International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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mixing them in with appropriate furnishings after they are added. In the rare case that these furnishings cannot be removed, then they must be completely covered over with mulch and/or soft sand that is at least 60 cm (24”) in depth. Deeper depths, i.e. at least 100 cm (3.28 ft), are highly advisable although. A depth of at least 100 cm is needed when land or floor areas with the aforementioned unsuitable substrates are intended to serve as the deep digging areas. When the outdoor enclosure has natural land under those non-removable substrates, appropriate soft loose soil can also be used as recommended to cover over the unsuitable surfaces. Very deep soil depths are necessary in all outdoor enclosure locations. When a soil does not have pebbles, gravel, small rocks, construction sand, or abrasive sand mixed throughout it and it does not possess or cannot retain all of the aforementioned necessary qualities (see above) and this soil already exists within an enclosure, it is essential that the following be carried out to provide appropriate surfaces. This is regardless of whether or not the soil is covered with vegetation/turf or it contains hills. It is necessary that nearly the entire enclosure land area be covered over with soft sand, mulch or/and soil as recommended in Parts A-B below. (If the enclosure is expansive in size, i.e. 600 m 2 [6,458 ft²] or over, a significant portion should be covered over as just described.) Any remaining land area can be left with the original soil. Coarse, abrasive, sharp, or rough solid fixed surfaces that can not be removed should be smoothed down if possible before appropriate substrates are added or before otters are introduced to the enclosure. This includes the land and floor area, all pool surfaces, and all enclosure walls/containment barriers that are within the otter’s reach (i.e. when they are standing on their hind legs, logs, nestboxes etc.). For example, walls made of rough artificial rockwork within the otters’ reach may cause health problems, as otters can rub / lie against or dig on the wall. (Sometimes giant otters will make strong digging motions on walls with their front feet and they often stand on their hind feet during this activity.) See under Section 18 for when containment barriers and land/floor areas adjacent to them can be excessively dug on/into. Part A. Contains the following two categories: Land and Floor Substrates Necessary For Each Enclosure Deep Digging Area Necessary For Each Enclosure The provision of the recommended enclosure land and floor substrates and deep digging area for each enclosure are among the most crucial requirements necessary for the husbandry of giant otters. (See Section 3 below for why these provisions are required.) The qualities that the recommended substrates and all substrates need are listed in the introduction above; they are only briefly discussed below. The substrates that otters must not be directly exposed to or must only be minimally exposed to are described in the introduction above. How to easily modify inappropriate substrates, in both indoor and outdoor enclosures, so they provide appropriate surfaces are discussed both above and below. It is important that the introduction above is reviewed before the following parts are read. Land and Floor Substrates Necessary For Each Enclosure (See deep digging area needed for each enclosure in the next category below.) Note: an “enclosure” refers to any area an otter is held or has access to; e.g. this includes offexhibit areas such as dens, temporary holding and quarantine areas etc.. “Land” refers to all indoor and outdoor base surfaces, whether man-made or natural ground. 82
It is necessary that every indoor and outdoor enclosure land and floor surface is nearly entirely covered with soft non-abrasive sand or mulch (i.e. tree bark pieces only), at least 10 cm to 20 cm (4” to 8”) in depth, or when applicable, deep soft loose soil with the recommended qualities (see above). (Soil should not be used to cover over hard or artificial surfaces.) Mulch and soft sand covering land and floors should although be at least 40 cm to 60 cm (16” to 24”) in depth. The soil, sand, and mulch provided must not have pebbles, gravel, or small rocks (smooth, rounded, or otherwise), construction sand, or abrasive sand mixed throughout them; additionally if areas of any of these aforementioned individual or combined substrates (e.g. an area of small rocks alone or mixed with sand) already exist within the enclosure they should be totally removed from the enclosure before the recommended substrates are added. (See the introduction above for other options.) After continual use, soil with/without vegetation must remain loose enough that otters can easily dig into it and effectively groom on it throughout nearly the entire enclosure land area. (Grooming includes digging into and scratching on/up substrates and vegetation to loosen the soil, sand, or mulch particles to cover the body). The soil must also remain easily drying and well draining after regular exposure to water, large areas of vegetation/turf have been cleared away, and the otters have regularly dug and groomed throughout their entire enclosure land area. In addition, soil should not erode easily. Mulch, made from pieces of bark from trees, is the only mulch type that should be used. Using mulch with bark pieces approx. 10 cm long x 4 cm wide (4” long x 1.5” wide) in size, rather than smaller sizes, is highly recommended (see below). Bark pieces with a significantly larger average size are too large for otters to use. Ten cm to 20 cm mulch and sand depths are only minimal; shallower substrate depths can remain wet/very damp and/or otters cannot effectively or will not use them, esp. for grooming and digging. When the existing mulch breaks and packs down, new mulch must be added on top of the existing layer, otherwise the same problems will occur. Additionally, when substrate depths fall below minimum, new substrates must be added on top of the existing layer. These procedures are usually necessary (depending on area size) only one or two times per year. Mulch kept in very dry areas should be lightly misted on its surface with water from a hose for several seconds once daily to help prevent over-drying, dusting, and breakage. See Part B below. Soil should be very deep to allow proper drainage. Substrates should be as deep as possible in the areas near the water’s edge. The deeper the substrate depth, the more advantages gained. E.g. with depths of at least 40 cm to 60 cm, the necessary deep digging areas, that should cover nearly the entire or the majority of the land and floor surface area in every indoor and outdoor enclosure, can be provided. If soil alone is offered, hillsides must also be provided for