International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

atios, as well as the recommended substrates, are needed to keep surfaces dry enough, so they
also must be provided to prevent foot problems and the other recommended land and water area
locations and designs should be provided for similar reasons.
Fur coat condition, grooming, infections and related health problems:
Poor fur coat condition and associated poor health and death by infections have occurred among
captive giant otters because of exposure to continually very damp/wet surfaces. It is also
important to note that giant otters will/can not groom on substrates when they become or remain
very damp or wet. “Otters possess a dense, water-resistant two-layered pelt which provides
warmth, insulation and buoyancy, but [the coat] remains a particularly vulnerable point.
...rubbing and other grooming patterns keep the guard hairs and under-fur clean, unmatted and
dry...” (Duplaix-Hall 1972). Otters’ fur coats must remain clean, shiny, and waterproof (i.e.
water does not penetrate or even dampen the white underfur), otherwise animals will become
unhealthy, they may refuse to swim, or/and pneumonia, enteritis, or death may result (Duplaix-
Hall 1972 & 1975). To maintain health, otters must be able to adequately dry and groom
themselves and stay clean and dry when they are on land. Health problems, occurring when
animals do not have these possibilities, are especially evident when the otter’s fur coat is in poor
condition. In these cases, health can easily and quickly decline, esp. if normally fast changing
enclosure conditions worsen.
A lack of sufficient land area, resulting from inappropriate land to water area ratios, may not
offer otters enough area for the aforementioned necessities. Continual exposure to wet, very
damp, muddy, unclean, slow drying, or poor draining surfaces/substrates can cause poor fur coat
condition. Additionally, abrasive (e.g. abrasive sands such as builder’s sharp construction sand),
rough, or sharp surfaces can wear away guard furs and result in poor coat condition as well. It is
also difficult, unenriching, or/and uncomfortable for otters to dry and groom themselves when
hard (e.g. river rocks, concrete), coarse (e.g. pebbles or small rocks alone or mixed throughout
soil or sand etc.), or tightly packed/compacted substrates (e.g. soil that is not loose enough for
otters to easily dig into) or insufficient land area, must be used for these activities. (E.g. hard
surfaces are not absorbent and water cannot drain through them. When such surfaces are wet or
very damp it is impossible for otters to effectively dry and groom themselves on them.) It is just
as difficult when the only soft loose substrates available are those provided in nestboxes, small or
limited grooming areas, or/and small digging pits. Even freshly offered bedding material, such
as straw etc., or small areas for grooming become wet and lose their absorbent drying qualities
quickly. As well, when not enough land area, limited grooming areas, or inappropriate substrate
types, depths, or qualities are provided otters will not be able to carry out the full extent of their
innate grooming behaviors as is necessary to maintain the otter’s health. See a description of
grooming and drying behaviors below in "Mental and behavioral health problems" and the
mental/behavioral health problems/abnormalities that can develop when grooming and/or
digging behaviors can not be carried out to their full extent.
Inappropriate substrate types, depths, or qualities, land and water area locations or designs (esp.
inappropriate land to water ratios that do not offer enough land), or/and locations for nestboxes,
dens or areas for natural underground dens cause the following. (See above for more
information). The dens, nestboxes (including bedding substrates) or natural underground dens,
the land around these locations, the land around the water, and/or the remaining/other enclosure
land areas can remain very damp or wet. (Note: how wet nestboxes, dens and natural
underground dens themselves become/remain is not only dependent upon how close these areas
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