If plastic syringes or plastic eyedroppers are used,
the formula should not be squeezed directly into the cub’s mouth. Instead, a small milk drop
should be squeezed to the end of the dropper/syringe and placed on the cub’s lips. The cub
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