International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................................................................. Contributing Institutions/Individuals and Acknowledgments.................................................... Giant Otter Characteristics.......................................................................................................... Table 1: Pteronura brasiliensis Status in the Wild................................................................... 7 9 13 14 Chapter 1 Husbandry and Management Problems and Possible Solutions: An International Historical Overview Synopsis................................................................................................................................... Section 1 Census Data and Number of Potential Breeding Pairs............................................................. Section 2 Breeding, Cub-Rearing Success & Privacy from Human Disturbances................................... Section 3 Health and Other Problems Caused by Inappropriate Enclosure Conditions............................ Health problems involving the lower back, hind legs, and walking abilities............................. Health problems with pads, webbing, and skin on feet/toes. Are pink foot/toe pads healthy?.. Fur coat condition, grooming, infections and related health problems...................................... Mental and behavioral health problems Conditions that negatively affect the ability to successfully rear cubs, adjust to new/unusual situations, and maintain mental and behavioral health............................................................. Conclusions............................................................................................................................... Improper Introductions of Unfamiliar and Temporarily Separated Otters; Enclosure Designs That Do Not Offer Parents Rearing Cubs Privacy from Human Disturbances............................................................................................................................. Section 4 Part A. Health Problems, Viral Diseases & Vaccinations..................................................... Part B. Reproductive, Physical, and Behavioral Characteristics............................................ Part C. Ultrasounds (to detect pregnancies/health), Lactation Samples, Biological Values & Better Management via Husbandry Training:........................................................................... Section 5 Handrearing Captive-Born and Wild-Born Orphaned Cubs ..................................................... 15 17 20 26 28 29 30 31 36 37 38 54 57 61 Chapter 2: Husbandry and Management Guidelines Explanation of Terms and Mathematical Units Used Within This Manual.............................. Section 1 Part A. Overview of the Most Important Enclosure Design & Furnishing Requirements Necessary for the Husbandry of Giant otters............................................................................ Part B. Land to Water Area Ratios Necessary for Every Enclosure That Contains Water & How to Inexpensively Modify Land to Water Ratios to Offer Enough Land....................... Part C. Minimum Enclosure Sizes.......................................................................................... 69 70 74 76 2
Section 2 Introduction to Substrates and How to Easily Make Inappropriate Land and Floor Surfaces Appropriate..................................................................................................................................... Part A. Land and Floor Substrates Necessary For Each Enclosure............................................................ Deep Digging Area Necessary For Each Enclosure....................................................................... Part B. Substrate Types and Husbandry Techniques................................................................... Mulch and Sand Types and Husbandry Techniques...................................................................... Specific Soil Types and Husbandry Techniques............................................................................ Cleaning Procedures for Substrates and Maintaining Nestbox Bedding........................................ Part C. Designs To Help Prevent Land and Floor Substrates from Entering Water Areas and Blocking Pool Drains/Filters & Keeper and Animal Shift Doors/Gates........................................ Section 3 Why The Recommended Soft Loose Natural Substrates, Land to Water Ratios (i.e. minimum size land/floor area) & Deep Digging Areas Are Necessary in Every Enclosure Introduction.................................................................................................................................... Part A. Physical Health Problems Health problems involving the lower back, hind legs, and walking abilities.................................. Health problems with pads, webbing, and skin on feet/toes. Are pink foot/toe pads healthy?..... Fur Coat Condition, Grooming, Infections, and Related Health Problems.................................... Part B. Mental and Behavioral Health Problems Inappropriate enclosure conditions that can negatively affect the ability to successfully rear cubs, adjust to new/unusual situations, and maintain mental and behavioral health...................... 109 Section 4 Natural Land Furnishings (other than substrates) for Every Enclosure......................................... 