International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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and water area designs and locations. See the introduction above. (Soil should only be used on natural outdoor land areas as it will not drain properly or dry easily when it is used to cover over hard or artificial surfaces.) Even after continual use, soil (as all substrates), with/without vegetation, needs to retain all of the aforementioned necessary qualities. When it can not, it is essential that sand, mulch, or soil with the necessary qualities be used as recommended to cover over the inappropriate areas. Providing turf/vegetation on natural outdoor land areas with soft loose soil will help maintain land dryness and prevent soil erosion, although the otters must not be prevented from carrying out the aforementioned activities (clearing away vegetation/turf, digging etc.). These are very important strong natural behaviors that otters must be allowed to perform to the full extent throughout nearly their entire enclosure land area. (See Section 3 below for why.) When the recommended soil type, quality, and depth and land and water area designs and locations are provided, problems should not occur with the land area remaining dry enough or eroding when the animals fully use the land. Trees, large bushes, or large tree stumps with long extended roots may help prevent soil erosion, so these are highly recommended. (See Sections 4 & 6 below for these and other land area furnishings.) Note: giant otters in zoos seem to particularly favor soft sand when it has the qualities and depths recommended and hillsides made of the specific soft loose soil types that possess the necessary qualities and that are used in some South American institutions, above all other natural substrates to groom and dig in/on (most especially) and carry out other terrestrial activities on. (See part B below for the specific soil type.) The type, quality and depth of mulch recommended although, is also well liked and well-used and it has excellent qualities to keep the otters and their indoor and outdoor enclosures dry and clean (as does sand). When necessary, mulch can be similarly used in the same way as sand for an effective and suitable alternative furnishing. Note: some vegetation types will grow freely in deep mulch and sand. Nestboxes 1 must remain dry and they should have bedding materials within them. Mulch and soft sand are highly recommended for use within nestboxes, esp. during cub-rearing when these areas need to be isolated from human disturbances. These substrates should be at least 10 cm to 20 cm (4" to 8") in depth within the nestboxes (dens etc.). The recommended mulch and sand types and qualities mentioned above are needed. A deep layer of straw, leaves, or wood wool can also be used. (Woodwool is also called excelsior and it is a material used for packing fragile items.) Otters esp. like woodwool or leaves as a bedding and play material for their nestbox, but sand and mulch is also well liked. Caution: before parturition, nestbox bedding materials such as straw, hay, or leaves should be replaced with mulch or sand. Wood wool should be totally removed during cub-rearing for safety to the cubs. (Woodwool should also be kept away from feeding areas so that fish does not become entangled/coated with the woodwool and ingested.) It is natural for giant otters to dig, groom, and play in the soft loose substrates within their nestbox, although they may in the process dig some or a lot of these materials out of it. This does not mean they do not want these materials in their sleeping area with them. Instead, it is just a result of their naturally strong digging and grooming behavior which they will perform throughout their entire enclosure area. (See Part B below for more information on substrates for nestboxes.) 1 “Nestbox” refers to areas that are only large enough for the otters (including cubs) to sleep. Nestboxes are man-made (i.e. constructed with wood, concrete, artificial rockwork etc.) and they are either placed above or beneath the ground/floor. 84
Deep Digging Area Necessary For Each Enclosure In addition to the necessary land and floor substrates aforementioned, each indoor enclosure (see exceptions below) and each outdoor enclosure must have at least a 40 m 2 (430.56 ft²) area or significantly larger area, where soft non-abrasive sand or mulch, a minimum of 40 cm to 60 cm (16” to 24”) in depth, or hillsides, with the recommended designs and soil qualities, allow for deep digging. The same substrate qualities, types and husbandry techniques needed for enclosure land and floors are also necessary for the deep digging areas (see above and below). E.g. soil, sand, and mulch must not have pebbles, gravel, or small rocks (smooth, rounded, or otherwise), or construction or abrasive sand mixed throughout them. Soil requires additional specific qualities. When an indoor enclosure 75 m 2 (807.3 ft²) or below in size attaches to an outdoor enclosure that provides at least a 40 m 2 deep digging area and otters have access to both enclosures, the indoor enclosure requires at least a 20 m 2 (215.28 ft²) area where soft sand or mulch, a minimum of 40 cm to 60 cm (16” to 24”) in depth, allows for deep digging. When soil is not used within enclosures, the mulch and/or sand deep digging areas should instead cover the majority of the land and floor surface area or nearly the entire land and floor surface area in every indoor and outdoor enclosure and they should be as deep as possible. They should have at least 100 cm (3.28 ft) mulch and sand depths (see below). When enclosure terrain is fairly flat and soft loose soil (with/without turf or vegetation) is provided, otters will not be able to dig deeply, therefore plentiful hillsides, rather than the minimum size area above, should be provided. They should border nearly the entire length of the enclosure land area contour line. The hillsides provided should be at least 1.8 to 2 m (5.9 ft to 6.56 ft) high and have an angle of 40-45 o . They must be made of a soft soil type that remains, after continual use, loose enough that otters can easily dig deeply into it, as well as, effectively groom on it. Otters must be able to dig at least 40 cm to 60 cm (16” to 24”) in depth in these areas. The hills should not be steeper or much less steep than a 40-45 o angle and it is recommended that they be located behind and near the water area shoreline (see Section 5 below). For multiple reasons, it is highly recommended to provide soft sand, at least the minimum size area and depth recommended, for deep digging, in addition to the mulch or hillsides offered for these purposes (see above). It is necessary that any enclosure, whether it is already in use or not, that does not provide at least the minimum recommended deep digging area size, depth and substrate qualities and types, be modified so that it does. (See the introduction above for modification methods.) The recommended minimum size and depth for the deep digging area is not optimal, only minimal. E.g. captive Pteronura can easily dig 100 cm (3.28 ft) deep into soft sand and mulch throughout the entire expanse of their enclosures (e.g. within enclosures well above minimum size). They as well can dig many deep underground dens throughout extensive hillsides (e.g. a 500 m 2 [5,382 ft²] area composed of hills) that have the recommended designs and substrate furnishings. Substrate depths should be as deep as possible and deep digging areas as large as possible. It is important although that plentiful level land area is offered when hills are provided. (E.g. level land can be located at the top of the hills, along the water’s edge, or/and elsewhere within outdoor enclosures and some areas can also be furnished with deep soft sand). When otters dig significant size areas of mulch and sand to the maximum depth possible, i.e. when significant size holes are created, these holes should be filled in again, with the substrates dug away, so they can be re-dug. (Underground dens that are dug into soil should not be filled in so they can be used for sleeping and keeping cubs in etc..) It is highly recommended to additionally give a deep pile of leaves (esp. where the leaves can remain dry) for variety (i.e. not as substitute for the required deep digging areas or substrates). Giant otters also particularly enjoy digging, playing, rolling, and grooming in this. Leaves that have fallen from deciduous trees are ideal. Leaves from coniferous trees or that have thorns, thistles, poisonous 85
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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
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are to the water, but it is also de
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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 and 84: dry easily, drain well, and be resi
Page 85: It is necessary that every indoor a
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
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Page 109 and 110: or high humidity, esp. extended per
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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
Page 135 and 136: 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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International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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