deep digging areas. (See below for deep digging areas needed for all enclosures). Providing a variety of the aforementioned necessary furnishing types, kept adjacent to each other and not mixed, is highly recommended. It is essential that any enclosure, whether it is already in use or not, that does not provide at least the recommended minimum requirements within Section 2 be modified so that it does. I.e. this applies to any enclosure, whether it is already constructed and giant otters are being kept in it or the enclosure is being designed or modified to hold P. brasiliensis in the future. (See the introduction above for modification methods.) It is necessary that nearly the entire base surface area that otters are directly exposed to in every enclosure is soft, welldraining, easily drying, and loose enough in texture so that otters can effectively groom on (which includes digging and scratching on/into substrate) and very importantly, easily dig into it. The recommended mulch, sand, or soil types, qualities and depths are needed to make the modifications. Mulch and soft sand are ideal for both indoor and outdoor use to cover over hard, artificial, tightly packed/compacted (e.g. soil with/without vegetation), poor draining, slow drying, easily eroding, and natural land surfaces and enclosures with inappropriate land 83
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International Giant Otter Studbook
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Dear reader, With this, the second
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Section 2 Introduction to Substrate
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Parental Behavior Overview.........
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Introduction This manual is a secon
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Contributing Institutions/Individua
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Dortmund Zoo: Current Director: Dr.
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Giant Otter Characteristics (The fo
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Chapter 1 Husbandry and Management
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informal international network has
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are only released into the wild, th
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malfunctions, due to severe inbreed
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maturity (i.e. at 2 years old), the
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emaining 3 institutions bred otters
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elow 240 m² (2,583.4 ft²) in size
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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
Page 73 and 74: 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
Page 83: dry easily, drain well, and be resi
Page 87 and 88: Deep Digging Area Necessary For Eac
Page 89 and 90: 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
Page 97 and 98: 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
Page 105 and 106: 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
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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
Page 125 and 126: study. They also have been successf
Page 127 and 128: 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
Page 133 and 134: 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
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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
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care for the cubs (Schenck & Schenc
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was moved to another enclosure (Gat
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Inbreeding, physical, behavioral, a
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underground dens in this expansive
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Section 12 Natural Underground Dens
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22.34 ft] (11 sites) ; Kabo creek (
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Section 13 Den Construction “Den
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should not be introduced with physi
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door) could instead be made in the
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Section 15 Toys & Methods for Addit
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Although once items such as cardboa
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e designed or modified with these c
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Section 18 Introducing Unfamiliar &
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have been housed together and then
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contact introduction, i.e. to stop
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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
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to secure the guillotine door with
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it stays close to the target. This
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these births may go undetected. Ult
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those working with her, from being
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ody temperatures to be taken, when
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abnormally frequent or excessive, i
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with a male (other than growing up
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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
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enough), and explore while under su
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dig into, well-draining etc.) are n
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ecome healthy and their housing can
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Section 16 Companion Cubs and Handr
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Cubs must exercise and explore to p
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Table 3 : Summary of the internatio
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Table 5 : International giant otter
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Days/ Months Sex Weight/Length (ent
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Table 7: Adult Giant Otter Weights
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Graph 2 : Giant Otter Cub Weight Gr
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Duplaix, N. 1980. Observations on t
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asiliensis, Gmelin, 1788) No Zooló
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Otter Colloquium Pietermaritzburg 1
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