124 Section 5 Locations and Designs for Land, Floor and Water Areas, Dens, Nestboxes & Areas for Natural Underground Dens Locations and Designs Necessary to Keep Land, Floors, Dens, Nestboxes & Natural Underground Dens Dry and What Makes Them Very Damp/Wet................................................ 129 Locations and Designs to Offer Parents Privacy/Isolation From Human Disturbances and Presence During Cub-Rearing....................................................................................................... 131 Locations and Designs for Visual-Acoustic-Olfactory Introductions of Unfamiliar and Temporarily Separated Otters........................................................................................................ 132 Locations and Designs to Maintain Appropriate Temperatures Within All Enclosure Areas.............................................................................................................................................. 132 Locations and Designs For Husbandry Training............................................................................ 132 Section 6 Enclosure Vegetation...................................................................................................................... 132 Section 7 Water Area Designs and Furnishings.............................................................................................. 134 Section 8 Containment Barriers and Service/Keeper Door Designs.............................................................. 139 Section 9 When Indoor Enclosures Are Needed and When They Require Water Areas, Temperature and Heating Recommendations & Outdoor Enclosure Shelter............................................................. 141 Section 10 Part A. Parental Behavior & Litter Loss/Stress Caused by Human Disturbances......................... 146 Part B. Husbandry Practices and Enclosure Designs/Modifications for Cub-Rearing ................. 152 79 82 85 86 86 87 89 90 92 94 98 105 3
Page 1 and 2: International Giant Otter Studbook
Page 3: Dear reader, With this, the second
Page 7 and 8: Parental Behavior Overview.........
Page 9 and 10: Introduction This manual is a secon
Page 11 and 12: Contributing Institutions/Individua
Page 13 and 14: Dortmund Zoo: Current Director: Dr.
Page 15 and 16: Giant Otter Characteristics (The fo
Page 17 and 18: Chapter 1 Husbandry and Management
Page 19 and 20: informal international network has
Page 21 and 22: are only released into the wild, th
Page 23 and 24: malfunctions, due to severe inbreed
Page 25 and 26: maturity (i.e. at 2 years old), the
Page 27 and 28: emaining 3 institutions bred otters
Page 29 and 30: elow 240 m² (2,583.4 ft²) in size
Page 31 and 32: difficulties/abnormalities to a mod
Page 33 and 34: are to the water, but it is also de
Page 35 and 36: deep digging areas as recommended,
Page 37 and 38: greater problems. I.e. the ability
Page 39 and 40: additions that can be made to enclo
Page 41 and 42: (esp. around approx. 10 to 11 years
Page 43 and 44: Hagenbecks Tierpark Giant Otter Vac
Page 45 and 46: Dietary Related Problems: Diarrhea
Page 47 and 48: times over 10 years) then disappear
Page 49 and 50: Thyroid Malfunctions: see Chapter 1
Page 51 and 52: unpublished report 1997). His hind
Page 53 and 54: vitamin B 1 tablet and one 400 IU v
Page 55 and 56:
otters were exposed to in their enc
Page 57 and 58:
animal, e.g. for serious/life threa
Page 59 and 60:
conditions/problems can be identifi
Page 61 and 62:
that the otters are very familiar a
Page 63 and 64:
Section 5 Handrearing Captive-Born
Page 65 and 66:
Chapter 5 for how to measure, Chapt
Page 67 and 68:
proper authorities (i.e. park offic
Page 69 and 70:
oth cubs were adopted by a wild ott
Page 71 and 72:
Chapter 2: Husbandry and Management
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The following conditions (i.e. Numb
Page 75 and 76:
The provision of the conditions lis
Page 77 and 78:
proportionately increased and the w
Page 79 and 80:
does not offer the same advantages
Page 81 and 82:
*Note: Duplaix’s guidelines for o
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dry easily, drain well, and be resi
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It is necessary that every indoor a
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Deep Digging Area Necessary For Eac
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play, exercise etc. on. Note: when
Page 91 and 92:
Cleaning Procedures for Substrates
Page 93 and 94:
[4”] in width, could be placed 10
Page 95 and 96:
The aforementioned problems are cau
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difficulties/abnormalities involvin
Page 99 and 100:
they could cause similar walking di
Page 101 and 102:
It is not uncommon that pink foot/t
Page 103 and 104:
No additional or detailed informati
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provided as recommended, so that ot
Page 107 and 108:
housed. It also may be that the lon
Page 109 and 110:
or high humidity, esp. extended per
Page 111 and 112:
dry areas in enclosures should also
Page 113 and 114:
These husbandry provisions produce
Page 115 and 116:
underground den building which is a
Page 117 and 118:
more unsuitable the enclosure land
Page 119 and 120:
unfamiliar and temporarily separate
Page 121 and 122:
exposed to similar situations as ju
Page 123 and 124:
inappropriate the enclosure conditi
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study. They also have been successf
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furnishings will also remain drier
Page 129 and 130:
Live growing bamboo springs back up
Page 131 and 132:
Section 5 Locations and Designs for
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all substrates) with/without vegeta
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indoors. Otters can also use each c
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Enclosures between 240 m² to 600 m
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other than substrates, and toys fro
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to help prevent water filtration/dr
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Section 10B discusses the locations
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areas may be sufficient when otters
Page 147 and 148:
their normal daily terrestrial acti
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described below and in Section 12 b
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hear, that even familiar keepers ar
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nervous in behavior even during nor
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expansive enclosures are available
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the husbandry practices recommended
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keep cubs from crawling out (Duplai
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Chapter 1 for studies that should b
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practices and enclosure designs all
Page 165 and 166:
care for the cubs (Schenck & Schenc
Page 167 and 168:
was moved to another enclosure (Gat
Page 169 and 170:
Inbreeding, physical, behavioral, a
Page 171 and 172:
underground dens in this expansive
Page 173 and 174:
Section 12 Natural Underground Dens
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22.34 ft] (11 sites) ; Kabo creek (
Page 177 and 178:
Section 13 Den Construction “Den
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should not be introduced with physi
Page 181 and 182:
door) could instead be made in the
Page 183 and 184:
Section 15 Toys & Methods for Addit
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Although once items such as cardboa
Page 187 and 188:
e designed or modified with these c
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Section 18 Introducing Unfamiliar &
Page 191 and 192:
have been housed together and then
Page 193 and 194:
contact introduction, i.e. to stop
Page 195 and 196:
Section 19 Diet and Feeding Only go
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Cuiaba Zoo in Brazil (Marcato de Ol
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are consumed in varying amounts acc
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Captive giant otters have been obse
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part of the target. The target we u
Page 205 and 206:
to secure the guillotine door with
Page 207 and 208:
it stays close to the target. This
Page 209 and 210:
these births may go undetected. Ult
Page 211 and 212:
those working with her, from being
Page 213 and 214:
ody temperatures to be taken, when
Page 215 and 216:
abnormally frequent or excessive, i
Page 217 and 218:
with a male (other than growing up
Page 219 and 220:
of course, because information rega
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seen entering the shelter alone, bu
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At Hagenbeck Tierpark, Wünnemann (
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52.5 cm [20.6"]. It is assumed that
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cub weight growth curve in Graph 2
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contain glucose rather than sucrose
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and frequency after each toileting/
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Section 4 Toileting: To produce eli
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when no other better formula is ava
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prepared artificial milk replacers
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avoid dietary problems and help cub
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formula is accomplished. When cubs
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suggested above. The same feeding f
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successfully can often be difficult
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should then be allowed to lick the
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The general guideline that food/for
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very gently dipped in the bowl into
Page 253 and 254:
enough), and explore while under su
Page 255 and 256:
dig into, well-draining etc.) are n
Page 257 and 258:
ecome healthy and their housing can
Page 259 and 260:
Section 16 Companion Cubs and Handr
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Cubs must exercise and explore to p
Page 263 and 264:
Table 3 : Summary of the internatio
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Table 5 : International giant otter
Page 267 and 268:
Days/ Months Sex Weight/Length (ent
Page 269 and 270:
Table 7: Adult Giant Otter Weights
Page 271 and 272:
Graph 2 : Giant Otter Cub Weight Gr
Page 273 and 274:
Duplaix, N. 1980. Observations on t
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asiliensis, Gmelin, 1788) No Zooló
Page 277 and 278:
Otter Colloquium Pietermaritzburg 1
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International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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